Beholding the Son, Not Blaspheming the Spirit (Matthew 12:22-32)
Here’s my message from Sunday, November the 12th, 2023 from Matthew 12:22-32. You can listen to the audio here.
My oldest is playing intramural basketball, and he was telling me about a late call, made by an official, that he thought cost them the game. And it took me back to my days when that was a college job for me. I’d done really well, was a bit too confident perhaps. I got chosen to ref the playoffs. And the first game was this really intense one between an energetic fraternity and a group of players from our Mizzou football team at the time.
Near the end of the game, one of the guys, I think from the frat, came up to me and asked me if they had any time outs remaining. I didn’t even check. I just said yes. And that led to disaster. Soon after, that team called a timeout. And they didn’t have one. And if you don’t know basketball, that leads to that team getting a technical foul. And the other team shoots free throws and gets the ball out of bounds. It led to this big confrontation. We even had to get a supervisor. We had to shut down the game. And they resumed the ending the following day. And needless to say, I wasn’t on the invite list.
Do you ever fear that you’ll make a really big mistake - one that could truly ruin your life? Maybe you get in a car accident and, as a result, someone dies? Or maybe you miss out on Mr. or Mrs. Right - and end up alone - or miserable with someone else - for life?
What about committing a really bad sin? Maybe you’re sensitive to the spiritual, and that’s your big worry. Your life goes really wrong - and you harm someone. And it damages them forever. Or even worse, you do something so wicked that God turns His back on you. A sin that puts you beyond forgiveness.
Do you ever worry about those types of things - about them happening to you? I know many of us do. And it doesn’t help when we get to a passage like this. This stuff about the “blasphemy against the Spirit” - what has been called the “unpardonable sin.” A mistake we’ll never bounce back from. A transgression that can never be forgiven. But I think this is a passage that we so easily misunderstand. And we should instead be concerned about something different altogether.
The Pharisees have been battling against Jesus. We saw them question Him on how He taught and lived out the Sabbath. And the Lord gave those teachers a stern rebuke. Here, they question how He’s healing. And Christ responds, explaining what’s truly going on. But then He throws in that phrase. Watch out that you don’t commit “blasphemy against the Spirit.” Now we’re heading that way. But first, we have to truly understand what’s going on. And how those words fit within Christ’s overall rebuke.
As we look here at Matthew 12, verses 22 through 32, we’ll walk through four things: what we see Jesus do, how we see people respond, how we hear Christ answer, and what our response must be. Let’s jump into the first.
The Healing Christ Performs
First, see what Jesus does here. Verse 22 again: “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.” The Lord performs another healing, doesn’t He? And this is one that’s a pretty tough case. Right? He can’t see. He can’t speak. Imagine how terrible and troubling of a life that would be.
But we see Jesus here show compassion. He doesn’t have to stop for this man. He could have passed right on by. But Jesus doesn’t. He heals him. We’re not sure. With His words - or with His touch? But He does. And this reminds us of our Lord’s heart. But it also reminds us of His concern. He cares about our bodies. This isn’t just some shell we cast off. He cares about our suffering. He’ll one day take our pain away. Our bodies will be restored.
As you know, my wife is a nurse. We have an elder that’s a doctor. We have many in our church. Physical and occupational therapists. Other kinds of medical professionals. And this reminds us of how important those vocations can be. We can give people a picture of Jesus - of what He did back then. Of what He’ll one day fully do. And even sometimes does here today.
But you might say, “Wait a second, Kevin.” That verse says this is a “demon-oppressed man.” That’s why he’s “blind and mute.” Is that what your Amy’s doing over at University Hospital? Exorcisms? Is every illness because of demons? Well, yes. And no. What do I mean?
Well, when the fall happened, back in the beginning, as Adam and Eve got duped and sucked into Satan’s first ploy, sin entered into the world. And that affected everything. All God’s creation. Including our bodies. Sickness and suffering flowed out of that fall. And now, with Satan called in some sense the “ruler of this world” and the “prince of the power of the air,” all sin and all suffering - and that includes sickness - is demonic.
