Mark 3:10-30 -- The Unforgivable Sin

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As we return to the Gospel of Mark today we jump back into a passage that is often the subject of much discussion and debate. Our Lord has pronounced that there is an eternal sin that can never be forgiven. That ought to get our attention immediately. In dealing with this passage, it is both unnecessary an inappropriate to introduce it by way of an amusing story or humorous anectdote. The Word is fired forth as a bullet from a gun, and we must understand it rightly lest it mortally wound us for eternal destruction.

There are not many weeks that go by when I don’t counsel with some person about whether or not they have committed this sin. If there is a sin that can never be forgiven, then we are right to be concerned about it. And it will be our goal today to discover what this sin is, how it is that a person commits this sin, and how we might discern whether or not we are guilty of it.

Mark characteristically employs a literary device in this gospel known technically as “intercalation.” It has been more descriptively labeled a “sandwich.” It occurs when one event is inserted into the middle of another. Here, we begin reading about the family of Jesus in vv20-21. Word has reached Nazareth concerning the activity and popularity of Jesus, and His family is concerned that He has gone off the deep end and that the controversy He is sparking will bring harm to Himself and shame to His family. So they set out from Nazareth to apprehend Him, thinking it to be for His own good as well as theirs. But this story of His family’s concern for Him is interrupted. Mark will return to it in verses 31-35, but for now he turns our attention to conflict arising from another quarter. Before the family arrives from Nazareth, a delegation of scribes arises from Jerusalem with a more severe charge than insanity. If we are right to call this a sandwich, then the account of Jesus’ family are the bread, and the conflict with the scribes are the peanut butter and jelly. So we will be like a kid with an Oreo, and we will remove those outer cookies in order to dive into the filling, and return later for the cookies when we are done. We deal today with the conflict with the scribes, and come back next time with the issue of His family. And in the conflict with the scribes, we encounter this disturbing pronouncement concerning the unforgivable sin. But before we deal with the pronouncement, we will look at the path toward the unforgivable sin.

I. The Path Toward the Unforgivable Sin (v22)

The scribes were those who were the “experts” in matters of the religious law and traditions. When there was some question about the meaning of Scripture or some theological or moral issue, the scribes were able to issue binding decisions on the interpretation of a passage, the morality of a particular action, or the orthodoxy of a certain doctrine. They were the people’s professors, preachers, moral advisors, and lawyers.

Thus far in the Gospel of Mark, we have not read of Jesus going to Jerusalem. We know from Luke 2 that He was there as a baby when He was presented at the Temple, and that He was there at age 12 when He accompanied Joseph and Mary for a Passover celebration. If the popular harmonies of the gospels are correct, then John’s Gospel tells us that He has visited Jerusalem two other times since the beginning of His public ministry, once for Passover in John 2, and again in chapter 5 for an unnamed Jewish feast. Aside from these brief sojourns, His entire public ministry has taken place primarily in the region of Galilee with home of Peter and Andrew in the town Capernaum serving as a home-base. But His few and brief appearances in Jerusalem caused quite a splash – in John 2, He cleansed the temple by driving out the merchants and moneychangers. In John 5 He publicly healed a paralytic on a Sabbath day, arousing controversy.

He had not found favor in the eyes of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, and so when word began to reach them about His popularity in the outlying regions, they knew they had to take action.

A. Notice the Action that Jesus’ Ministry Prompted (v21a)

The scribes came “down from Jerusalem.” Now if you look at a map, you will see that Capernaum is north of Jerusalem. We would say, “they went up from Jerusalem.” We don’t go “down to New York City.” We go up. But for the faithful Jew, Jerusalem is always up. Not only was it 3000 feet higher than Galilee in relation to sea level, but theologically and politically it was the highest place in Israel. It was the seat of authority, both in terms of government and religion. So it is always, “up to Jerusalem,” and “down from Jerusalem.” But in this instance, their trip down to Capernaum, long and arduous as it was, was only the beginning of a slippery descent that would take them further down than they wanted to go.

