Matthew 12:44

Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished.

Then {G5119} he saith {G3004}, I will return {G1994} into {G1519} my {G3450} house {G3624} from whence {G3606} I came out {G1831}; and {G2532} when he is come {G2064}, he findeth {G2147} it empty {G4980}, swept {G4563}, and {G2532} garnished {G2885}.

Then it says to itself, `I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house standing empty, swept clean and put in order.

Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ On its return, it finds the house vacant, swept clean, and put in order.

Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Commentary

Matthew 12:44 (KJV) is part of Jesus’ teaching on the consequences of spiritual emptiness and the danger of an unclean spirit returning to a person or nation that has not truly been transformed.

Context of Matthew 12:44

This verse immediately follows Jesus' description of an unclean spirit leaving a person. The broader context of Matthew chapter 12 involves Jesus confronting the Pharisees' accusations that He cast out demons by the power of Beelzebub. Jesus uses this illustration to highlight the spiritual state of His generation, which, despite witnessing His miracles and hearing His teachings, largely remained unrepentant and spiritually hollow. The "house" in this parable represents an individual's life or, by extension, the spiritual condition of the nation of Israel at that time.

Key Themes and Messages

  • The Peril of Spiritual Emptiness: The primary message is that simply removing evil (like an unclean spirit) is insufficient. If the void is not filled with God's presence, truth, and righteousness, it remains vulnerable. The spirit finds the "house" (the person's life) empty, swept, and garnished, meaning it's outwardly clean and orderly, but without a positive spiritual occupant.
  • Vulnerability to Relapse: This verse warns against a spiritual vacuum. A superficial cleansing, without a deeper commitment to God, leaves one susceptible to a worse spiritual condition, as described in Matthew 12:45. It highlights that freedom from sin must be accompanied by filling with God's Spirit.
  • The Need for Positive Occupation: True spiritual health requires more than just the absence of evil; it demands the presence of good. A life must be actively occupied by the Holy Spirit and aligned with God's will to prevent spiritual backsliding.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Greek word for "empty" is scholazonta, which literally means "at leisure" or "unoccupied." This emphasizes that the house is not just vacant, but available.
  • "Swept" (sesarōmenon) and "garnished" (kekosmēmenon) suggest an outward appearance of tidiness and order. "Garnished" implies decoration or arrangement, perhaps even making it appealing, but crucially, it remains empty of anything truly good or holy. This highlights a superficial reformation without true inner transformation.

Practical Application

For believers today, Matthew 12:44 serves as a powerful warning against complacency in spiritual growth. It teaches that:

  • Active Spiritual Cultivation: It's not enough to simply stop engaging in sinful behaviors or to be delivered from a particular vice. We must actively pursue righteousness, fill our lives with God's Word, prayer, and fellowship, and seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
  • Guarding Against Relapse: Without a genuine and ongoing relationship with God, even those who have experienced spiritual cleansing can become vulnerable to old habits or new, potentially worse, spiritual influences. This underscores the importance of a transformed mind, as encouraged in Romans 12:2.
  • The Danger of Superficiality: Outward appearances of piety or self-improvement are insufficient without a deep, internal change of heart and a vibrant spiritual life rooted in Christ.
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Cross-References

  • 1 John 4:4

    ¶ Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

  • Revelation 13:8

    And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

  • Revelation 13:9

    If any man have an ear, let him hear.

  • Psalms 81:11

    But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

  • Psalms 81:12

    So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: [and] they walked in their own counsels.

  • 1 John 2:19

    They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would [no doubt] have continued with us: but [they went out], that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

  • 1 Timothy 6:9

    But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and [into] many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
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