Matthew 12:36 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Matthew 12:36

Comments

What Christ tells the Pharisees, and indeed all of us, here is God has a level of scrutiny of our speech far above anything we could imagine. The Pharisees have blasphemed Christ. What will he do about it? He will not instantly silence them. Men have a licence to do evil for a time without being instantly judged, but they should consider carefully the consequences of what they do. God marks everything. Words which we have long since forgotten will be taken into the reckoning on the day of judgement. Why is speech so important? Because it proves what is in the heart. To be sure, there is more in the heart than comes out of it in the form of speech, but what does come out is there for all to hear, both God and man, and cannot denied. The heart also will be judged for its thoughts and attitudes and for the very existence of sin residing in it, but the judgment of words is a demonstration of the justice of God’s judgment.Christ says that every idle, or casual, or carelessly uttered word will be judged. We are never off duty in guarding our tongues. Some interpret this as ‘unproductive word’, but the KJV is better. These are words that we come out with which are not monitored or controlled. Are there not some words that are below God’s level of scrutiny? No, he is God at every moment of our existence, and his law is always in force. He searches the heart and hears the softest word. It makes no difference how quietly we speak, how few people hear us, how little care we put into our speech; God considers the significance of what we say. But of course what the Pharisees had spoken to Christ was not said quietly, nor only to a few, but it was said in front of the multitudes who had come to hear Christ, and it was something that they had though carefully about and was intended to destroy his reputation before the people. The Lord is using an argument from the lesser to the greater. Sometimes we regret what we have said. If idle words will be judged, how much more will well-considered verbal attacks? He warns them that there will be terrible consequences to what they have said. The fear of God would have done some good even to these hardened men. It would have restrained their mouths. Christ speaks as no other could speak; he tells us with certainty of things that will take place on the day of judgment, and to the utter confusion of these men they will find that he is their Judge.

Application

We must guard against idle words. Every word must be under control, and we must give great attention to our speech. To speak without self-scrutiny is to open up a channel out of our hearts that affects the whole person. Gossip can be carelessly uttered, but we must speak is love and with concern for the reputation of others at all times. Small inaccuracies can become small lies and these can turn into bigger lies and integrity can leak away. Complaining can become habitual and we become incapable of giving thanks to God. When we do, the complaining mouth makes it impossible for our thanks to be sincere. Our complaints to men are declaration against God, for he is in control of all our circumstances. Words will stand as evidence against us. What horror we will experience when we realise how much harm we have done! Christ has died to save. Every extra evil word adds to that record of sin which he had to bear away.

Questions

What is the point of restraining the tongue when the same evil is still in the heart? There is, we are told here, an extra judgment for speaking, even though the heart is already corrupted. To speak is to go a step further, and to bring out of the heart what lies hidden in it. We bring it out because we think it has such value that others ought to know about it. To speak is to comment on our own thoughts.

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Matthew 12:36 Commentary and Bible Study