This was no fact-finding mission; it was a fault-finding mission. They were on a mission, and that mission was to divert people’s attention away from the newfound sensation of Jesus and restore confidence in the established religious institution of Israel. If we follow the progression of opposition to Jesus as we have seen it thus far in Mark’s gospel, we will notice how quickly it escalated. It began at 2:7 with some of the scribes reasoning in their hearts about the radical claims of Jesus. Later in Chapter 2, they were questioning His disciples about why He kept company with tax collectors and sinners, and why they did not fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees. In 2:24, they confronted Jesus to His face about why His permitted His disciples to violate the Sabbath. In 3:2, they came into the synagogue in order to accuse Him before all the people. Having come away on the losing end of that encounter, they began to conspire with the Herodians about how they might destroy Jesus. Quickly things have progressed to this point now where the religious officials in Jerusalem have dispatched a delegation on a tortuous journey in order to put an end to the ministry of Jesus.

B. Notice the Allegations that Jesus’ Ministry Prompted (v22b)

They “were saying” things about Him. The verb is imperfect in Greek, suggesting that they were repeatedly saying these things. Who were they saying them to? We don’t know exactly, but we do know from the following verse that they were not in the presence of Jesus when they leveled these accusations. They continually denigrated Him behind His back in order to turn the tide of public opinion by their vehement renouncement of Him.

1. They Accused the Nature of Jesus

“He is possessed by Beelzebul.” Some translations have the name “Beelzebub,” here, but it is of no consequence – the same person is in view in both cases. Baal-zebub was the Syrian god worshiped in the Philistine city of Ekron. The name is sometimes suggested to mean “Lord of the Temple,” or “Lord of the House,” but can also mean, “Lord of the Flies.” Excavations in Philistine cities have uncovered golden images of flies. It was a common practice to ridicule pagan gods by altering the spelling of their names to mean something different, and apply those names to the devils and demons of one’s own religion. So, Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, became Beelzebul, Lord of the Dung Heap, and was used by the Jews to refer to Satan.

It is clear that this is what the scribes meant here – Jesus Himself understood their intention. They did not see Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, the virgin born incarnation of God. They viewed Him as a demonic, or worse, a satanic rabble-rouser. To them He was not Lord of Heaven and Earth, but Lord of the Dung Heap, one not to be followed or obeyed, but to be shunned, resisted, and destroyed. It was an outright attack on His nature.

2. They Accused the Power of Jesus (v22b)

“He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons.” At issue here was His work of casting out demons. Jesus had cast out “many demons,” according to 1:34. They could not deny that it had happened. It took place in plain sight of many witnesses. Their accusation strikes at how and why He did this. How did He do it? He did it with divine authority and power – the power of the Holy Spirit working mightily through Him. But they said, “No, it is by the power of Satan that He casts out demons.” Why did He do it? He did it to break the power by which Satan held humanity captive; He did it out of love and compassion for those He came to save. But they judged His motives as being something less than pure, even hellish.

You must understand the severity of these accusations. We live in a world today full of antagonism toward Christians, Christian theology, and the Christian church. But by and large, even the most ardent opponents of Christianity in our day are reluctant to say these sorts of things about Jesus Himself. You will have a hard time finding anyone who claims that Jesus was an agent of Satan operating by the powers of hell. More often than not, the enemies of Christianity in our day will say that Jesus was a good man, a moral teacher, an innocent martyr for the cause of goodness, who operated in love and justice. They would reject the notion that He is divine or that His death and resurrection have any significance for humanity at large, but they would not condemn Jesus as a demoniac or a colleague of Satan. Yet this is exactly what the scribes were doing. And this kind of criticism of Jesus continued even after His death in the writings of the Rabbis. In the Babylonian Sanhedrin portion of the Talmud, compiled between 100 and 500 AD, Jesus is described as one who was going to be put to death because He practiced sorcery and enticed people and led them astray. They could not deny what He had done, therefore they had to attack His nature and the power by which He did these things.

Jesus rarely expends a lot of energy defending Himself. Typically we see Him doing His work and letting others say what they will about Him. But that is not the case here. So radical are the claims of the scribes that He responds instantly and pointedly with …

B. The Pronouncement of the Unforgivable Sin (v23-30)

Unlike the scribes, Jesus does not subversively campaign against the scribes. He calls them out, calling them to Himself where He might set them straight. In so doing, He pronounces logical parables, a graceful promise, and a terrible proclamation.

