(Verse 8) And when he had passed from there, he came into their synagogue. And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. This is the thirteenth one who is healed in the synagogue. And it should be noted that his hand was healed not on the road or outside, but in the council of the Jews.
12:9
(Verse 9.) And they asked him, saying: Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. Because he had previously defended himself and his disciples against the accusation of breaking the sabbath by a valid example, the Pharisees now want to falsely accuse him. They ask whether it is lawful to heal on the sabbath day, so that if he does not heal, they can accuse him of cruelty or weakness; but if he does heal, they can accuse him of transgression.
12:10-12
(Vs. 10 seqq.) But he said to them: Which one of you, having a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. In this way, he solved the proposed question, so as to condemn those who were questioning out of greed. If, he said, on the Sabbath you hurry to rescue a sheep or any other animal that falls into a pit, not because of the animal, but because of your greed, how much more should I free a man, who is much more valuable than a sheep!
12:13
(Verse 13) Then he said to the man, \"Stretch out your hand.\" And he stretched it out, and his health was restored like the other. In the Gospel used by the Nazarenes and Ebionites (which we recently translated from Hebrew into Greek, and which some call the authentic Gospel of Matthew), this man, who has a withered hand, is said to be a mason, praying for help with these words: \"I was a mason, seeking food with my hands. I beg you, Jesus, to restore my health, so that I may not shamefully beg for food.\ Until the coming of the Savior, the hand of God was dry in the synagogue of the Jews, and His works were not performed in it: but after He came to the earth, His right hand was restored to the believing apostles, and the former work was renewed.
12:14
(Verse 14) But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, how they might destroy him. The reason they plot against the Lord is envy. For what had he done to provoke the Pharisees to kill him? It was because he had stretched out his hand. For who among the Pharisees does not stretch out their hand on the Sabbath, carrying food and extending a cup, and all the other things that are necessary for sustenance? Therefore, if it is not a crime to stretch out one's hand and lift up food or drink on the Sabbath, why do they accuse him of doing something they themselves are guilty of, especially when this builder did not carry such things, but only stretched out his hand in accordance with the command of the Lord?
12:15-17
(Verse 15 and following) But Jesus, knowing this, departed from there, and many followed him, and he healed them all. And he commanded them not to make him known, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled, saying, Knowing their plot, that they wanted to destroy their Savior, he departed from there, in order to take away from the Pharisees the opportunity for wickedness against himself.
12:18
(Verse 18.) Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry out. Through the prophet Isaiah, this is spoken in the person of the Father: I will put my spirit upon him (Isaiah 42:1). The spirit is not placed upon the Word of God, nor upon the only begotten, who proceeded from the Father's bosom, but upon him of whom it is said: Behold my servant (ibidem).
12:19
(Verse 19.) Neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. For the way is broad and spacious that leads to destruction, and many enter through it (Mat. 7:13). Those who do not hear the voice of the Savior are many, because they are not on the narrow path, but on the spacious one.
12:20-21
(Verse 20, 21.) He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not extinguish smoking flax, until he brings forth judgment to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope. He who does not reach out his hand to the sinner, nor carries the burden of his brother, he breaks the bruised reed. And he who despises the small spark of faith in the little ones, he extinguishes smoking flax. Christ has done neither of these; for this is why he came, to save what was lost.
12:22
(Verse 22.) Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that he could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, 'Could this be the Son of David?' But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'This man does not cast out demons except by Beelzebul, the prince of demons.' Three signs were performed simultaneously in one man: the blind see, the mute speak, and the one possessed by a demon is set free. This was indeed done in a physical sense at that time, but it is also fulfilled daily in the conversion of believers, so that after the demon is expelled, they first see the light of faith, and then their mouths are opened in praise of God.
12:25
(Verse 25) But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate, and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand. The crowds marveled and confessed that he, who performed such great signs, was the son of David. But the Pharisees attributed the works of God to the prince of demons. To them, the Lord did not respond to their words, but to their thoughts, so that they might be compelled to believe in his power, who saw the hidden things of the heart.
12:26
(Verse 26) And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? A kingdom and a city divided against themselves cannot endure; but just as small things grow by harmony, so great things are destroyed by discord. Therefore, if Satan fights against himself, and a demon is an enemy of a demon, then the end of the world should have already come; so that opposing powers would not have a place in it, and their war would be the peace of mankind. But if you think, O scribes and Pharisees, that the expulsion of demons is by the power of their prince, in order to deceive ignorant men by fraudulent pretense, what can you say about the healings of bodies, which the Lord performed? It is one thing if the weakness of limbs and the signs of spiritual virtues are also assigned to demons.
12:27
(Verse 27) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. He indicates the sons of Judaeans, either the exorcists of that nation according to custom, or the apostles generated from their lineage. If exorcists, who were casting out demons by invoking God, are constrained by wise questioning to confess that it is the work of the Holy Spirit. He says that if the expulsion of demons is attributed to God and not to demons in your sons, why should the same work and cause not apply to me? Therefore your judges will be, not by power, but by comparison: while they assign the expulsion of demons to God; you to Beelzebub, the prince of demons. But if it is said of the apostles, which we must understand more, they will be their judges: because they will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19 and Luke 22).