Matthew 12:37 Commentary and Bible Study

The warning is solemn. Words matter and they have consequences that cannot be taken away. Of course Christ is not speaking about formal justification before God. Words cannot do that, but only the blood of Christ and the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through faith alone. But words justify or condemn in the sense that they indicate the character of the man. If we have uttered foolish words: slanders, blasphemies, and lies, then we must come to God for pardon or else those words will be brought against us on the day of judgment – we did not repent of them, but we stood by them: they characterise the true me. How measured are these words of the Saviour. There is restraint even in this solemn rebuke. There is argumentation and reasoning, and the Pharisees should have reflected carefully on what he said, for it provided the means of their deliverance. But instead they rush on to the next thing they want to say, the next trap that they want to set for him to bring him down. They know they are exposed, but they are not going to admit it. They will try to continue to take advantage of the darkness of this world while they can. Here then follow more words and more condemnation, for the words that they speak next are full of cunning and hatred, even though they are heavily disguised.