Matthew 12 (NMV)
1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick heads of grain and eat them.
2 But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, "Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath!"
3 He said to them, "Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry,
4 how he entered the house of God and they ate the sacred bread, which was not lawful for him or those with him to eat, but only for the priests?
5 Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent?
6 I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
7 If you had known what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent.
8 For the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath."
9 Moving on from there, He went into their synagogue,
10 and there was a man there with a paralyzed hand. In order to accuse Jesus, they asked Him, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?"
11 He replied to them, "If one of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, won't you take hold of it and lift it out?
12 A person is far more valuable than a sheep. So it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath."
13 Then He told the man, "Stretch out your hand." So he stretched it out, and it was restored, just like the other.
14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might destroy Him.
15 Jesus was aware of this and withdrew from there. Large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all,
16 but He warned them not to make Him known,
17 to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18 "Look, My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul delights; I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations.
19 He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear His voice in the streets.
20 He will not break a bruised reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until He has brought justice to victory.
21 In His name the nations will place their confident expectation."
22 Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see.
23 All the crowds were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of demons, that this man drives out demons."
25 Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or household divided against itself will stand.
26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? Therefore, they will be your judges.
28 But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 How can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
30 The one who is not with Me is against Me, and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.
31 Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come.
33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.
34 You offspring of snakes! How can you speak good when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.
35 A good person brings good things out of the treasure of good stored up in their heart, and an evil person brings out evil from the evil stored up in them.
36 I tell you, on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every careless word they speak.
37 For by your words you will be declared right, and by your words you will be found guilty.
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered them, "An evil and unfaithful generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because they turned from their former ways at the preaching of Jonah, and look, something greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and look, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through desolate places where no life or rest can be found.
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 brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this evil generation."
46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers were standing outside, wanting to speak to Him.
47 Someone told Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You."
48 But He replied to the one who told Him, "Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?"
49 Then stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!
50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother."