In Matthew 12:36, Jesus warns, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.” The dread of these words ranks next to the legendary Luke 13:27 passage, “But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.”
Idle words. We’ve all spoken them – some more than others. There’s plenty of guilt to pass around. Most of us give up trying to monitor every word that passes over the gums, until we are reminded of Matthew 12:36. This scripture, however, doesn’t necessarily mean the great wiretap of Heaven is recording our deposition for judgment day. To be honest, we eat the fruit of our own lips in this life. The more foolishness we talk, the more foolishness we eat. While this is a truth, it is not what Jesus was conveying in this passage. Christ’s one-liner has been lifted entirely out of context, off of the page, and inappropriately applied.
First of all, we must discover who Jesus is warning in Matthew 12. This chapter is a play-by-play series of confrontations between Jesus and the Pharisees. First, the Pharisees attacked Jesus and his disciples for plucking and eating spikes of grain in a field on the sabbath. The same day, Jesus takes heat for healing a man’s withered hand in the synagogue, on the Lord’s day for Pete’s sake! Finally, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devils with the help of Beelzebub, the prince of demons. To all these allegations, Jesus responded by condemning the fruit of their lips as blasphemy. The exchange between them culminates in this statement, “But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.” [AMP] Jesus was identifying the Pharisees’ accusations as idle words. Notice, he wasn’t speaking to the masses who gladly followed him? These choice words were a stern warning to those who had set themselves at variance against the Lord.
What makes a word idle?
I love the Amplified definition: inoperative and nonworking. Jesus wasn’t just addressing the Pharisees’ false and negative opinions of him and his messianic ministry. He was digging deeper, below their insults. Jesus went after the false teaching that perverted their mindsets, causing them to reject the truth when he showed up on their doorstep.
The Pharisees had a pre-conceived idea of what their “messiah” would look and act like. He would be compliant, not only to the Torah, but to the many man-made laws that had been added over the centuries of Judaism. Disappointing their expectations, Jesus honored the law of God while expressing disregard for the law of the Pharisees. This invoked their flood of idle words, or false accusation.
As teachers of the Word, we must test our doctrine to determine whether it be idle or alive. After reading this passage in context, I must admit there are areas of deception in my life that have hindered me from opening my arms to the Truth when it comes to my doorstep. For this I have and will continue to repent as the Lord opens my eyes. Here are some questions we need to ask ourselves concerning our own beliefs.
1. Do I believe something simply because I heard someone share it convincingly?
2. Does my doctrine work in context and with 2 or 3 other scriptural witnesses?
3. Have I road-tested what I believe to determine whether it is operative and applicable?
4. If my doctrine hasn’t delivered what it has promised to me, after years of adherence, am I willing to revisit it?
5. Is there sufficient evidence that what I’ve taught is the truth? Enough evidence to stand trial?
This new year, rather than worrying about talking too much or saying something inappropriate, let’s focus our energies on what’s of real importance… forsaking ideas and beliefs that are inoperative and nonworking.


