Matthew 12:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all

NIV: Aware of this, Jesus withdrew from that place. A large crowd followed him, and he healed all who were ill.

NASB: But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all,

CSB: Jesus was aware of this and withdrew. Large crowds followed him, and he healed them all.

NLT: But Jesus knew what they were planning. So he left that area, and many people followed him. He healed all the sick among them,

KJV: But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

NKJV: But when Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.

Jesus was aware the Pharisees were conspiring together to destroy Him (Matthew 12:14). They wanted Jesus dead. Their options were limited, because they could not enforce a death penalty while under Roman rule. They would need the Roman authorities to charge Jesus. The other obstacle faced by the Pharisees was that Jesus was enormously popular with the people. They had to be careful not to lose the loyalty of the people by acting too openly against Him.

For now, in keeping with God's timeline (John 2:4; 12:23), Jesus moves away from the heat of the Pharisees' wrath. In this moment, He will choose to avoid further conflict. He has more work to do before His time comes to be arrested and killed by the Romans (John 12:32–34).

Jesus may have moved away from the Pharisees, but He did not escape the crowds of people that continually followed Him. This makes sense. Not only were they drawn to His powerful and authoritative teaching, Jesus "healed them all." In this phase of His ministry, Jesus healed anyone who came to Him with any disease, affliction, or demon oppression. He was fulfilling His mission of demonstrating to Israel the power of God in the form of the Messiah.

Matthew 12:15–21 shows Jesus withdrawing away from the Pharisees, who want to destroy Him. The crowds persist in following Him, though, and He continues to tell those He heals not to make Him known. Matthew declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of Isaiah 42:1–4. Isaiah quotes God referring to His promised servant using the same terminology God used of Jesus at His baptism. This servant is gentle, refusing to call attention to Himself, but is also the One who will bring justice to victory and in whom the Gentiles will hope.

Matthew 12 features confrontations between the Pharisees and Jesus over several issues. Among these are working on the Sabbath, healing on the Sabbath, and the source of His power to cast out demons. Jesus counters each argument and rebukes the Pharisees sharply for their obstinate unbelief. He even notes that those who maliciously ascribe His miracles to demons are unforgivable. He warns them, and the rest of their current generation, about the judgment to come. Jesus calls the Pharisees a brood of vipers and rejects their demand for another miracle. All they'll be promised is the sign of Jonah. The Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days. Jesus also states that all who do His Father's will are His family.

Matthew 11 depicted Jesus preaching and teaching after sending out His chosen disciples in pairs in chapter 10. Chapter 12 immediately picks up with more confrontation with the Pharisees. Jesus responds to those criticisms and rebukes their evil hearts as the source of their evil words. In the following chapter, Matthew will shift His focus onto Jesus' parables.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.