Yesu Ni Bwana Wa Sabato

12 Wakati huo Yesu alipitia kwenye mashamba ya ngano siku ya sabato. Wanafunzi wake walikuwa na njaa, wakaanza kuvunja masuke ya ngano na kula. Lakini Mafarisayo walipoona jambo hili wakam wambia, “Tazama! Wanafunzi wako wanafanya jambo lisilo halali kufanya siku ya sabato.”

Yesu akawajibu, “Hamjasoma walichofanya Daudi na wafuasi wake walipokuwa na njaa? Waliingia katika nyumba ya Mungu wakala mkate uliowekwa wakfu, jambo ambalo halikuwa halali kwao kufanya isipokuwa makuhani peke yao. Au hamjasoma katika sheria kwamba siku ya sabato makuhani huvunja sheria ya sabato Hekaluni lakini hawahesabiwi kuwa na hatia? Nawaambieni wazi kwamba, aliye mkuu kuliko Hekalu yupo hapa. Na kama mngalifahamu maana ya maneno haya, ‘Ninataka rehema wala si sadaka ya kuteketezwa;’ msingeliwalaumu watu wasio na hatia, kwa maana Mwana wa Adamu ni Bwana wa sabato.”

Yesu Anamponya Mtu Aliyepooza Mkono

Yesu alipoondoka hapo, aliingia katika sinagogi lao. Huko alikuwepo mtu aliyepooza mkono . 10 Wakitafuta sababu ya kumsh taki, wakamwuliza, “Je, ni halali kuponya siku ya sabato?” 11 Yesu akawajibu, “Ni nani kati yenu ambaye kondoo wake aki tumbukia shimoni siku ya sabato hatamtoa? 12 Mtu ana thamani kubwa sana kuliko kondoo. Kwa hiyo ni halali kutenda mema siku ya sabato.”

13 Ndipo akamwambia yule mtu, “Nyoosha mkono wako.” Akau nyoosha, nao ukapona ukawa mzima kama ule mwingine. 14 Lakini Mafarisayo wakatoka nje wakashauriana jinsi ya kumwangamiza

Mtumishi Aliyechaguliwa Na Mungu

15 Lakini Yesu akiyafahamu mawazo yao, aliondoka mahali hapo. Na watu wengi walimfuata naye akawaponya wote. 16 Akawa kataza wasimtangaze. 17 Hii ilikuwa ili yatimie maneno aliyosema nabii Isaya: 18 “Mtazameni mtumishi wangu niliyemchagua, mpendwa wangu ambaye moyo wangu unapendezwa naye. Nitaweka Roho yangu juu yake , naye atatangaza haki kwa watu wa mataifa. 19 Hatabishana wala hatapiga kelele, sauti yake haitasikika mitaani. 20 Hataponda unyasi uliochubuliwa wala hatazima mshumaa unaokaribia kuzima, mpaka atakapoifanya haki ipate ushindi; 21 na watu wa mataifa wataweka tumaini lao katika jina lake.”

Yesu Na Beelzebuli

22 Kisha wakamletea kipofu mmoja ambaye pia alikuwa bubu na amepagawa na pepo. Yesu akamponya akaweza kusema na kuona. 23 Watu wote wakashangaa wakaulizana, “Je, yawezekana huyu ndiye Mwana wa Daudi?” 24 Lakini Mafarisayo waliposikia haya wakasema, “Mtu huyu anatoa pepo kwa uwezo wa Beelzebuli, mfalme wa pepo wote.”

25 Yesu alifahamu mawazo yao, akawaambia, “Utawala wo wote ambao umegawanyika wenyewe kwa wenyewe utaanguka. Hali kadhalika mji wo wote au jamaa ye yote iliyogawanyika yenyewe kwa yenyewe haitadumu. 26 Na kama shetani anamfukuza shetani, atakuwa amega wanyika yeye mwenyewe. Basi ufalme wake utaendeleaje? 27 Na kama mimi hutoa pepo kwa nguvu za Beelzebuli, watu wenu je, wao hutoa pepo kwa uwezo wa nani? Wao ndio watakaowaamulia. 28 Lakini kama ninatoa pepo kwa nguvu za Roho wa Mungu, basi Ufalme wa Mungu umekwisha kuwafikia. 29 Au inawezekanaje mtu kuivamia nyumba ya mtu mwenye nguvu na kumnyang’anya mali yake yote pasipo kwanza kumfunga yule mwenye nguvu? Akisha mfunga ndipo hakika anaweza kupora mali yake.

30 “Mtu asiyekuwa pamoja nami ananipinga; na mtu ambaye hakusanyi pamoja nami, anatawanya. 31 Kwa hiyo nawaambieni, watu watasamehewa kila aina ya dhambi na kufuru lakini mtu ata kayemkufuru Roho Mtakatifu hatasamehewa.

32 “Na mtu atakayesema neno kumpinga Mwana wa Adamu ata samehewa, lakini ye yote atakayempinga Roho Mtakatifu hatasame hewa, katika ulimwengu huu wala katika ulimwengu ujao.”

