Matthew 12

Matthew 12 is the twelfth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. It continues the narrative about Jesus' ministry in Galilee and introduces controversy over the observance of the Sabbath for the first time.

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 50 verses.

At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the sabbath; his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. German Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer notes that there was no accusation of trespass or theft here: "any one was allowed to pluck ears of corn in another man’s field till he was satisfied" in accordance with Deuteronomy 23:25 (NRSV):
If you go into your neighbour’s standing grain, you may pluck the ears with your hand, but you shall not put a sickle to your neighbour’s standing grain. The Mosaic law left it unclear whether such licence was authorised on the Sabbath. Both Mark and Luke raise the controversy about the sabbath earlier in their respective gospels (Mark 2:23 27 (NKJV) and Luke 6:1 11 (NKJV)).

Dale Allison associates the references to "idle" words in verses 36 and 37 with the earlier references to blasphemy in verse 31, and sees Jesus as refuting the suggestion that blasphemy "cannot really have eternal consequence because it consists of nothing but words".

But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. Theologian Albert Barnes describes an "idle word" as literally "a vain, thoughtless, useless word; a word that accomplishes no good", but states that in the context the meaning is "wicked, injurious, false [or] malicious" words. The Greek reveals a contrast between ρημα αργον, rhēma argon, idle words or sounds, and the consequential need to ἀποδώσουσιν περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον, apodōsousin peri autou logon, to provide a reasoned account on the day of judgment.

For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Arthur Carr, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, notes the connection between words and character. W. R. Nicoll contrasts this verse with Matthew 25:31 46 (NKJV), where justification turns on actions: for I was hungry and you gave Me food He sees chapter 3 of James's epistle as an extension of this verse.