Matthew 12:37 - Printer Friendly

ESV: for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

NIV: For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

NASB: For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.'

CSB: For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

NLT: The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.'

KJV: For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

NKJV: For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jesus has mentioned the day of judgment, referring to His second coming during the end times. At that time, all people will stand before Him. Unbelievers, those who have rejected faith in Christ, will be forced to stand on their own merits (Revelation 20:11–15). Since all people have sinned, anyone judged on their own merits will fall short of God's standards for salvation (Romans 3:23). That "white throne judgment" will clearly show how each person's sin deservedly separates them from God. Only those who have trusted in Christ will receive the gift of eternal life with God (Romans 6:23), because their salvation will be judged based on His righteousness, not their own (2 Corinthians 5:21).

There will be another judgment, however. The "judgment seat of Christ," also known as the "Bema seat," is meant to measure the worth of each Christian's actions. This judgment is the basis for Christ giving or withholding eternal rewards to those who will be in heaven.

He says in this verse that a person's own words will justify or condemn him—including even the most casual or careless remarks (Matthew 12:36). This ties the principle back into daily life: words reveal what is truly in a person's heart.

Matthew 12:33–37 contains Jesus' harshest rebuke of the Pharisees in this chapter. The immediate context of this criticism is their blasphemy against the Holy Spirit: attributing a miracle of Christ to Satan. Here again, Jesus explains how actions demonstrate a person's inner heart. That includes speech, which is the natural overflow of our thoughts and attitudes. Like a diseased tree, the Pharisees produce bad fruit. They are compared to vipers, associating them the Devil and evil. Echoing His teaching on God's perfect righteousness (Matthew 6:1, 5, 16), Jesus declares we are accountable for every word we say.

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.