Fewer topics are more intriguing than blasphemy. Okay, not really. But I did want to follow up on my last post where I talked about how Jesus indicates that maybe blasphemy isn’t quite as blasphemous as we might think. That discussion was based on the story of the paralytic from Mark 2. Today, I want to look at another time Jesus mentions blasphemy and it’s in Mark 3.
It’s another story that takes place in a house with a crowd and with religious leaders present. Jesus has been performing miracles and healing people, but he’s also been challenging the understanding of the religious leaders who think they have God figured out. And they don’t like that someone is undermining their teachings.
They respond by saying that Jesus could only be doing these things by demonic powers. There’s something new on the scene – something that’s amazing and that people can’t help notice and can’t stop talking about – but it doesn’t fit into their understanding of how God works. So it must be from the devil. (Now there’s a timeless truth from the scriptures if I’ve ever seen one.)
Jesus responds to them with a brief chat about division. A kingdom divided against itself can’t stand. A house divided against itself can’t stand. Even Satan, if he is divided against himself, can’t stand. In other words, if Satan is evil, then he won’t be able to do good, so, no, Jesus isn’t doing all of this amazing stuff because he’s getting power from the devil.
So Jesus is making these points about houses and kingdoms that are divided and how a strong man’s house can only be robbed if the strong man is first tied up.
And then – on the heels of explaining the importance of making sure our “house” is in order – he says something curious that, at first glance, seems out of left field.
“I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.”
Huh? All the sins and blasphemies? Of all men? They’ll all be forgiven?
Remember, he’s talking to the religious leaders – those who think they have God figured out and who think they know how this sin and forgiveness thing works. And he says what?
“All the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them.”
Wow. That’s a pretty all-encompassing and unconditional statement. I could probably stop right there and we’d have plenty to chew on.
But he says one more thing. And it’s the only exception he places on the aforementioned statement about all men being forgiven of all things.
“But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.”
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The eternal, unforgivable sin.
Throughout my years as a Christian, this verse has caused more discussion, confusion, and perhaps even fear than most other passages. People want to know specifics if there’s something they can’t be forgiven of. So I’ve heard all kinds of speculation about this great unforgivable sin. But such speculation was always hedged in doubt and confusion. And ultimately people would just move on due to lack of a clear understanding.
I’ve always been equally perplexed, but lately, I’ve started to think that what Jesus means is probably very simple and very straightforward.
Simply put, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God dwelling within us. And if we’re irreverent toward that – whether that’s by somehow consciously violating it or merely discounting that it’s there – there’s nothing that can be done to “fix” that.
We need to consider that Jesus existed among masses who were accustomed to bringing animals to the temple for sacrifices. The temple had grown into a full-blown business, largely driven by the understanding that people had of sin and forgiveness. (There’s a reason Jesus went on a rampage in the temple, rebuking the vendors and overturning their tables.)
But when we look at Jesus, even if only in Mark 2 and 3, we get the distinct sense that he is trying to reframe their understanding of forgiveness. Especially with a blanket comment like “All men will be forgiven of all sins and blasphemies.”
And with this Holy Spirit comment, I really believe his point is that you can slaughter as many animals as you want, but it will do nothing to change your flippancy about the fact that the spirit of God is dwelling within you. No external force – no God residing on a throne somewhere out there in the heavens and no priest presiding over the temple – can “forgive” that. It’s up to you.
Acknowledge it. Believe it. Own it.
And that’s precisely why it would behoove you to make sure your house is in order – because a house divided against itself cannot stand. And if you’re being blasphemous about the fact that the spirit of God dwells in you, you might just be tying up the strong man of your house and you might end up getting robbed.
So yet again, it seems that Jesus is curiously disinterested in some of the things that we can feel so strongly about. And I would venture to say that his take on forgiveness and the Holy Spirit might very well challenge what a lot of us have come to believe.
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