1. The Logical Parables of Jesus (v23-27)

A parable is a saying or a story that is intended to provoke deeper thought. Not all parables are alike. The word “parable” is used in Scripture for proverbs, allegories, riddles, dark or mysterious sayings, illustrations, contrasts, word-pictures and stories. Three brief parables are given here to counter the accusations of the scribes with very simple logic. Each one goes a step farther in answering the question in v23, “How can Satan cast out Satan?”

The first two parables parallel each other. “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” If Jesus is a member of the kingdom of Satan, then why does He work to destroy that kingdom? Nothing will destroy a kingdom faster than a civil war. “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” This truth applies on the grand scale of nations and the small scale of households. And both of these parables serve to illustrate the utter foolishness of suggesting that Satan has risen up against himself. “If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished.” In other words, “If I am operating by the power of Satan for the destruction of my own kingdom, then you have nothing to worry about. We’ll both be out of your way in no time.”

We can put the logic in the form of a syllogism here. 1) The exorcisms that have taken place show that Satan’s kingdom is under attack. 2) These attacks cannot be coming from inside Satan’s kingdom. 3) Therefore, the attack must be coming from outside the kingdom of Satan. And the third parable Jesus gives expands upon that conclusion.

Verse 27 says, “No one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house.” Everyone would readily recognize the truth of this saying. If you go in and try to rob a strong man’s house while he is home, you better be able to tie him up or else he’s going to whoop you. The strong man in this parable is Satan. His house is that spiritual realm in which he operates for the destruction of the image of God in humanity as he wages war with God. Now, if Jesus is operating by Satan’s power, then He is subservient to Satan—of lesser power than Satan. He can’t plunder the house unless He is strong enough to bind the strong man. If He is plundering the house, and He is by setting free those who have been captive to Satan, then He must be greater than Satan.

So if He is operating from outside Satan’s kingdom, and if He is greater than Satan, then Jesus must be operating in the power of God. The scribes had seen the evidence, but came to a different conclusion. But contrast their conclusion with that of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus in John 3 saying, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.” He understood the logic that Jesus set forth in these parables. The scribes did not. It is no wonder then that we find Nicodemus with the followers of Jesus by the end of John’s Gospel. He could not escape the logical conclusion of who Jesus was. The scribes were trying fervently to avoid that conclusion.

The occasion here provides an opportunity for us to hear, in addition to His logical parables, …

2. A Gracious Promise of Jesus (v28)

A promise is only as valid as its maker. Anyone can make any promise at any time. I can promise you that I will give you a million dollars if you come back to the worship service tonight. But you are a fool to believe that promise because I am powerless to deliver on the promise. But when Jesus makes a promise, it is one you can trust. He speaks with tremendous authority, saying, “Truly I say to you.” This formula is found somewhere around 100 times in the gospels. It does not occur at all in pre-Christian Jewish literature or in the writings of the rabbis. It is used by Jesus to say, “I speak in My own name, and with My own authority, and assure you that what I speak is Truth.” And with that divine authority, He says, “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter.”

Bask for a moment in the glory of His gracious promise. What have you done? What have you said? In your entire life, can you even count the number of times you have transgressed the holy standards of God? Have you done unthinkable things in your past for which you carry around a tremendous burden of guilt and shame? Whatever those things may be, Jesus says by the authority of His own divine nature that all those things shall be forgiven by God. There is no promise more comforting in the Bible than this one. Everything you have ever done can be washed away because Jesus Christ took your punishment for you when He died on the cross, and He defeated your sins and their penalty through His resurrection. If you believe this, and turn to Him in repentance and faith, then there is nothing you have ever done that God will not forgive.

Many people are in such a hurry to get to the next verse that they miss the wonderful truth of this promise. God is willing to forgive every person of all their sins if they accept His offer of salvation in Jesus Christ. Yet there is a warning to us all that comes in the form of …

3. The Terrible Proclamation of Jesus (v29-30)

I use the word “terrible” here in the sense of its truest meaning. It is terrible in that it ought to provoke terror in the hearts of those who hear this warning. There is a sin that can never be forgiven. Those who commit it are guilty of an eternal sin. So, what is this unforgivable and eternal sin? It is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Three questions arise: What is this sin? Why is it unforgivable? Have I committed it?

