Daily Writing

Friday, 5 September 2025

And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! Matthew 12:49

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And having extended His hand to His disciples, He said, ‘You behold! My mother and My brothers’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus rhetorically questioned who His mother and His brothers are. Having so questioned, He immediately provides the response, “And having extended His hand to His disciples.”

One can see Matthew, along with the others, observing His actions and probably feeling overwhelmed by the coming words. Noting that He extended His hand provides a warm and graphic gesture described by eyewitness testimony. Upon extending His hand, “He said, ‘You behold! My mother and My brothers.’”

The words do not exclude Mary and His brothers. They simply make a point that trying to pin down a family relationship based on blood or genealogy as an exceptional excuse to either a right-standing with the Lord or some type of added holiness based on near kinship is an invalid proposition.

Rather, those who are considered nearest of all to the Redeemer are those who will be described in the next verse. When thinking this through, one can see that the cult of Mary, which has so grotesquely permeated the Roman Catholic Church, is completely excluded by Jesus’ words in this verse. It is an aberrant teaching that completely misdirects people from what God intends for us to focus on.

Life application: The church has gone through much misdirection, many redirections, and constant ups and downs since its inception. There have always been groups, sects, cults, and aberrant offshoots that claim to be the true way in relation to what Christ offers. For example, the Roman Catholic Church claims to be the true church. Baptism in it supposedly leads to a right relationship with God.

Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that they alone are following the proper path that was restored after eons of apostasy. The same is true with Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventism, the Church of Christ, and on and on and on (and on). So many supposedly lay claim to the truth as if they alone possess what the Savior offers freely to the whole world.

An example of this, and one that both started with the early church and that has also arisen in modern times, is refuted by Jesus’ words in this and the surrounding verses. It is the cult of the Judaizer, which today is most prominently known as Hebrew Roots.

Everything Jewish is exalted. Being Jewish implies a special connection to the Messiah. People who fit this condition are exalted, not because they have any special qualifications, abilities, or biblical understanding, but simply because they are Jewish.

So much is this the case that some teachers claim to be of Jewish descent even though they don’t have any genealogical ties to the Jewish people. However, they know that by making the claim, people will follow their teachings, cling to them as if they have a special connection to the Messiah, and fawn over them as if they were rock stars.

People in Israel hear about how profitable it is to be a Christian teacher or singer and work feverishly to establish themselves as sound, responsible, Messiah-loving servants. Unfortunately, innumerable people are duped by such people because they have failed to know Scripture.

They get sucked into law observance in various degrees and spend their lives trying to measure up to impossible standards set by theological quacks when the avenue to salvation has already been paved by Jesus. It is through faith in Him and what He has done that leads the lost soul back to God. Nothing else will do.

If someone has Jewish blood, speaks Hebrew, or was born in Israel, Jesus would say, “So what!” if their teaching is unsound. He expects us to follow Scripture because Scripture reveals Him to us. Don’t waste your time following such people. Read your Bible and follow Jesus!

Lord God, help us to think properly about our standing with You. The gospels have been recorded to show us that Jesus is the Messiah, that He fulfilled the prophecies that speak of His coming, and that He fulfilled the law that stood against the people. In His fulfillment of it, restoration through what He has done is available. May we remember this and cling to JESUS! Amen.

Thursday, 4 September 2025

But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” Matthew 12:48

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And answering, He said to the ‘telling Him’, ‘Who, she is, My mother, and who, they are, My brothers?’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were outside seeking to speak with Him. Matthew next records, “And answering, He said to the ‘telling Him’, ‘Who, she is, My mother, and who, they are, My brothers?’”

The words seem curiously distant, as if Jesus is removing Himself from the family relationship He was born into. This is not the case. It needs to be remembered who He has been speaking to. Earlier, it said –

“And all the multitudes were amazed and said, ‘Could this be the Son of David?’
²⁴ Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, ‘This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.’” Matthew 12:23, 24

Since then, He has been speaking to them concerning their accusation, carefully refuting it. It said in verse 46, “While He was still talking to the multitudes…” This tells us that it has been an ongoing speech. The scribes and Pharisees had accused Jesus not only of not being the Messiah (the Son of David), but that He was in league with the devil.

Therefore, in being presented with the note of His mother and brothers coming to speak to Him, He is taking the opportunity to further refute the accusation of the Pharisees. That will be seen in verse 12:50 as the chapter closes out.

