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 brood of vipers , how can you, being evil , speak what is good ? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart . 35 " The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good ; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil . 36 "But I tell you that every careless word that people speak , they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment . 37 "For by your words you will be justified , and by your words you will be condemned ."
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, "Teacher , we want to see a sign from You." 39 But He answered and said to them, " An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign ; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet ; 40 for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER , so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth . 41 " The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment , and will condemn it because they repented at the preaching of Jonah ; and behold , something greater than Jonah is here . 42 " The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold , something greater than Solomon is here .
43 " Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man , it passes through waterless places seeking rest , and does not find it. 44 "Then it says , 'I will return to my house from which I came '; and when it comes , it finds it unoccupied , swept , and put in order . 45 "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself , and they go in and live there ; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first . That is the way it will also be with this evil generation ."
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Matthew 12:33-45
Commentary on Matthew 12:33-37
(Read Matthew 12:33-37)
Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil things. Lusts and corruptions, dwelling and reigning in the heart, are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to dishonour God, and hurt others. Let us keep constant watch over ourselves, that we may speak words agreeable to the Christian character.
Commentary on Matthew 12:38-45
(Read Matthew 12:38-45)
Though Christ is always ready to hear and answer holy desires and prayers, yet those who ask amiss, ask and have not. Signs were granted to those who desired them to confirm their faith, as Abraham and Gideon; but denied to those who demanded them to excuse their unbelief. The resurrection of Christ from the dead by his own power, called here the sign of the prophet Jonah, was the great proof of Christ's being the Messiah. As Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale, and then came out again alive, thus Christ would be so long in the grave, and then rise again. The Ninevites would shame the Jews for not repenting; the queen of Sheba, for not believing in Christ. And we have no such cares to hinder us, we come not to Christ upon such uncertainties. This parable represents the case of the Jewish church and nation. It is also applicable to all those who hear the word of God, and are in part reformed, but not truly converted. The unclean spirit leaves for a time, but when he returns, he finds Christ is not there to shut him out; the heart is swept by outward reformation, but garnished by preparation to comply with evil suggestions, and the man becomes a more decided enemy of the truth. Every heart is the residence of unclean spirits, except those which are temples of the Holy Ghost, by faith in Christ.