The Unforgivable Sin
Matthew 12:22-32
Our God is a forgiving God. When the Lord God proclaimed the glory of His name to Moses, He said, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” (Exo. 34:6-7). Psalm 86:5 declares, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” And Psalm 130:4 says, “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared.” Speaking about the new covenant, the Lord says in Jeremiah 31:34, “…For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Micah 7:18-19 says, “Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. 19 He will again have compassion on us, And will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins Into the depths of the sea.” And Isaiah 55:7, “Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.”
And the New Testament declares that forgiveness is found in our Lord Jesus Christ. At the very beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, the angel told Joseph to name Mary’s child “JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). In Matthew 9, Jesus forgave a paralytic and healed him to prove “that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Matt. 9:6). Instituting the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” In Acts, Peter preached, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38) and “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31). Paul declares in Ephesians 1:7 that in Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”
Mercy, compassion, forgiveness, pardon, remission of sins—those words characterize our God and Savior Jesus Christ. And yet, as we just read in Matthew 12:32, Jesus Christ tells us that there is a particular sin that will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. What are we to think about this?
The setting of this passage is very important to notice. Over the last few chapters in Matthew, opposition to Jesus from the religious leaders has been growing. In Matthew 12, Jesus declared to the Pharisees that He was Lord of the Sabbath (Matt. 12:8) and proved it by healing a man on the Sabbath day in their synagogue. Being proved wrong by Jesus was more than the Pharisees could handle. They “went out and plotted against Him, how they might destroy Him” (Matt. 12:14). By His words and His works, Jesus proved Himself to be the Son of God, the Messiah, the King. But the scribes and Pharisees would not believe in Him and instead sought to kill Him.
Here, again, in Matthew 12, there is a conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees. Let’s look at the details of it. First,
1. Jesus heals (Matt. 12:22)
Matthew 12:22 says, “Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.” As we see later, the Lord healed this man by casting out the demon. This was not unusual for Jesus. We have already seen Jesus heal many people and cast out demons from people in Matthew’s Gospel. Jesus clearly has power to heal and total authority to cast out demons.
As we have noted before, Jesus did not do miracles just to draw a crowd or thrill audiences. He healed and cast out demons because He had compassion on hurting people; and because every miracle, whether healing, raising the dead, delivering the demonized, or feeding multitudes, announced that the kingdom of God had come, and that the Messiah was among them (Matt. 11:3-5).
How did the people react to this miracle?
2. The people react (Matt. 12:23)
Matthew 12:23 says, “And all the multitudes were amazed …” This is the only time that the word translated “amazed” is used in Matthew’s Gospel. It literally means “thrown out of place”, so the idea is that they were beside themselves and utterly astounded. This led some of them to begin to ask, “Could this be the Son of David?” (Matt. 12:23). As we have noted before, the term, “Son of David,” is a messianic title (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Psalm 89:3; Isaiah 9:6-7). This is the title the crowds later used of Jesus when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and they hailed Him as Messiah and King.
This was not so much a confession by the multitude but a confusion about whether the Messiah had indeed come. They recognized that Jesus was performing the signs of the Messiah. They were amazed at His power and authority, but they were also confused because they knew the Pharisees were against Jesus. Jesus’ works proclaimed He was the Son of David, but the experts said He was not. So literally they asked, “This one cannot be the Son of David, can he?”
And it was right then that the Pharisees jumped into the picture. If people were beginning to believe in Jesus, they had to put a stop to it.
3. The Pharisees accuse (Matt. 12:24)
Matthew 12:24 says, “Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.””
Notice what their statement implies. The Pharisees do not deny the miracle. They couldn’t. Jesus’ healings and exorcisms were so miraculous and complete, no one could deny them. So, because they could not deny Jesus’ supernatural power, they questioned its source. To them, it could not be that Jesus cast our demons by the power of God. The only other supernatural power with power over demons was Satan.
To say that Jesus operated in the power of Beelzebub was an extremely vulgar blasphemy. This was a play on the name of a false god that the Jewish people altered to mean, “lord of the flies” or “lord of dung”. The Jews used it to refer to Satan.
And this wasn’t the first time that the Pharisees accused Jesus of being in league with the devil. In Matthew 9:34, when He cast a demon out of a different man and healed him of his inability to speak, they said, “He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons”. Jesus warned His disciples in Matthew 10, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household?” (Matthew 10:25). So, this wasn’t a spontaneous reaction by the Pharisees. It was the settled expression of a heart that was progressively hardening against the Savior.
These Pharisees were trying to prevent people from seeing Lord Jesus operating in the power of the Holy Spirit, and from coming to the conclusion that He was the promised Messiah sent from God. Later in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus condemned them for this, saying, “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.” (Matt. 23:13).
