The Apex of Unbelief. Mark 3:20-30.
Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again so that they could not even eat. And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out demons.”And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. “And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is coming to an end. “But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.”Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of eternal sin -“for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
Dear People Who Belong to God,
While Jesus was wowing the crowds with his teaching and miracles, there were those who went against the tide and opposed him.
Misguided Concern (vv. 20-21). The interest in Jesus was such that the crowds did not even give him and his companions time to eat. His family (his brothers, most probably) decided that it was time to rescue him from his “madness.” They failed to see what everyone else could see! It is easy for unbelief to blind one to the obvious. Maybe theirs was the “Familiarity that breeds contempt.” They refused to acknowledge that the brother who grew up with them had risen above his humble beginnings and was now a prophet – more than a prophet. It is tragic that some who grow up in close proximity to Jesus – church, Christian family, etcetera, fail to recognize who he really is.
Misplaced Criticism (v. 22). The scribes dismissed Jesus as being possessed by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, by whose power they claimed Jesus cast out demons. In effect, they were saying that Jesus was evil and the source of his power was Satan himself.
Methodical Challenge (vv. 23-27). Jesus responds by demonstrating the absurdity of their claims. If it were possible for Satan to cast himself out, he would be working against himself, leading to his own defeat. What makes sense, rather, is that Jesus was in the process of binding “the strong man” (Satan), in order that “he may plunder his house.” In other words, what Jesus was doing should lead to the conclusion that he was taking the fight to Satan and had come to defeat him.
Mindful Caution (vv. 28-30). Jesus warns the scribes that they are teetering on the edge. When there is clear evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work, it is an insult to the Holy Spirit to attribute his work to demons. Remember that Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit, which fact was demonstrated at his baptism (1:10). Everything Jesus does, he does in the Holy Spirit. What Jesus is warning against is not a casual slip of the tongue, as bad as some of that may be, but a deliberate choice to reject the obvious truth.
There is no hope of salvation or forgiveness for such a person because repentance must precede forgiveness, and repentance is based on believing the truth that one has sinned against a holy God.
If you are worried about having committed this unforgivable sin, your concern rules it out -you have not, but you need to take care of the cause of your guilt. That is usually an unconfessed sin. If you do not care that you may have committed the unforgivable sin, you are in danger of committing it. Repent, before you fall off the edge and become irredeemable.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.