But do I think that every sickness is explained by the possession of or, as it says here, “oppression” of a demon? I don’t think so. We don’t see that always in the Bible. Not even always here in Matthew. So my nurse’s main role isn’t to do exorcisms. No. Should she pray for her patients - and even with them, if they ask? Absolutely. Is all healing ultimately attributed to God? Of course. Does He use the means of medicines and physicians? For real.
Ponder how incredible and how joyous this must be for this man. We can’t begin to comprehend how this turnaround must feel. His body is probably in shock over the change. But also potentially his heart. Right? These miracles do point to a deeper reality. He is meant to see beyond what’s physical. To look at Jesus with faith. To behold. To believe. His mouth is opened for an even bigger reason. To respond to who He is with praise.
Well, does He rise up and do this? We’re not really sure. What about the rest of the people gathered? Instead of praise, they protest.
The Response of the People
Let’s second see how the people respond. To this healing, to this exorcism, we see two responses. First, we see the words of the crowd. Look at verse 23 again. “And all the people were amazed, and said, ‘Can this be the Son of David?’” Now at first glance, their reaction seems understandable, quite reasonable. But on a closer reading, maybe not so much.
That’s because their response really is something more like this: “This guy isn’t the King we’ve been waiting for, is he?” Their response here is far more skeptical. It’s full of doubt, really. And that’s what they mean when they call Him the “Son of David.” That’s where the King, the One who’d rescue them, would come from - from the line of that King. That was promised ages and ages ago - back in 2 Samuel chapter 7.
Now they’re astonished by what they see. But as we’ve been saying, as we’ve walked slowly through Matthew, Jesus didn’t meet their expectations for this Messiah. He was supposed to rescue them from their enemies - now. And set up His kingdom there in Israel - right then. So they say, “Can this be the Son of David?” It can’t be - right?
Predictably, though, the response of the Pharisees is even much worse. “This must be of Satan!” Look at verse 24. “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.’” So catch this. What Jesus is doing is astonishing. But He isn’t talking and acting like what they expected at all. And really because they’ve not read their Bibles, nearly as well as they had thought. It can’t come from God. That’s what they reason. So what’s the alternative? It must be of Satan.
What’s this “Beelzebul” title about? Well, it comes from the Old Testament, maybe meaning the “Lord of the flies.” Maybe it’s tied to that old false god, Baal. But in the New Testament, it could literally be translated the “Lord of the House.” Either way, it came to be a slang term for the Devil. And the Pharisees tell those around them, “He’s not doing this by God’s power. But through Satan.” And that’s maybe even more shocking than the healing.
Right? What could be more perverse than this? They’re standing before God in the flesh. The Messiah that they’d prayed for for so many years. They see Him doing wonders - right before their eyes. Reversing the fall, bringing redemption - again and again. People ask, “How does He do it?” And what do they say? “This can only be the Devil.”
Whoa. It’s only God’s goodness that lightning didn’t strike right then and there. Or that the earth didn’t open up, and suck them right in. This is a reminder to keep close guard on our mouths. And not get in the habit of trying to label the source of everything. Those TV evangelists that try to say that this or that is from God. Or when others try say that something clearly comes from Satan. Like a revival, for example. Discernment is needed. But we have to be careful.
We also throw around labels so quickly today. And cancel people at the drop of a hat. We’re so skeptical. So cynical. So jaded. We see someone doing good, helping others, standing up for what’s right, and we far too easily ask, “But what else is going on?” We think there’s always more to the story. Is that person a human trafficker or a serial killer? Probably not. Is he or she a sinner? Definitely. We a Christians have to rise above the fray - and have different things to say - when we see goodness around us. And not be so quick to judge and condemn. But especially when we’re talking about what is or isn’t from God.
The crowds here are skeptical. They’re doubtful Jesus is the King. The Pharisees here go beyond even that. Last week, we looked at the verses before, a quote from Isaiah 42, and I called us all to behold Jesus. To believe in Him. But instead, the people battle against Him. They blaspheme. Their hearts are dark. But Jesus is about to shine the light on them.
