Matthew 12: 31-37
The Unpardonable Sin
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.”
A Tree Known by Its Fruit
“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. Brood (offspring) of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A 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. 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.”
Jesus is continuing his confrontation with the Pharisees after they have accused him of casting out demons by employing Satanic power. Blinded by prejudice, the Pharisees refuse to recognize that the Holy Spirit exists, let alone that Jesus is working by the power of the Holy Spirit. As far as the Pharisees are concerned, there is only one God; for them, the Holy Spirit is a complete unknown factor. When Jesus speaks about the Holy Spirit, he might as well be speaking a foreign language. After all, Jesus is the Messiah that the Pharisees have supposedly been anticipating, and they have failed to recognize him because he has not met their expectations. If the Pharisees cannot recognize Jesus as Messiah when he stands before them, they certainly will not understand that the Holy Spirit exists.
Why is speaking against the Holy Spirit the unpardonable sin? It is by the Holy Spirit that God works in the hearts of men. When Jesus sends out disciples to minister, he lays hands on them, imparting the Holy Spirit to them, so that their ministry will be effective. Later, on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on 120 believers in an upper room in Jerusalem and subsequently comes to thousands of new believers as they are prayed for. Up to today, those ministering must work in the power of the Holy Spirit or their ministry is in vain. Speaking against the Holy Spirit is in effect rejecting God.
“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.” Jesus has just healed a demon-possessed man who is blind and mute. Now Jesus is effectively asking the Pharisees, “Is what I have just done a good thing or a bad thing?” What can the Pharisees possibly say? Obviously, the man is now healed, whole, and free from demons, a result to be duly desired. On the other hand, the Pharisees are furious that Jesus is getting such wonderful results while they have nothing to show for centuries of relentless pursuit of rules and regulations. Can it possibly be-gasp!-that the Pharisees have been wrong and that there’s more to God than they have been willing to believe?
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A 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. 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.” Now the Pharisees are really angry! While they have been muttering curses and imprecations, Jesus has continued to heal people. Does this mean that they are evil? But the Pharisees have done everything correctly! Surely that must count for something….or does it?
Now we step out of the scene between Jesus and the Pharisees to examine ourselves. First, a question: How careful are we about our speech? Do we take God’s name in vain each time we say, “Oh my God!” or text OMG to someone? When we speak, are we speaking blessings on people, or are we complaining and criticizing? Lately, God has been convicting me that anytime I begin to criticize someone, I should immediately pray for their salvation and for God’s blessings on them instead. If we truly believe that only God knows the human heart, how can we pass judgement on others?
What kind of fruit are we bearing? Are people glad and happy to be with us, or are they relieved when they escape us? In an earlier age, there were those described as being men and women of good will. We can recognize such people, for we feel better whenever we are with them. Are we people of good will? Are we exhibiting the love of Jesus? Are we concerned about those around us, or are we only concerned about their opinion of us?
Nels Carlson was one of my great grandfathers who came from a poor area of southern Sweden and eventually succeeded in owning his own small farm. Nels also taught Sunday School at a local Lutheran church, and when I was small, some of Nels’ former Sunday School students were still living in the community. Remarkably, as soon as I would mention Nels’ name to these people, they would get a dreamy look in their eyes. “Oh, Nels!” these people would say. “What a wonderful man! How much he loved us!” Decades after Nels’ death, those who had been his Sunday School students still remembered him and loved him for the love he had given them. Those people might not have remembered the particulars of the Sunday School lessons, but the love still shone through.
As disciples, what does our fruit look like? An old hymn speaks of “Sowing seeds of kindness.” Are we sowing seeds of kindness that bless people and point them toward Jesus? If not, why not?
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to bear good fruit and to work under the anointing of Your Holy Spirit. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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