Life application: Various charges against both Jesus and Mary have been made because of the words in these final verses of the chapter. Some may accuse Jesus of not living in accordance with the command to honor His mother according to the law. Such an accusation is unfounded. The gospels bear witness to His concern for her, even to His dying words on the cross.

Likewise, there are those who take Jesus’ words to extremes, not even hinted at concerning Mary. Without addressing their inane comments directly due to their ridiculous nature, the reason for their words comes back to contempt for Roman Catholicism’s inexcusable fixation on Mary in other ways.

Because of RCC doctrine, and in order to start a tit for tat war of words, Mary as a person is purposefully diminished and disparaged. This intentional poking serves no purpose except to stir up animosity between parties. If there was any substance to what they were saying, they would include the brothers of Jesus in their comments as well.

The words Jesus conveys, when properly understood, are exactly how the Savior of the world would be expected to respond. They form another strong contradiction to the accusations of the scribes and Pharisees. They also support the notion that those who are in a right standing with God are not those who trust in their own merits, like these accusers. Rather, they will reveal those who are favored by the Messiah in the redemptive process that God has set forth.

Lord God, thank You for the wisdom that is carefully revealed in Your word that can, if we analyze it properly, impart that wisdom to us as well. May we carefully consider Scripture as Your word, intended to build us up in the knowledge of who You are and what You are doing in the world as You guide us back to Yourself. Amen.

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” Matthew 12:47

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And, he said, someone to Him, ‘You behold! Your mother and your brothers, they have stood without seeking to speak to You.’” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus’ mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Now, it says, “And, he said, someone to Him, ‘You behold! Your mother and your brothers, they have stood without seeking to speak to You.’”

This verse is lacking in several ancient texts. Some claim it is an insertion to bridge the thoughts of verse 12:46 and 12:48. The main contents are close to those of the previous verse, but this verse more poignantly ties the brothers with Mary.

In other words, it would be easier to say that verse 12:46 could refer to Mary and some other close relatives who are not necessarily sons of Mary. However, when someone speaks to Jesus of Mary and the brothers in the same breath, it heavily implies that they are of the same intimate family.

As such, it seems likely that rather than being an inserted bridge, the words belong in the text and were dropped out for some unstated reason. The “perpetual virginity of Mary” was introduced into Christian lore early on, being found in the late second-century text known as the Protoevangelium of James, a book never canonized.

This early distraction from the admonition to seek Jesus as the point and purpose of Scripture soon blossomed and has become a source of real apostasy within the church.

Life application: Mary is mentioned only a few times in Scripture. When she is, it is always in relation to the Person of Jesus, even if He is not directly mentioned. The last time she is mentioned is in Acts 1:14, noting her among the other believers. Even then, she is called “the mother of Jesus.”

Someone had to be the mother of Jesus in order for Jesus to be incarnated. Mary was selected because she fit the ancient prophecies about Jesus. For example, she was a virgin, she was betrothed to Joseph, whose registry was Bethlehem, and who later returned to Nazareth, etc. Each of these things was necessary to bring about the fulfillment of prophecies that refer to Jesus. Mary’s role in them, though necessary, was incidental to this fact.

When evaluating Scripture, we are to search for Jesus. Studying the Bible to find clues about the “other world,” as many do, is mentally exciting but ultimately a waste of time. And yet, it is studies, videos, and TV shows about this type of thing that enraptures many. It brings fame and a lot of money, but it serves no purpose in glorifying God.

If one is not looking for Jesus, what He has done, or how it bears on the lives of His people, that time in the Bible was not properly focused. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t know about things that are mentioned concerning side issues, but that those things should not be our main line of focus.

Teachings about wealth, abundant life, being prosperous, etc., are self-centered. Teachings about extra-worldly encounters with angels or UFOs, or the different levels of heaven, are misguided or even entirely incorrect. Those who constantly pursue end times prophecy have an unsound fixation that misdirects their thoughts away from Jesus.

The list of such things goes on and on. Why is this? It is because what should be man’s highest desire and goal, that of intimately knowing and fellowshipping with God, is not our normal priority. We should actively remind ourselves from day to day to change that and seek the Lord first in all things. In doing this, our priorities will be properly aligned.

