David Bahn – Reflections

This is one of Jesus’ more strident conflicts with the Pharisees. Jesus does a miracle and the Pharisees discredit him. Jesus takes apart their accusation and confronts them in their blindness and unbelief. Where is the gentle Jesus, meek and mild? Can’t we all just get along?

Matthew 12:22-32

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?” ²⁴But 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. 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. 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. 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.

The battle, however, is real. And the stakes are high. There are those who would discredit Jesus. There are those who opposed the kingdom of God. They – sadly! – are within the church as well as outside of it. This I would rather not believe. But the real enemy is not the people. The real enemy is Beelzebul, the prince of demons. Satan, the deceiver, the devil: all name the true enemy of God’s kingdom. And Jesus knows this fully.

He knows this so fully that he makes a fine but startling point: You can sin against Jesus, and blaspheme his name and still be forgiven. He was telling the Pharisees that their rejection of him didn’t have to be the final state of their heart. There was time to repent and be saved. But if we speak against the Holy Spirit’s work we have no hope. It was necessary that Jesus be rejected in order for our salvation to be earned. But the deep need for forgiveness and salvation and our receiving of it by faith comes only by the Holy Spirit. Dismiss his work and you have lost everything Jesus came for.

Only those who have not committed this unforgivable sin worry that they have done so. It is those who have a smug confidence in themselves and who dismiss their need for grace and have no desire to be forgiven who mark themselves as candidates for this charge. The one thing we know – whether we like the battle or not – is that the stakes are high; eternally so. Thank God that Jesus fought and won the battle against sin, Satan, and unbelief for all who will repent and believe.