Page 68 - Advanced Life of Christ - Student Textbook

would find a way to silence Him.

During this last Galilean tour, Jesus sent out his disciples to share the news of the Kingdom to all the
cities in the region. He enabled them to heal the sick and cast out demons, again authenticating their
message as being from God. This strategy enabled Him to more speedily saturate the land one more
time with His claims. This is the continuing strategy of Christ today in sending all His followers out to
share the Gospel to the far ends of the earth.

The "Unpardonable Sin" and a Shift to Parables (Matthew 12:22-37 and Mark 3:20-30; Matthew
12:38-45; Mark 3:31-35 and Matthew 12:46-50; Matthew 13:1-52 and Mark 4:1-34; Mark 3:13-19
and Luke 6:12-16)

During Christ’s second Galilean tour, an event occurred that marked the turning point of Christ’s
ministry to Israel. It is found in Matthew 12:22-37 and in Mark 3:20-30 where a demon-possessed man
was brought to Jesus. Immediately Jesus cast out the demon and healed the man who was also blind
and mute. The Pharisees claimed that Jesus’ power came from the prince of demons – Satan himself,
rather than from the Holy Spirit. This declaration of the Pharisees was their explanation for how Jesus
could perform such miracles, thus rejecting His claim to be the Messiah come from God. It is at this
point that Jesus condemns their sin as unforgiveable - the “unpardonable sin”.

It is important to understand that at this point in Jesus’ ministry, the masses had chosen to believe the
lying excuse of the Pharisees and thus almost universally reject Jesus’ claims concerning Himself, in spite
of the thousands of miracles He performed in their viewing. He came to His own, and His own did not
receive Him! Imagine the discouragement when Jesus heard that his family rejected Him and claimed
that He was out of His mind (Mark 3:21).

The “Unpardonable Sin”.
The unpardonable/unforgivable sin or “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” is mentioned in Mark 3:22–
30 and Matthew 12:22–32. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every
slander they utter” (Mark 3:28), but then He gives one exception: “Whoever blasphemes against the
Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin” (verse 29).

According to Jesus, the unpardonable or unforgivable sin is unique. It is the one iniquity that will never
be forgiven (“never” is the meaning of “either in this age or in the age to come” in Matthew 12:32). The
unforgivable sin is blasphemy (“defiant irreverence”) of the Holy Spirit in the context of the Spirit’s work
in the world through Christ. In other words, the particular case of blasphemy seen in Matthew
12 and Mark 3 is unique. The guilty party, a group of Pharisees, had witnessed irrefutable evidence that
Jesus was working miracles in the power of the Holy Spirit, yet they claimed that He was possessed by
the prince of demons, Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30).

The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day committed the unpardonable sin by accusing Jesus Christ (in person, on
earth) of being demon-possessed. They had no excuse for such an action. They were not speaking out of
ignorance or misunderstanding. The Pharisees knew that Jesus was the Messiah sent by God to save
Israel. They knew the prophecies were being fulfilled. They saw Jesus’ wonderful works, and they heard
His clear presentation of truth. Yet they deliberately chose to deny the truth and slander the Holy Spirit.
Standing before the Light of the World, bathed in His glory, they defiantly closed their eyes and became
willfully blind. Jesus pronounced that sin to be unforgivable.

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