Ultimate Blasphemy 27/02/2022

Read Mark 3:20 - 29. [Full passage printed at end of blog]

Jesus utters a very sharp condemnation against these teachers of the law for their statement. They had claimed that he was being ruled by Satan. When he was able to drive out the evil spirits, they were stating that this supernatural power was from the devil - or as they called him, Beelzebul or Beelzebub. Jesus completely refutes their argument but He leads up to the severest criticism which Jesus uttered against these teachers of the law who were so bitterly opposed to Him. These were not the local religious teachers: they were the heavy squad who had been brought in from Jerusalem. This shows the level of concern there was among the religious hierarchy at the teaching and miracles of this Jesus of Nazareth. These religious leaders made a terrible accusation against the sinless Son of God. Jesus stated emphatically that they were stooping to blasphemy and to a level of blasphemy which would never be forgiven.

Jesus was making it abundantly clear that His power was from the Holy Spirit and the word 'Holy' is really significant. He is completely holy and cannot tolerate sin and to imply that the Holy Spirit could be in league with the devil was blasphemous. We need to be careful that we do not grieve this same Holy Spirit who resides in every believer. We need to be aware of His holiness. He is the third member of the Godhead - the Trinity is the word which theologians have coined to speak of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all of whom are equally God.

Jesus uses a parable to destroy their argument. He talks about a kingdom which is divided is weakened and liable to be destroyed. So they are saying that Jesus is functioning under the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons. This would indicate that Satan's kingdom is divided and that one of Satan's allies is fighting against him. Jesus also talked about the way to plunder a strong man's house (and he is referring to Satan's kingdom) is to tie up the strong man (Satan) and then he can attack the house freely. I would suggest that Jesus is the one who has tied up the strong man Satan. This incident showed that He had the power to do that and this was accomplished at the cross of Calvary when a great battle took place between the Lord Jesus and Satan. This was prophesied in the first prophecy in the Bible (Genesis 3:15). There is so much significance in what happened at the crucifixion and the resurrection and we often fail to grasp even a fraction of the significance of that event.

In Jesus reply to these religious teachers, he makes two very interesting points. Firstly, he states that forgiveness of sins is readily available and that "people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter" [Mark 3:28 NIV]

That is good news for everyone. Maybe Satan has reminded you of sins that you have committed many years ago. He is trying to undermine the joy of having your sins forgiven. He reminds us of things that we have said and deeply regret or things we have done in the past and wish we had never done them. The blood shed on the cross of Calvary cleanses us from all sins (1 John1:7-8).

Secondly, there is a sin which cannot be forgiven. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. This is not a one-off casual remark which is meant here. It is the attitude of these scribes and teachers of the law and the sect known as the Pharisees. They were completely opposed to the Son of God. They were doggedly determined to undermine His ministry and they had stooped to such a low level indicating their complete hatred of the person of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who indwells Him. This was a settled attitude of mind. This state of mind will lead a person into an eternity of punishment for the greatest sin of all - deliberate rejection of the Son of God.

I have not mentioned the setting of this incident. Jesus returns home to his family (Mark 3:20) but the crowd follow him there and this popularity upsets his own family members who make a very careless remark. They say, "He is out of his mind." Compared with what the teachers of the law went on to say, this is fairly mild. But it is the start of negativity. The family members are trying to stop him from healing those who were sick and they tried to seize him. They cannot appreciate his zeal for the service of His heavenly Father. There is this gap between his brothers and sisters and the Saviour. This gap is exploited by the malicious teachers of the law. Have there been times when a careless remark has been the start of a more serious attack by others. It would seem that, at this stage, his own family members do not believe in Him or follow Him. Maybe, someone reading this blog is having to suffer persecution from your own family. We need to pray especially for you if you are in this situation.

Jesus Accused by His Family and by Teachers of the Law

Then Jesus entered a house, and again a crowd gathered, so that he and his disciples were not even able to eat. When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.”

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.”

So Jesus called them over to him and began to speak to them in parables: “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. 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. Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.”

He said this because they were saying, “He has an impure spirit.” [Mark 3: 20-30 NIV]

From <https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/111/MRK.3.NIV>

[Photo by Eberhard Grossgasteiger on Unsplash.]