Maneno Huonyesha Hali Ya Moyo

33 “Ili upate matunda mazuri lazima uwe na mti mzuri; ukiwa na mti mbaya na matunda yake yatakuwa mabaya. Kwa maana mti hutambulikana kwa matunda yake. 34 Ninyi uzao wa nyoka! Mnawe zaje kunena mema wakati ninyi ni waovu? Kwa maana mtu husema yaliyojaa moyoni mwake. 35 Mtu mwema hutoa yaliyo mema kutokana na hazina ya wema uliohifadhiwa ndani yake; na mtu mwovu hutoa yaliyo maovu kutokana na hazina ya uovu uliohifadhiwa ndani yake.

36 “Nawaambia hakika, siku ya hukumu watu watatakiwa kujieleza kuhusu kila neno lisilo la maana walilolisema. 37 Kwa maana kutokana na maneno yako utahesabiwa haki, na kutokana na maneno yako utahukumiwa.”

Ishara Ya Yona

38 Kisha baadhi ya waandishi wa sheria na Mafarisayo wakam wambia, “Mwalimu, tunataka kuona ishara kutoka kwako.” 39 Lakini yeye akawajibu, “Kizazi cha watu waovu na wasiowaami nifu hutafuta ishara; lakini hawatapewa ishara yo yote isipokuwa ile ya nabii Yona. 40 Kwa maana kama vile Yona alivyokaa katika tumbo la nyangumi kwa muda wa siku tatu mchana na usiku, vivyo hivyo mimi Mwana wa Adamu nitakaa siku tatu, mchana na usiku ndani ya ardhi. 41 Siku ya hukumu watu wa Ninawi watasimama pamoja na kizazi hiki na kukihukumu; kwa maana wao walitubu wakati Yona alipowahubiria, na hapa yupo aliye mkuu kuliko Yona. 42 Malkia wa Kusini atasimama wakati wa hukumu na kukihukumu kizazi hiki; kwa kuwa yeye alisafiri kutoka miisho ya dunia ili akaisikilize hekima ya Sulemani; na hapa yupo aliye mkuu kuliko Sulemani.”

Mafundisho Kuhusu Pepo Mchafu

43 “Pepo mchafu akimtoka mtu, huzunguka sehemu kame akita futa mahali pa kupumzika, lakini hapati. 44 Ndipo husema, ‘Nitarudi kwenye ile nyumba yangu nilikotoka.’ Na anaporudi, anaikuta ile nyumba ikiwa tupu, imefagiliwa na kupangwa vizuri. 45 Kisha huenda na kuwaleta pepo wengine saba, wabaya zaidi kuliko yeye, nao huingia na kuishi huko. Na hali ya mwisho ya mtu huyo inakuwa mbaya zaidi kuliko mwanzo.”

Ndugu Wa Yesu

46 Wakati alipokuwa akizungumza na watu, mama yake na ndugu zake walisimama nje wakataka kuongea naye. [ 47 Mtu mmoja akam wambia, “Mama yako na ndugu zako wamesimama nje, wanataka kuon gea na wewe.”] 48 Lakini akamjibu yule mtu aliyemwambia, “Mama yangu ni nani, na ndugu zangu ni nani?” 49 Akinyoosha kidole chake kwa wanafunzi wake, alisema , “Hawa hapa ndio mama yangu na ndugu zangu! 50 Kwa maana ye yote anayefanya mapenzi ya Baba yangu wa mbinguni, ndiye kaka, dada na mama yangu.”

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath(A)(B)

12 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain(C) and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”(D)

He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?(E) He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests.(F) Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath(G) and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.(H) If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’[a](I) you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man(J) is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to bring charges against Jesus,(K) they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”(L)

11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out?(M) 12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep!(N) Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.(O)

God’s Chosen Servant

15 Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.(P) 16 He warned them not to tell others about him.(Q) 17 This was to fulfill(R) what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

18 “Here is my servant whom I have chosen,
    the one I love, in whom I delight;(S)
I will put my Spirit on him,(T)
    and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not quarrel or cry out;
    no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he has brought justice through to victory.
21     In his name the nations will put their hope.”[b](U)

Jesus and Beelzebul(V)

22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see.(W) 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”(X)

24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul,(Y) the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”(Z)

25 Jesus knew their thoughts(AA) and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan(AB) drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul,(AC) by whom do your people(AD) drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God(AE) has come upon you.

29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.

30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.(AF) 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.(AG) 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age(AH) or in the age to come.(AI)

33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.(AJ) 34 You brood of vipers,(AK) how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks(AL) what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”(AM)

The Sign of Jonah(AN)(AO)

38 Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign(AP) from you.”(AQ)

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.(AR) 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish,(AS) so the Son of Man(AT) will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.(AU) 41 The men of Nineveh(AV) will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah,(AW) and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came(AX) from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45 Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.(AY) That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers(AZ)

46 While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother(BA) and brothers(BB) stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47 Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.”

48 He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven(BC) is my brother and sister and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 12:7 Hosea 6:6
  2. Matthew 12:21 Isaiah 42:1-4