The Essential Jesus (Part 15): The Hard Sayings of Jesusናሙና

A House Divided

PRAY: Lord, I don't know everything about the Bible, but I do know that it teaches about you. Please give me a better understanding of who you are as I read today.

READ: Mark 3:20-35

REFLECT: "But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin" (v. 29).

When I was growing up, a common Sunday school question was, "How can I know if I've committed "the unforgivable sin' or not?" We were afraid the Bible referred to some mysterious, unnamed offense. And worse, we worried that if we unwittingly committed it, we were doomed, with no chance of getting to heaven. The standard Sunday school answer wasn't very reassuring either: "Well, the very fact that you're worried about it shows you didn't do it. " Huh?

But a careful examination of our passage today shows that the point of Jesus' statement (v. 29) was not intended to scare children. Rather, it was a sharp rebuke to the religious leaders who were accusing him of being demon-possessed (v. 30). The leaders had become frustrated with Jesus; he had been teaching, healing, and attracting big crowds (v. 20). The Pharisees got so jealous they were willing to take extreme measures to protect their turf (Mark 3:6).

That's why they accused Jesus of being demon-possessed (v. 22); they wanted to discredit him in the eyes of the public. In response, Jesus does two things. First, he tells a parable that easily repels the false accusation (vv. 23-27). Satan wouldn't oppose himself. Therefore Jesus' miracles couldn't be the result of demon possession. Interestingly, in 1858 Abraham Lincoln gave a famous speech titled "A House Divided," in which he made reference to this passage and used it to demonstrate the danger of dividing the United States into slave and free states.

Second, Jesus adds a zinger about eternal sin (v. 29). His point was that by equating the work of the Holy Spirit with demon possession, the religious leaders were moving 180 degrees away from God. So long as they persisted in that direction, they could not be forgiven. The truth is, the "unforgivable sin" is not some secret deed you can unwittingly commit; Jesus made it clear that he loved to forgive sinners (Luke 15:11-32). Rather, the unforgivable sin is an unwillingness to repent, an ongoing refusal to accept what Jesus freely offers that prevents us from being forgiven.

APPLY: Over the past thirty days, have you been moving closer or farther away from God?

PRAY: Spend a few minutes confessing your sins to God. Then spend some time thanking God for the forgiveness, love, and acceptance he offers through Jesus.