(By Matt Koerber)
Matthew 12:15-32 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16and ordered them not to make him known. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.
I will put my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
19He will not quarrel or cry aloud,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;
20a bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
22Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
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The closing words of this section have caused great concern to Christians over the ages. Jesus warned the Pharisees that there is a sin, called “blasphemy against the Spirit”, which will not be forgiven. This is often referred to as the “unforgiveable sin.” While this is important and understandably needs to be addressed, we don’t want to lose sight of the larger issue. Matthew tells us that the miraculous deeds of Jesus confirm his identity as God’s special servant (v.17). He confirms his point by quoting from Isaiah 42:1-3 (v.18-21). Later, when Jesus restores a man from demonic power, the crowds echo this same thought, wondering aloud if Jesus is the “Son of David”, another Messianic title (v.23). By contrast, the Pharisees make the claim that Jesus uses demonic power to perform these miracles. Jesus counters with the now-famous reference to a house divided against itself. But their step to attribute his Messianic activity to the devil has raised the stakes and causes a new level of concern. Understanding this background helps us to put the concerns of the “unforgiveable sin” into the proper context.
When any people are having an argument, they try to look for common ground in order to convince their opponents. If we have no common ground, it is hard to know how to proceed. Perhaps the most basic common ground we can find is the observable natural world. We might call this “the evidence of your own eyes.” In this particular case, Jesus had performed miracles which revealed his supernatural power. In particular, it was meant to reveal that he was empowered by the Holy Spirit for God’s special activity. A man oppressed by demonic activity had lost the ability to see or talk. Jesus had freed him and healed him. This visible work of the Holy Spirit through Jesus pointed to his role as God’s appointed king and the arrival of the kingdom of heaven. This is the proper interpretation which Jesus himself highlighted, saying, “If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (v.28).” Jesus alone has power to “bind the strong man” and take away his possessions (v.29). This is a figurative way of describing the power of Jesus to defeat Satan and bring back his captured people like he did with this man who was blind and mute.
It is in this context that Jesus warns the Pharisees of a sin which will not be forgiven. He contrasts sins against himself (the Son of Man) and sins against the Holy Spirit. The former will be forgiven, the latter will not be. Why the distinction? On one level we can see that this particular sin involved religious leaders, who should have known better, attributing the work of God to Satan. That is a serious thing. Most people who warn against the unforgiveable sin, do not relate to this particular category. But I think it is helpful to take a step further. We can observe that the role of the Holy Spirit is to testify to Jesus. That was what Jesus says explicitly in John 16:8, and that is what we see happening here. In summary, the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit shows that Jesus is God’s chosen servant (v.18) and the Son of David (v.23). It also shows that in his ministry, the kingdom of heaven has come into their midst (v.28). But the Pharisees take this piece of foundational evidence and distort it beyond belief. They look squarely at the work of the Holy Spirit and offer an interpretation in the complete opposite direction. The Holy Spirit is meant to convince the world of sin and show the hope of the Gospel. If his power is rejected, the very means of conversion are called into question. In other words, if you attribute the miracles of Jesus to Satan, then there are really no arguments left that could convince you.
I think that the best interpretation of this account is to see the unforgiveable sin as a rejection of the very means that God uses to call us to himself. If we reject the Spirit who brings conviction and empowers repentance, then we could be left in the dangerous position of being forever unwilling to repent. In this reading of the situation, we are not meant to picture people who are contrite and broken, begging God for forgiveness – but God refuses to forgive. That is a bleak image! Rather, I believe that we are meant to picture people who are so hardened against the Gospel, that there are no longer any means left to convince them. They have rejected the very power (Holy Spirit) meant to convince, convert, and renew them. On one hand, this can be a great comfort to people who fear they have committed this sin. It is often observed that when a person fears any sin, it is actually evidence that God’s Spirit is actively working in them and therefore they could not have committed the unforgiveable sin. But, practically, this is meant to be a warning. It is a serious thing to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit. When God is working to reveal himself, we should have a healthy fear, and we must not harden our hearts against God and resist the convicting work of the Holy Spirit.
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An audio version of each devotion will be posted on our church podcast “Life Together at CRPC,” which is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.