Blasphemey of the Holy Spirit (Part 3)

Perhaps one of the most intriguing teachings in the life of Jesus is what He said about “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 12:22-37 cf. Mk. 3:22-30; Lk. 12:10). In previous articles, we examined the setting (Mt. 12:22-24), the sin (Mt. 12:24), Jesus’ first reply to the Pharisees’ accusation (Mt. 12:25-28), Jesus’ second reply (Mt. 12:29), Jesus’ third reply (Mt. 12:30-32), and whether or not this unforgiveable sin can be committed today. In this concluding article of the series, we will examine Jesus’ final response to the Pharisees’ accusation.

Jesus' Fourth Reply: What A Person Says Reveals His Heart

When many people study Matthew’s account of the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, they rarely go beyond 12:32, where the apostle mentions the unforgiveable nature of this sin. However, 12:33-37 are just as much a part of the account, and this section gives great insight as to why this sin cannot “be forgiven...either in this age or in the age to come” (Mt. 12:32, NKJ). Remembering that the sin involved not only the denying of an undeniably true miracle, but also the attributing of that undeniable miracle to the power of “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons” (Mt. 12:24), consider three truths that reveal the condition of heart that would allow one to make such a claim and how that relates to the unforgiveable nature of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

First, a tree is known by its fruit. Jesus said, “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit” (Mt. 12:33). The point Jesus made is simple: there are only two possibilities with trees...and people, either good or bad! Jesus taught similarly when He warned against false teachers, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit (Mt. 7:16-20). A good tree and good fruit go together (as does a bad tree and bad fruit). The word “bad [corrupt, KJV]” means rotten or decayed (cf. Mt. 7:17-18; 13:48). Claiming to follow God is confirmed either as true or false by the lives that we live, including the language we use!

Second, evil people do not speak good things. Jesus said, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Mt. 12:34-35). The term “brood [generation, KJV] of vipers” brings out the “venomous nature” of the opposition against Jesus (cf. the unrepentant Pharisees and Sadducees’ opposition noted by John the Baptist, Mt. 3:7-12).11 Jesus placed the emphasis on the source of what a person says or does, and that source is the heart. “Good things” come from a “good heart,” and “evil things” come from an evil heart. What kind of heart would be the source of one attributing an undeniably miracle to the power of Satan?

Third, words are a sound basis of judgment because they reveal the true character of a person. Jesus said, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mt. 12:36-37). This is the very reason why the seemingly harsh judgment of Matthew 12:31-32 could be pronounced—the Pharisees revealed a deep down hatred and opposition toward Christ by attributing the undeniable miracle that He had done to the power of Satan. In hating and opposing Christ, they, of course, also hated and opposed God, whose plan it was to send the Messiah (cf. Mt. 21:23-27; Jn. 5:19; 7:16; 8:28; 12:49-50). When people speak lightly, without paying serious attention to what they are saying, their words reveal the true nature of their heart. How many times do politicians, for example, say things they think are “off the record,” only to find out what they said was recorded, and then must apologize for their remarks? The “idle works” to which Jesus refers are these same kinds of “off the record” comments, but they certainly reveal our true heart! We all must “appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10), and this includes what we say!

Conclusion

All sin is serious (Rom. 6:23), but especially those sins, like blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, that result from a heart that is in irreversible opposition to God. These are the kinds of sin for which forgiveness is impossible, not because of God’s unwillingness, but because of the impossibility for people, with such a disposition, to repent (cf. Heb. 6:4-6; 10:26-27; 1 Jn. 5:16). Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of life, and it must be based upon godly sorrow (2 Cor. 7:8-11). May our hearts never harden to the will of God, but always be pliable, for “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Ps. 34:18).

End Notes

1Leon Morris, The Gospel According to Matthew (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992). 321.