Matthew tells us that none of this was hidden from the Lord. Matthew writes, “But Jesus knew their thoughts . . .”(Matt. 12:25). This leads us, then, to next consider how. . .
4. Jesus answers (Matt. 12:25-29)
First, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” (Matt. 10:25). This is just a matter of common sense. No organization, no institution, no corporation, no family can stand if it is in disunity with itself. If it fights against itself, and actively seeks to undo its own interests, it is doomed.
Jesus applies this principle to the accusation of the Pharisees that He cast out demons by the devil. In Matthew 10:26, Jesus asks, “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?” Satan isn’t stupid. He spreads his own evil kingdom by destroying men. And if Satan were in the habit of casting out his own demons, then he would be undoing his own kingdom. Why would Satan do such a thing? Why would he willingly give up ground he has already taken? In casting out demons, Jesus was undoing the kingdom of Satan. It is absurd to say that Jesus was operating in the power of Satan. It was inconceivable.
Jesus next shows that the Pharisees were inconsistent. That first argument demonstrated that the Pharisees were mistaken about Jesus; and this second argument demonstrates the hardness of their heart toward Him. Jesus said in Matthew 12:27, “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?”
The ”sons of the Pharisees” were their apprentices, their disciples. Apparently, some of the Pharisees followers claimed to cast out demons also. We see an example of this in Acts 19 when some Jewish exorcists attempted to cast out demons like Paul did—in the name of Jesus. But the name of Jesus is not some magic formula and that episode did not end well for those would-be exorcists.
Jesus’ argument is this—You are being inconsistent. The Pharisees endorsed their sons as being from God when they cast out demons. They claimed that their follower’s power came from God. Jesus is contending, “If you say their power comes from God, then Mine does also and you have lied about Me. And if you say My power comes from Satan, then theirs does also, and you have been endorsing Satan. So which is it?
Jesus says, “Therefore they shall be your judges” (Matt. 12:27). The evidence Jesus just gave in regard their sons will be enough evidence to condemn them on the Day of Judgment. He says that your endorsement of them proves you recognize God’s power, so during the judgment you will not be able to plead ignorance.
Their claim is inconsistent. So Jesus concludes in Matthew 12:28, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” In other words, it’s not Satan’s kingdom attacking Satan. It’s God’s kingdom attacking Satan! And that makes a whole lot more sense. The kingdom of God has arrived in the person of Jesus, and the proof is in the miracles themselves. Jesus is driving out demons by the Spirit of God. Jesus is demonstrating his power over Satan and Satan’s kingdom.
Jesus illustrates this in Matthew 12:29, “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” In this illustration, Satan is the strong man, and the souls of men and women are the plunder. Jesus is plundering Satan’s domain—He could not do that without overpowering and binding Satan.
Now, all of this is meant to do two things. First, it was meant to remove from the Pharisees the ability to argue that Jesus operated in the power of the devil. And second, it was meant to force them to the inescapable conclusion that the kingdom of God had truly come upon them in the person of the King Himself. Jesus is obviously the Messiah. And that means the kingdom of God is here. But the Pharisees refused to accept Jesus or even recognize that He did the works of God. They are opposed to the kingdom of God.
So Jesus warns them.
5. Jesus warns (Matt. 12:30-32)
“He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad” (Matt. 12:30).
Jesus warned them that there is no neutrality with Him. Jesus spoke of only two kingdoms—the kingdom of God (of which He was King), or the kingdom of the devil (of which He was the enemy). There are no other alternatives. There is no middle-ground. The Pharisees were either of one kingdom or the other.
Rejecting Christ makes you God’s enemy. Doing nothing with Jesus is as good as rejecting Him. Charles Spurgeon wrote, “To be almost persuaded is to be certainly damned.” How much worse for the Pharisees who openly rejected Him. Even today, people think that they can be neutral toward Jesus. But He has put everyone at the fork of a decision. In Matthew 10:32-33, Jesus said, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” To not be “with” Jesus is to set yourself “against” Him. To not “gather” with Him is to “scatter” in opposition to Him.
Then Jesus takes warns about the unforgiveable sin. In the case of the Pharisees, they saw the truth about Jesus. The Holy Spirit demonstrated before their very eyes who Jesus is. Instead of believing, they dared to blaspheme the work of the Holy Spirit for having revealed the truth. Their blasphemy revealed a hardened, unrepentant heart. Jesus told the Pharisees, “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.” (Matt. 12:31-32).
I want you to notice the first part of that statement from Jesus: “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men…” Here is the good news. God can anyone for any sin. God has forgiven murderers, drunkards, thieves, homosexuals, blasphemers, and even politicians. Jesus even says “Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him.” There is no amount of sin that is beyond God’s forgiving love. He will forgive anyone of anything, anywhere, anytime, if they will turn to Him and seek forgiveness. Praying for those who condemned Him and crucified Him Jesus said from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).