Christ’s Answer to Them
And Jesus sure knows how. Right? Why’s that? Verse 25 starts by saying, “Knowing their thoughts, he said to them.” He’s good. He’s great. He knows our thoughts. He sees into our hearts. He knows how to draw them out, expose what’s really going on. Third, then, let’s hear Christ answer them. Jesus asks some questions. Offers some explanations. He shares some warnings. Notice the questions. Jesus gives us a good model here of how to engage skeptics, to answer critics. He asks questions. Jesus doesn’t call them idiots. He doesn’t tell them they’re inconsistent. He asks the Pharisees a couple of things that they - and the crowds - can then answer in their heads.
We first see their idiocy, through His first question. Verses 25 and 26 again:
Matthew 12:25 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.
Matthew 12:26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?
What the Lord says here isn’t hard to understand. How is a kingdom or city or house that’s divided going to survive? Internal strife will take it down. Jesus says, “If I’m working for Satan, but yet I’m working against Satan - casting out these demons - how does that make sense?” Idiotic, right?
We second see their inconsistency through the second question. Verse 27 again:
Matthew 12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
Here’s where Jesus is going with this. He asks how their “sons” then are doing it? By “sons” maybe He means Israelites they’ve taught. Perhaps he means others of the Pharisees. The point is the same. Others they endorsed were casting out demons. This happened in Israel. It’s talked about in the Bible. Was Satan using them, too? Totally inconsistent! Right?
Now did they own these truths? It doesn’t seem to be the case. But Jesus graciously calls them out, gives them the opportunity to repent - through these questions.
They serve to uncover their motives. They’re just making stuff up, because they don’t like Jesus.
The Lord then offers some explanations. He lets them in on what’s truly going on. He says, in verse 28: "But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Christ explains, if instead, if it’s the “Spirit of God” doing this, then something amazing has happened - what they were trying to deny. The “kingdom of God” has come among them! He is the King. And they need to bow to His reign.
Yes, Jesus is doing these miracles to show compassion. But they’re also signs that the kingdom has come. They’re snapshots of the perfect kingdom that would one day come in full. There would be no more sickness. And no more suffering.
The Lord also explains something else, using an illustration. Verse 29:
Matthew 12:29 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.
Last week, I talked about my wife throwing some punches. Sometime later, after we were married, we were living over near Louisville. And I came home early from my seminary class. I decided to surprise Amy. I sure did. I walked into the house and looked around. Her car was there, but I somehow couldn’t find her. I began to walk up the stairs, when I looked and saw my wife, with fist drawn, lunging at me. She had just put our baby down for a nap. Mama bear was gonna take me out.
Oh, the look on her face, when she realized she was about to punch her man! It was hilarious. Thankfully she caught herself. But I was beside myself. What if I’d been an actual intruder? There’s 911 for that, right? She wouldn’t have survived a stronger person. Not me. Not a real bad guy.
Jesus is telling the Pharisees, “Actually, I’m the master of the house.” I’m here. And he’s no match for me. Remember that name “Beelzebul”? "Satan has had some power in this world. But I’m here and I’m taking over. I’m tying him up. I’m stronger than him.” There’s a new sheriff in town. That’s what’s happening as Jesus does these healings. He’s taking back what is rightfully His. Christ here clarifies the significance of His works. But will they see it? It appears, indeed, they won’t.
He then shares some warnings with those teachers. He says in verse 30: “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” There’s no neutrality with Jesus. Pick a side. You can’t be like one of those moms wearing two teams on their jersey. Like Mama Kelce or something. Either draw near to Him, or you better get running. Because judgment will come to those who don’t line up with Him.
Then we get to the words that tend to freak us all out. He gives this warning against blasphemy. I’ll read them also again, verses 31 and 32.
Matthew 12:31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Matthew 12:32 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.
For starters what does the word blasphemy even mean? It’s speaking poorly, it’s talking slanderously, and here, of God Himself. It’s giving Him the opposite of the honor that He’s due. Instead of blessing the Lord. You’re cursing Him. And that’s a really scary thing to do. But it seems here there’s an instance of this blasphemy you can’t come back from.
Now let me start by saying what I don’t think this can mean. On the surface, it almost sounds like the Lord is saying this. You can be forgiven for a lot. For lots of sins. Even blasphemy. You can even talk poorly about the Son Jesus Himself. You can be forgiven of that. But say something bad about the Holy Spirit of God, and you’re sunk. But can that really be what Jesus is telling us here? I don’t think so. But what is it He’s wanting us to hear?
Now some have said it’s talking about committing a really bad sin. Maybe murder, for example. Or adultery, another. But Jesus is the Messiah. He’s the Son of David. That’s what they call Him right here! And David His forefather committed both of those things! And the Lord has rescued - and used - so many other bad people. People like us here.
Others have tried to teach that it’s talking about suicide. You’ll never be forgiven for that, they try to say. But where do we see that in these verses right here? Or anywhere else in Scripture? It’s just not there.
Some have said you can’t deny Jesus in persecution. Or there, you’ve committed that sin. But what about Peter? He does that, right? Denies Jesus three times. And later goes on to be the main apostle.
And Paul was on the other end, doing the persecuting Himself. Putting Christians to death. And He repented and took the gospel to the world. But again, there’s no hint of that in this passage.
Others have said this is talking about rejecting the gospel itself. But again, those two did, and they were forgiven. And so have so many others. We’re talking about something more than unbelief here. Because that’s where we all start out. And it’s easy for us to even fall back in that direction. And we can repent. And then believe. And be forgiven. Our God is a forgiving God. And we see that all throughout Scripture.
He’ll forgive us for turning from the gospel, from the King and His kingdom. From saying bad things about His Son. That’s what He Himself says there in verse 32. But what’s this stuff about blaspheming the Spirit? From that, you can never be forgiven. Not “in this age.” Nor “in the age to come.” That means never. So we need to know what it means. And we need to take it seriously.
Now what do we see happening in this section right here? The Pharisees are looking at the work of the Spirit - through Jesus the King - and they’re calling it the work of Satan. Now this is how I would have explained this before. What’s this “blasphemy against the Spirit?” It’s attributing what God is doing to Satan. But the more I’ve studied it, I think it’s much more, and goes far deeper, than that.
The Pharisees are standing before the One for whom they’d waited. Before beauty. The God who’d come to earth. And was beginning to redeem. And they had persistently, stubbornly refused and mocked Jesus. Not just in this instance. But over and over.
Instead of beholding Him, believing Him, they’ve battled against Him, they’ve blasphemed. Jesus came to earth to accomplish our redemption. It’s the Holy Spirit who applies it to our souls. He convicts us of sin. He makes us born again. By dismissing Jesus and resisting Him repeatedly, we’re fighting the Spirit who works on our hearts. And our hearts are getting harder. They’re getting colder. Calloused, and bruised. And we don’t just get beyond saving. We get to where we don’t want that saving at all. And that’s a state from which we can never recover.
David Platt explains it like this. Blasphemy against the Spirit is unforgivable for this reason. There’s an avenue to forgiveness. It’s repentance. And you reject that road. And God’s got nothing else for you. Or N.T. Wright explains it in a similar way. You “cut off the very channel along which forgiveness would come.” He writes, “Once you declare that the only remaining bottle of water is poisoned, you condemn yourself to dying of thirst.” So this is a stubborn, persistent dismissal of the salvation found in Jesus. We resist the Spirit’s work in our hearts. Until there’s no turning back.
Hear author Sam Storms:
“This, then, was not a one-time, momentary slip or inadvertent mistake in judgment. This was a persistent, life-long rebellion in the face of inescapable and undeniable truth. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is not a careless act committed only once in a moment of rage or rebellion, but a calloused attitude over time; a persistent defiance that hardens and calcifies the heart. The Pharisees had been present when Jesus healed the sick. They saw him perform miracles up close and personal. They witnessed him raise the dead. They watched with their very eyes as skin infected with leprosy suddenly and decisively became clean and smooth and whole. They had heard him teach with power and authority. They had watched as demons fled his presence as he set free those in bondage. They watched with their own eyes as he gave sight to the blind. Notwithstanding all this, they openly and persistently and angrily and arrogantly declared that he did it all by the power of the Devil!…
Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, therefore, is not just unbelief; the sort of unbelief or rejection or doubt that is so typical in our world. This is defiance of what one knows beyond any shadow of doubt to be true. It is not mere denial, but determined denial; not mere rejection but wanton, willful, wicked, wide-eyed rejection. (Sam Storms)
Like the Pharisees and the crowds, we want to keep our options open. And find some place of neutrality. But that place doesn’t exist. And we end up choosing blasphemy. We reject the very source of our forgiveness. And there’s no recovery. That’s why it’s unforgivable. And there’s no turning back from that.
John Piper illustrates Christ’s teaching this way. You’re a buzzard chewing on a carcass on a piece of ice, floating down a river. You know it’s dangerous. The falls are not too far ahead. You look at your wings and think that you can fly to safety anytime you want. And you keep on eating.
But just before you go over those falls, you stretch your wings to fly. And you realize your claws have frozen in the ice, and you can’t get away. Piper writes, “The Spirit of holiness has forsaken the arrogant sinner forever.” The thought of this - for ourselves and others - should make us shudder!
A couple of questions that you might still have. How do I know if I’ve blasphemed the Spirit? I can say with certainty that if you’re concerned about that at all, you’ve not done it. Typically it’s the wrong people who are concerned about committing this sin. The people who couldn’t care less. They’re the ones in danger. If you’re battling for faith, not against faith, you’re in a good place.
What if I think someone I know has committed this sin? I’d be careful with that. We don’t know the heart. We certainly can’t diagnose this ourselves. I think you’re still confused about what this means. Keep sharing Jesus with them. And calling them to repent. And pray. That’s all we can do.
You, Me, and this Passage
So fourth and finally, how should we respond to these words? First, rush to receiving and worshipping the work of God the Son. Don’t delay. Don’t try to keep your options open. You don’t know if tomorrow you’ll be alive - if the heart in your chest will even be beating. And you don’t know tomorrow if your heart will even want to consider Christ. Rush, receive, worship Jesus now. Behold Him. Believe in Him.
If you’re already a believer, keep doing the same. God will keep us in belief and praise. But the way He keeps us - the way it looks like - is us struggling to follow Jesus, trying to keep close to Him.
Second, beware of dismissing, resisting the work of God the Spirit. Quit fighting against God. Drop the excuses. The defensive questions. Look at who He is and what He’s done. Humble your heart. Fall down before Him. Give Him the worship He deserves. Again, while you still can. Don’t battle. Don’t blaspheme.
And believer, don’t buy this lie that you’re saved and then can coast. You may be deceived and you may not know Him at all. You may turn from Him, and in doing that, you’ll prove that you were never a disciple at all.
Brothers, sisters, repent and receive, don’t dismiss and resist, the King and His Kingdom, lest you revile His Spirit and find yourselves in ruin. Don’t battle against Him. Don’t blaspheme His Spirit. Behold the Son in His Glory.
Beholding Jesus, Not Blaspheming the Spirit
Well, next week, we’ll again be blessed by the preaching of J. Aaron Ferguson. And he’s going to take us through the next five verses. He’ll take us to the root of why the Pharisees say such things.
But back to those fears I started with this morning. That you’ll make this one big mistake. Or you’ll commit this really serious sin. One that will ruin your life. And send you to hell. But here’s what I think our fear really needs to be. It’s not that we’ll take a step and fall straight off a cliff. It’s more that we’ll take step after step in the complete opposite direction. Of what is good, and true, and beautiful. And away from our Lord. And more than that, in a path that goes completely downhill. And we won’t realize it until it’s way, way too late. And there’s no way we’ll be able to climb back up. What’s worse is that we’ll never even want to.
But there’s another alternative. Now, when we can hear Christ calling. Today, where you can see His light. Now, before it’s too late, don’t dismiss Him. Don’t resist Him. Receive Him. Fall down before His glory. Don’t fight the Spirit. Rest in His grace. Repent, friend.
He’ll take all Your mistakes. All your sins. He’s paid for those on the cross. He’ll give you His flawless, sinless life. And you can be free. Run to Him now - before it’s too late. There may be no tomorrow. Yes, we could die. But your heart also may grow cold and hard. There may be no turning back. Behold, believe in God the Son. Don’t battle, don’t blaspheme God the Spirit. Let’s pray.