Lord God, may our greatest desire be a close relationship with You. May our hearts seek You through Your word, searching for Jesus who has made the bridge back to You possible. Open our eyes as we read Your word, revealing Him and His greatness as we are drawn into Your very presence through Him. Amen.

Tuesday, 2 September 2025

While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Matthew 12:46

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“And He yet speaking to the crowds, you behold, His mother and His brothers had stood without seeking to speak to Him” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus finished His words about the unclean spirit returning to the home it had previously left. Matthew next records, “And He yet speaking to the crowds, you behold, His mother and His brothers.”

Though the words seem to lack any really pertinent information other than the surface meaning, they are important both to the surrounding narrative and to Christian theology. As for the surrounding context, that will be seen as the next verses unfold. However, the fact that Jesus’ brothers are mentioned flies in the face of the Roman Catholic heresies or false teachings surrounding Mary.

Though not heretical, the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary is a complete distraction and a direct attack on the concept of keeping our eyes on Jesus. Instead, those in the Roman Catholic Church spend much of their time fixing their eyes on Mary.

The word used here, adelphos, signifies a brother. It can be taken figuratively as a brother in the faith, which is the way it is commonly used in the epistles. In fact, it is used in that manner by Jesus in verse 12:49.

The word is derived from the connecting particle a and delphus, the womb. Thus, it is a sharer of the same womb. The word applies to a brother of the same father and mother, or only of the same father or same mother. As such, Roman Catholics insist that Jesus alone was born of Mary and the others were born to Joseph by a wife before Mary.

This is found in an apocryphal gospel, not in the Bible. However, the Roman Catholic church is famous for going to such texts when it is convenient to obtain theology that supports their aberrant teachings. In the case of this account, by mentioning Mary along with Jesus’ brothers, the implication is that they are her sons.

In Mark 6:3, it mentions sisters as well. Of all of these, Jesus was accounted as the Son of Joseph in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 for the purposes of lineage. If Joseph had previous sons, it would remove Jesus from the firstborn status to him.

It is true that there are provisions in the law for raising children of deceased relatives. These and other considerations mean anything is possible concerning Mary. But the obvious and clear understanding to be obtained from reading the accounts in the canonized gospels is that these other sons noted here are from Mary. With this as the intended understanding of the passage, it says they “had stood without seeking to speak to Him.”

Mary and Jesus’ brothers had come and stood outside the area where He was and waited to speak to Him. The pluperfect verb gives the sense that they were there while Jesus was speaking to the Scribes and Pharisees, and when He finished His words to them, He was notified of their having come.

Life application: A few points to be considered concerning Mary need to be addressed. Whether Mary was a perpetual virgin or not cannot be determined from the canonized gospels. Nothing is said of it, and therefore, it is not a doctrine that is acceptable to be taught in the church.

As noted above, a reading of the surrounding narrative concerning Mary without any bias or presupposition would immediately alert the reader to consider that these brothers of Jesus were sons of Mary. Unless there was a valid reason to assume otherwise, there would never be a hint that further investigation was necessary.

The terminology in Matthew 1:25, which says that Joseph did not know Mary (meaning he did not have sexual relations with her) until she brought forth Jesus, implies that he did, in fact, know her afterwards. Likewise, in that same verse, Jesus is called her Firstborn. It is true that a firstborn can mean a first and only, but the Greek monogenēs, only begotten, would have made more sense if she were to have no more children.

Such logical deductions tell us that the Roman Catholic Church has a set agenda in distracting people from the prescription found in Hebrews 12:2, where believers are to fix their eyes on Jesus. The willful manipulation of what is clearly implied in the case of Mary having other children tells us this.

For whatever reason, the cult of Mary was introduced, and it has blossomed into an entire subsect of Roman Catholicism. It is highlighted numerous times throughout the year by the main church as well

Rather than being distracted by such teachings, the clear intent of Scripture is that we should focus our minds, hearts, and attention on Jesus. To do anything else is to fall short of what is expected by God, who gave us Scripture to guide us in our understanding of theology.

Glorious God, give us the desire to focus on the contents of Your word. It is the word that tells us of Your coming in the Person of Jesus to restore us to Yourself. May we not be distracted by that which is false and unprofitable.. Amen.

Monday, 1 September 2025

Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” Matthew 12:45

Note: You can listen to today’s commentary courtesy of our friends at the “Bible in Ten” podcast. (Click Here to listen).

You can also read this commentary, scrolling with music, courtesy of our friends at “Discern the Bible” on YouTube. (Click Here to listen), or at Rumble (Click Here to listen).

“Then it traverses, and it takes with itself seven other spirits, itself eviler, and having entered, it dwells there. And the last of that man, it becomes worse than the first. Thus it will be also – this evil generation” (CG).

In the previous verse, Jesus spoke of the unclean spirit returning to the house it departed and finding it holidaying, swept and arranged. He continues now with, “Then it traverses, and it takes with itself seven other spirits.”

The spirit, realizing it had a good thing going, and seeing that there is plenty of new room available for even more uncleanness, goes out seeking friends to join in with possessing the man once again.

The number seven, hepta, is introduced here.

The number seven is the number of spiritual perfection. In this case, even though the spirits are unclean, there is a fullness implied in using the number. It stresses the potency and the immensely malignant nature of the event. This is stressed by the words, “itself eviler.”

There is an amalgamation of evil that will exude from this newly infested person. This is certain because even one unclean spirit will manifest itself in evil. With seven more, Jesus says, “and having entered, it dwells there.”

The verb translated as “it dwells” is singular. Despite being many, they align as one in purpose. It is similar to the account of the demon Legion in Mark 5 and Luke 8:30, where the verbs are singular when referring to many demons. With such a force now inhabiting this restored home, Jesus says, “And the last of that man, it becomes worse than the first.”

This is the certain result of the matter. The man had an evil situation in his life. He had it supposedly taken care of, and yet, he wound up being worse off than at the first because he failed to obtain a complete correction to his state. Jesus next clearly states the subject to which He is referring, saying, “Thus it will be also – this evil generation.”

In verse 12:39, the scribes and Pharisees asked for a sign. Jesus next called them “evil and adulteress,” explaining that it would not be given a sign except that of the prophet Jonah. Had He given them a sign, they would have exclaimed like the people did concerning Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 –

“But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, ¹⁰ to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’” Acts 8:9, 10

The people didn’t actually care about Simon. They just wanted to be amused by his tricks. If someone came along, like David Copperfield, they would have left Simon and gone after David. They were looking for a quick cure to their insatiable desire to be delighted with surprise.

Jesus knew this was their heart attitude, and so He refused to give them a sign, telling them instead that their sign would come from Scripture itself. He told them why in John –

“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. ⁴⁷ But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” John 5:46, 47

The sign would be wowed over until someone came and did something new and exciting. Without accepting the word, which was the basis of life and conduct for Israel, they would never truly accept and believe Jesus.

Life application: This set of verses contains a truth that extends beyond just the immediate context of the parable. What Jesus says will prove true in a great number of situations. Take an alcoholic, for example.

A person who has an alcohol addiction can be equated to a person with an unclean spirit, and indeed it is so. He knows he has a problem and strives to overcome it. Eventually, he prevails. The demon of addiction departs. Relieved, the man sweeps out his house, arranges it nicely, and says, “Self, you done well.”

However, he never takes the time to fill this empty house with Jesus. Eventually, when some trial, temptation, or situation arises where he finds himself in a weakened state, he succumbs to drinking again.

However, it is normally the case that the reacquired addiction will manifest itself in worse ways than before. He may take up drugs, get lost in pornography, etc. Eventually, he is bound to lose his home, job, and family. In the end, he is in a much worse state than he ever imagined because He failed to heed his wife’s advice to come to church and seek the Lord.

This parable is an excellent one to use when talking to someone about the addiction he is facing. Cheer him on! Tell him to persevere! Offer to be there and assist in any way you can. But be sure to tell him that his void needs to be filled with his Creator’s love found in Christ. Without that, things will not go well.

Personal note: I have spent a lot of time dealing with people whose lives were fraught with addiction. Having told many of them what to do when they get clean, far too many of them failed to do so. Most eventually went back to their old addiction, with more problems heaped on their lives. Several have died, leaving loved ones behind. Be careful to ensure you and those you minister to are filled with Jesus.

Heavenly Father, help us to have our priorities right in life. There are many things we can do that may distract us from healthy living. We can get addicted to the internet as quickly as we get addicted to drugs. Help us to instead focus on Jesus and have a proper balance in all other things. Yes, help us in this, O God. Amen.