6/8/11 Matthew 12:31-35 The Spirit and the Commandments

³¹ And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. ³² Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. ³³ “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

(Jesus Heals deaf-mute Jerome Nadal 1593)

Thoughts: Jesus here speaks interchangeably between the Spirit and the Law.  Jesus had an uncanny ability to concentrate not on the letter of the law but on the spirit beneath it.  He calls us to do the same.  Sins can be forgiven- any kind.  But what cannot be forgiven is turning away from God- thinking God is evil when He is good.  Jesus had healed a deaf-mute-demon-possessed man.  It was a great thing- an amazing good.  Yet the Pharisees, because they did not want to believe in Him, said Jesus was from the devil.  Out of our spirit within us comes the fruit without.  Sinning is one thing, but purposefully calling God evil is a horrible evil.  To call the Maker of all things evil (as so many do so lightly today) shows lack of respect or awe of the Almighty.  It shows not just rebellion against God, but a hatred of Him and His ways.

Prayer:  May my heart be one with your heart.  Give me grace and discernment to be able to tell right from wrong, good from evil. 

6/6/10 Mark 3:22-30 Rejection of Forgiveness

22 And the teachers of the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul! By the prince of demons he is driving out demons." 23 So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: "How can Satan drive out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26 And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 27 In fact, no one can enter a strong man's house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man's house. 28 Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven all their sins and all the blasphemies they utter. 29 But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, but is guilty of an eternal sin." 30 He said this because they were saying, "He has an evil spirit." (Mark 3:22-30)

John Calvin abridged: The scribes prove themselves ungrateful to God by being unwilling for him to reign among them. It is not a light and ordinary offense, but an atrocious crime to knowingly and willingly pour contempt on the Spirit of God. Those who rebel against the Spirit cannot plead ignorance.  It is not the essence of the Spirit that is rejected as much as the grace of the Spirit.

(Elsheimer- Exaltation of the Cross)

Mark couches this passage between Jesus' own family members' rejection of Jesus.  The only unforgivable sin is calling good evil and evil good- or on a higher plane- calling God the devil and the devil God.  If people don't have enough moral and spiritual sense to do this basic thing- they are basically rejecting forgiveness.  How can you be forgiven without any sense of right/wrong good/evil, God and evil powers?  If you call Jesus evil, then why would you want to accept his forgiveness?  If you are forgiven and then you just go back to doing evil what sense is that forgiveness?  The blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is refusing to accept the forgiveness of God - because you are not just ignorant but you are adamantly against God.  There is a lot of that going on today- especially among bloggers.  It is like the secret evil of being against God has come out in aggressive writing against those who believe lately.  Such opposition is sad, wanting even insisting that others join them in hopelessness and helplessness and spiritual loneliness. 

Prayer: Today, Lord, may I forgive others as I have been forgiven.  Help me to stand in awe of your holiness instead of being adamantly opposed to it.

2/3/10 Matthew 12:22-37 Blasphemy of the Spirit

(Julius Schnorr- 1860 Germany Healing of the Blind-mute)

2/3- Matthew 12:22-37 (pp/ Mk 3:20-22; Lk 11:14-15)


22 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 "Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man's house and carry off his possessions without first tying up the strong man? Then his house can be plundered. 30 "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy. But blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. 33 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 Good people bring good things out of the good stored up in them, and evil people bring evil things out of the evil stored up in them. 36 But I tell you that people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."



Calvin abridged: The people were astonished of his healing of the deaf-mute as it was a visible display of the power of God. A diabolical venom must have seized the minds of the scribes who were not ashamed to slander such a remarkable work of God . The miracle led them to wonder about faith in Christ. The scribes have to admit the miracle occurred, but they obscure the praise of the miracle by turning it into a reproach. The work that was supernatural, was ascribed to the devil.



Thoughts: Jesus wanted the leaders to believe, but they would not even believe when they acknowledged a real miracle had occurred. Even today, when something good happens the media finds a way to make it look bad. I have seen the same thing when people do not want to acknowledge their rival’s success. Democrats refuse to acknowledge anything good from the Republicans and Republicans refuse to acknowledge anything good from the Democrats. But it is not just the inability to distinguish good from evil, or acknowledge anything good that is going on here. But there is a hardness of heart to not allow the Spirit to do his work. The blasphemy of the Spirit is the unforgivable sin- and it is basically a hardness of heart- not allowing the Spirit in.



Prayer: Lord, keep me from hardening my heart to you. Do not let my blindness and stubbornness cause me to forsake you. Instead come into my life, and give me a heart of flesh for my heart of stone.