Mark 3:23-29- Unforgivable

And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! But 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. Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin "—because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

The accusation by the scribes from Jerusalem is the most serious one, and so Jesus deals with that one first in this longest speech in Mark thus far. It is serious both in its intensity and in its implications. To call Jesus a servant of “Beelzebul” or Satan is to imply that his work seems good, but is fundamentally working toward the detriment of God’s people. This is worse than what his family said, who was implying that it was a personal family problem that they would try to deal with—the scribes are saying that Jesus is destroying society itself. But also, because they were officials from Jerusalem, what they say has legal implications as well. They have the right to arrest him and charge him with evil done. This statement isn’t just a personal opinion, it is an official “government” report.

Jesus has a number of responses to this accusation, denying this “report”. His first response to the scribes is that Satan is a ruler of a kingdom and it makes no sense for a kingdom to battle itself. If Jesus was a servant of Satan, then how could he cast out demons, which is an act of war against the kingdom of Satan? Instead Jesus says, it is an act of an opposing warrior to tie up a warrior and to take his possessions—not the act of an ally. Jesus here is the one taking the person’s goods (the soul being attacked) and Satan and his demons is the “strong man”. “Strong man” is a title for a powerful warrior. Then Jesus says that the accusation the scribes make is a serious one. When a clear act of God is seen—releasing someone from judgement and the power of Satan by authority alone—and that act is said to be an act of Satan, then it is an act of blasphemy that cannot be forgiven.

Can we accidentally commit the unforgivable sin? If the sin in question is strictly calling Jesus filled with Satan, then perhaps we can't. But if the unforgivable sin is something broader, something that looks at God's good, powerful work of forgiveness and mercy and declares it evil... then maybe. But it seems that the unforgivable sin is really the sin of Pharaoh of old-- he hardened his heart against God's good work and His good command, and so God hardened his heart more. One can't be forgiven of declaring the Holy Spirit's work evil because God hardens that person's heart so that they never repent.

Ever meet someone who is so bitter against a Christian group, or a good person that no matter what you say to prove to them otherwise, they can't hear you? Those who reject God's obvious work are those who cannot repent. Perhaps someone else will be able to speak to them, but if you can't communicate, it's better to pray for God's mercy on them instead.