The volume of sin does not end the possibility of God’s merciful forgiveness. An old man who has lived a life of wickedness all his life is just as forgivable as a child who has done nothing more than the characteristic foolishness that children have.
Paul killed Christians, but was forgiven. In 1 Timothy 1:12-13 he writes, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.”
That means that you can even temporarily reject Christ; you can even have been a blasphemer; you can even have opposed and persecuted Christians—And you can still be forgiven.
The Pharisees had said some evil, blasphemous things about Jesus. They were plotting to destroy Him. But they could be forgiven for those things. You can be forgiven for blaspheming Jesus and even killing Him. Jesus says however there is one sin that cannot be forgiven. He says, “the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men” and “whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him.”
What does that mean?
Blasphemy as used here means “defiant irreverence.” It is speaking against what the Holy Spirit has done, which is exactly what the Scribes and Pharisees had done in accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Beelzebub. They attributed to Satan the work the Holy Spirit did through Jesus.
Many people have become distraught and fearful over this matter, worrying about whether or not they have said words that constituted “blasphemy against the Spirit”. But the issue is not the saying of a set of words. The issue is that of a persistent, unrepentant attitude of heart toward the divine revelation of Christ. It was, strictly speaking, a sin that was committed when Jewish religious leaders continually witnessed the actual work of Jesus Christ in performing miracles through the power of the Holy Spirit in an undeniable way over and over again—and yet, out of hatred for Him, they persistently attributed those miracles to the power and working of the devil.
Why was this sin unforgivable?
Well, what does the scripture teach that the Holy Spirit does?
Look at what Jesus says about the ministry of the Holy Spirit in John 16:
7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:7-11).
He will convict the world of sin because they need to know they have not believed Jesus. He will convict the world of righteousness because the Jesus, the righteous One in heaven exalted at God’s right hand. He will convict the world concerning judgment because judgment is imminent now that the ruler of the world is defeated. And Jesus is the judge. So the Holy Spirit testifies towards sin, righteousness, and judgment.
So the Holy Spirit comes to show sinners the truth about their sin, the truth about the Savior Jesus, and the reality of judgment. The Holy Spirit’s renders people without excuse. So if a person has the witness of the Holy Spirit and truly understands the message about Christ, and rejects it, how can they be forgiven?
The ministry of the Holy Spirit, you see, is that of ‘shining the light’ on Christ (John 16:14). The Pharisees were willingly blind to the light, and then went so far as to curse and blaspheme the Holy Spirit Himself for seeking to remove their blindness. They had witnessed the good work of Jesus Christ in performing a miracle through the power of the Holy Spirit in an undeniable way and in His bodily presence. And yet, they were so persistently hardened in their hearts against Jesus that they dared to call the Holy Spirit the devil. That was a sin that the Pharisees committed with full knowledge and awareness of what they were doing. It was an act of profound hardness of heart. It was a sin that left no room for the grace of God. What hope is there for someone who would do that?
The Holy Spirit had done everything possible to bring them to repentance and they rejected His witness to them. They Such was the case with all that Jesus had done before these Scribes and Pharisees. What more could be done than He had done?
Their sin was not done accidentally or unintentionally. It was willful and deliberate. It reflected a heart that was hardened in sin so much that the Pharisees were plotting to murder Jesus. The sin becomes unpardonable, because the person committing it is unwilling yield to the convicting ministry of the Holy Spirit as He reveals Jesus.
It’s not that God won’t forgive them. They have chosen not to accept God’s forgiveness. To blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is to understand the truth, feel the conviction, and then say consistently and permanently say no. There is nothing you can do for that person. You can’t save a person who won’t accept the Savior.
When you really think about it, people who are fearful that they may have committed this sin, and worry that they will now never be forgiven, actually prove that they haven’t committed it at all! A man or woman who has such a fear about that sin–or any other sin, for that matter–is experiencing the gracious work of God the Holy Spirit; because apart from the grace of the Holy Spirit, we wouldn’t even feel the conviction of sin at all (John 16:8). This, it seems to me, proves that their heart is not hardened against God, and that they are open to the Spirit’s revelation of Christ.
Maybe today the Holy Spirit is convicting you of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He has shown you your sin, the Savior who died for your sin, and the judgment that awaits if you continue to reject Christ. You cannot be saved while rejecting Christ. And to remain neutral about Christ is to reject Him. Therefore, the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts…” (Heb. 3:7-8).
Come to Jesus today. He will forgive your sins. He will give you a new life. He will indwell you with His Holy Spirit. He will take you to glory. The Holy Spirit is speaking. Listen. There is no better time than today.
