Matthew 12:31-32 (ESV) And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 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.
These two verses have made thousands of people anxious. Many are terrified they will accidentally commit the unforgivable sin. There are lots of theories about what it might be: Some think it’s using the Lord’s name in vain. Some apply whatever the most popular (or unpopular) sin of the day is to it. Some think blasphemy against any Biblical truth is Blasphemy against the Spirit. The ideas and possibilities are pretty much as endless as the number of different churches there are in the world.
When one thinks too hard about the words, “Blasphemy against the Spirit” the idea starts to feel a bit vague and ethereal. So, what’s the point? How are we supposed to figure out what the unforgivable sin is?
Well the answer is frustratingly simple and is the same answer I give with any Biblical question. We find out what the Bible means by reading the Bible.
Context is Key. Matthew 12:31-32 wasn’t meant to be plucked out of the Bible and read on its own. It is part of a larger story, and the larger story is the key to understanding what these verses mean.
Historical context also matters. Each book of the Bible was written at a specific time in History, with a specific purpose in mind, and to a specific group of people. The rest of us learn about God and how He works in the world by understanding the lessons He was trying to teach these historical people and applying them in logical ways to our own lives. To truly understand the lesson, we have to understand what was going on historically with the original audience of each book of the Bible.
So, let’s take a look:
The Old Testament is full of prophecies proclaiming the coming of a Messiah who will be a King from the line of David and will sit on His throne forever. The nation of Israel is always searching for this Messiah. (David’s story can be found in 1 Samuel 16:1- 1 Kings 2:10)
Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV) For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
The book of Matthew was written to convince the nation of Israel that Jesus is the King of the Jews--the Messiah they had been waiting for.
In order for people to know who the Messiah was when He came, God also gave prophecies which describe stuff this King will do including what are called the ”miracles of healing” which would prove His identity.
Isaiah 35:5-6a (ESV) Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
Isaiah 26:19a (ESV) Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!
Isaiah 29:18 (ESV) In that day the deaf shall hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind shall see.
Isaiah 61:1 (ESV) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor
In other words, the entire Jewish nation knew that if a man shows up who fulfills all the prophecies--including these miracles of healing--he is the Messiah they have been waiting for. Jesus did exactly that.
The fulfillment of each of these miracles of healing are outlined in the book of Matthew leading up to chapter 12 where the “Blasphemy of the Spirit” happens.
Healing the blind:
Matthew 9:27-30 (ESV) As Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him, and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” And their eyes were opened.
Healing the lame:
Matthew 9:1-8 (ESV) Getting into a boat he [Jesus] crossed over and came to his own city. And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And he rose and went home. When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
Cleansing a leper
Matthew 8:2-4 (ESV) A leper came to him [Jesus] and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”
Healing the deaf (the same Greek word can mean “deaf” or “mute,” and both were often found together.):
Matthew 9:32-33 (ESV) As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him [Jesus]. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.”
Raising the dead:
Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26 (ESV) While he [Jesus] was saying these things to them, behold, a ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Jesus rose and followed him, with his disciples…. And when Jesus came to the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl arose. And the report of this went through all that district.
Preaching good news to the poor:
Matthew 9:35-36 (ESV) Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
These are just a few examples of the many miracles Jesus performed. By fulfilling each of these miracles, Jesus was proving He was the Messiah they had been waiting for. And people were taking notice. Many had open hearts and minds and began to follow Jesus, but others--specifically the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders of the day--feared losing their power more than they cared about discovering the truth.
That brings us to the infamous section of Scripture which contains the unforgivable sin:
Matthew 12:22-37 (ESV) 22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 Or 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.
30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And 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.
33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
Let’s look at this section piece by piece:
The first thing that happens in this situation is Jesus casts a demon out of a blind and mute man. This action causes people to ask, “Can this be the Son of David?”
It’s important to understand what they are asking here:
As we discussed earlier, the nation of Israel has a promise via prophecy that the Messiah will be from the line of King David and He will sit on David’s throne forever (Isaiah 9:6-7 ESV). So, they weren’t asking who Jesus’ literal direct father was (Joseph), they were saying, “Can this be the Messiah we have been waiting for? Is this our prophesied King?”
This was a defining moment in history and for the nation of Israel. They had been shown the signs and wonders they needed to see in order to know Jesus was the Messiah. And now all they had to do was follow Him.
Many people of the nation of Israel were ready and excited to welcome Jesus with open arms, to celebrate the arrival of their King. They had kept their eyes and hearts open, watching and waiting for God to fulfill his promises and prophecies.
But the Pharisees--Jewish religious leaders of that time--had a different agenda. Instead of acknowledging the fact that Jesus was the Messiah, they decided to try claiming Jesus got His powers from the Devil (Matthew 12:24).
Of course Jesus responded to this claim with logic and reasoning, explaining why it would be ridiculous to think someone who was harming the Devil’s work would be working for the Devil.
It is during this explanation where Jesus mentions the unforgivable sin (Matthew 12:25-32).
Jesus tells them it’s a choice--either they believe His power comes from the Spirit of God or from Beelzebul:
Matthew 12:27-28 (ESV) And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
The Pharisees witnessed irrefutable evidence that Jesus’s power came from the Holy Spirit, but they still decided to claim it was from the Devil. They were not ignorant of the truth, they knew the Messianic Prophecies were being fulfilled. They stood in front of God Himself as He offered up every possible bit of evidence they needed. They knew the time for the Kingdom of God—the promised King, the Messiah—had come. But they chose to turn a blind eye to the truth and slander the Spirit by claiming Jesus came from the Devil instead of from God.
And in that moment, because the Pharisees were in a position of power, they influenced millions of Israelites throughout history to turn away from God’s truth and from the Messiah.
Furthermore, when the Gospel of Mark talks about this same event in Mark 3:22-30 a little explanatory caveat is offered at the end:
Mark 3:28-30 (NIV) “...I tell you the truth, all the sins and blasphemies of men will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin.” He said this because they were saying, “He has an evil spirit.”
Instead of proclaiming Jesus to be God, they claimed He was evil.
This was the unforgivable sin: to witness Jesus Himself--in the flesh--perform miracles, fulfilling Messianic prophecies, and accuse Him of being an agent of the Devil. Jesus was using the Power of God--the Power of the Holy Spirit--to perform the miracles, and the Pharisees Blasphemed the Spirit by proclaiming His power came from Satan.
Good news for us is, the unforgivable sin can’t be duplicated by anyone today because it was unique to that moment in history--the moment when Jesus walked among mankind, fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah.
As gotquestions.org says:
The blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, specific as it was to the Pharisees’ situation, cannot be duplicated today. Jesus Christ is not on earth, and no one can personally see Jesus perform a miracle and then attribute that power to Satan instead of the Spirit. The only unpardonable sin today is that of continued unbelief. There is no pardon for a person who dies in his rejection of Christ. The Holy Spirit is at work in the world, convicting the unsaved of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8). If a person resists that conviction and remains unrepentant, then he is choosing hell over heaven. “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6), and the object of faith is Jesus (Acts 16:31). There is no forgiveness for someone who dies without faith in Christ.
God has provided for our salvation in His Son (John 3:16). Forgiveness is found exclusively in Jesus (John 14:6). To reject the only Savior is to be left with no means of salvation; to reject the only pardon is, obviously, unpardonable.
This series of blog posts titled, “Holding on to Reason”, is named after Amanda’s favorite C.S. Lewis quote: “Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods.”