Matthew 12:31-32, 38-50, and Mark 3:28-35
It’s been hard to organize material when the Synoptic gospels report on the same incidents – trying to keep chapters together, but also trying to follow the same incidents in two or three gospels. In addition the readings in 2019 were much shorter, so today’s readings in Matthew and Mark are covered in four separate links of my comments from 2019.
…whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin. (Mark 3:29) Two items… First, Mark refers to Holy Spirit blasphemy as an “eternal sin”. Matthew and Luke have Jesus saying that this person will not be forgiven, which I suppose is saying the same thing. But there’s something about the word “eternal” that makes Jesus’ words in Mark come out so much stronger. Second, a number of commentators suggest that “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is giving Satan credit for the works of Jesus (whose works and miracles were done in the power of the Holy Spirit) – they were essentially accusing Jesus of being demon-possessed instead of Spirit-filled.” (My words from 2019.) If these commentators have that understanding correct, then the Pharisees who claimed that Jesus, Himself, was demon-possessed, then these Pharisees are damned to hell for all time. That’s tragic! Is there anyone else in all of Scripture damned to hell for all time?
See also: April 4 / Matt. 12:31-32; Mark 3:28-30; April 5 / Matt. 12:38-42; April 7 / Matt. 12:43-45; April 8 / Matt. 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35;
Thanks, Fred. My study Bible suggests that the “blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” has to do with the role of the Spirit to show us our sin. If we refuse to see our sin, we won’t repent of it, nor ask for forgiveness. So that sin of refusing to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit leads to no forgiveness. We have to respond to what the Spirit reveals and ask. This makes sense to me.
This ties in with Psalm 51:10 that we sang last night for Ash Wednesday and Lent, and that was in the daily meditation I read today (God’s echos): Create in me a clean heart, oh God. We ask the Spirit to clean us, but in another verse we are reading today, we have to have that emptiness filled or the sin will come back worse than ever. The Spirit shows us a sin, we ask forgiveness, then we follow and obey. It is an ongoing cycle as the Spirit continues to delve into our hearts, like peeling back an onion. I pray that I never refuse this process!!!