What is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? If you take verse 29 away from its context, then you leave the meaning of this phrase open to all sorts of conjecture and speculation. Don’t do that. Leave it attached to its context, and it becomes clear what the sin is. Jesus made this pronouncement, v30 tells us, because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” That is putting it nicely. They were saying that He was possessed by Satan himself and that He worked by the power of Satan.

To blaspheme is to speak slanderously against someone else. With reference to God, it is to speak or act in blatant irreverence or defiance toward Him. To blaspheme the Holy Spirit is to ascribe the power by which Jesus worked, the power of the Holy Spirit, to the power of Satan. It is a total perversion and repudiation of the truth and rule of God, whereby one sees the good works of God manifested through Jesus Christ as evil and serving the purposes of Satan. It is committed when a person beholds Christ and says, “This is the devil,” or else looks at Satan and says, “This one is God’s Son.” In Paradise Lost, Milton says that Satan “felt how awful goodness is,” and therefore said, “Evil, be Thou my God.” This is a fitting description of the corrupted sense of judgment which calls evil good and good evil, which calls light darkness and darkness light, which calls Jesus Satan and Satan God. This is clear to us when we examine this statement in its context. If we remove it from its context, we would have to admit that God has left us hanging with a great threat that we know not how to avoid. But He hasn’t. The text is clear that the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the sin of labeling Jesus as a Satanic agent of evil serving to further the kingdom of the devil rather than the divine Son of God on mission to establish the Kingdom of God. It is the stubborn and persistent refusal to acknowledge that God, rather than Satan, is at work in and through Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom.

Why is this sin unforgivable over all others? Because a person whose sense of judgment is so corrupted and so perverse is beyond repentance. If they wanted to repent, they would be incapable of doing so, for they cannot tell good from evil, light from darkness, God from Satan. How then can they know what to turn away from and to what or whom to turn. If Jesus is of Satan, then from where will forgiveness come? What other means has God provided for the salvation of our souls? If we reject the salvation God has provided in Christ, then there is no other Savior, and therefore no other offer of forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

Final question: Have I committed this sin? I began by saying that nearly every week I talk with someone who fears that they have. Last week, three people expressed this to me. One on our church steps, one in email, another who came in off the streets seeking help. It is a relevant question to ask – if there is an unforgivable sin, I want to be sure I haven’t committed it, don’t you? To this question we begin by saying that Jesus did not even say that these scribes had committed this eternal and unforgivable sin. But He did indicate that they were in the danger-zone, rapidly approaching it. He warns them that if they persist in their deliberate rejection and antagonism toward Him, that they will arrive at the place of unforgiveness and eternal guilt. If you are concerned that you might have committed this terrible sin, then your concern and anxiety is a witness to the fact that you have not. If you had, then you would be unconcerned about it. If Jesus is Satan, then who cares if you have resisted and rejected Him? But, whatever it is that causes you to feel as if you might have crossed this line, take that as an indicator of your need for repentance and find the forgiveness that God has promised to all who will turn from sins and call upon Christ as Lord and Savior. There is no record anywhere in Scripture that God ever refused forgiveness to anyone who sought it through repentance and faith. Rather, we find these promises: “A broken and contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psa 51:17); “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn 1:9); “All sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter” (Mark 3:28). Take God on His word with these promises and find the forgiveness for which your soul longs by clinging to Christ and His saving work on the cross and in His resurrection, and turning from those sins which hold you in shackles.

While you still have life and breath in you, no matter what you have done in the past, there is hope for forgiveness. But if you persist in your rejection of the offer of salvation God has given in the person of Jesus Christ, the day will come when you will draw your last breath, and at that point it will be too late. In that moment, it will not matter if you committed this unforgivable sin, for you will have wasted your opportunity to find forgiveness for any sins you have committed, and your fate will be no different from those who have called Christ Satan, evil good, and darkness light.