He certainly did "not" say that any sin unpardoned here would be pardoned hereafter. I have been stumped by Matthew 12:31-32 where it talks about the only God's Chosen Servant. No doubt the tempest was great; but what harm could it do to Jesus? But Jesus knew their thoughts,Matthew 12:25; Matthew 12:25. Any man who does any work on the Sabbath (whether the work is in his house or in any other place), or goes a journey, or tills a farm, any man who lights a fire or rides any beast, or travels by ship at sea, any man who strikes or kills anything, any man who catches an animal, a bird, or a fish, any man who fasts or who makes war on a Sabbath--the man who does these things shall die. He also gives Peter the keys of the kingdom, as we see afterwards. (Matthew 19:30.) Matthew 12:31-32 meaning | TheBibleSays.com The Psalmist writes, "What is man that thou art mindful of him? Such a person needed to realize that even though he or she was not speaking against Jesus that one was doing something with much graver consequences. Josephus tells about it: "In the valley of Macherus there is a certain root called by the same name. [Note: Hagner, p. He "went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people." But, from first to last, what a trial of spirit, and what triumph! And for that very reason the day will come when these people of old time who recognized God when they saw him will be witnesses against you, who had so much better a chance, and failed to recognize God because you refused to do so. It may also be taken another way without danger, which is this: they dig a trench all round about it, till the hidden part of the root be very small; they then tie a dog to it, and when the dog tries hard to follow him that tied him, this root is easily plucked up, but the dog dies immediately, as if it were instead of the man that would take the plant away; nor after this need anyone be afraid of taking it into their hands. Let a man examine himself. "The one who is not against us is for us," Jesus said (Mark 9:40). Now that great promise was evidently fulfilled, that the seed of the woman should break the serpent's head,Genesis 3:15. No doubt the ship was covered with the waves; but how could that imperil the Lord of all? Mouth the have, but they cannot speak. But as I've said the only problem that a person has with Jonah is not the fact that Jonah was swallowed by a great fish, but their problem is deeper than that, their problem is their concept of God. That Law forbade all work on the Sabbath day, and so the orthodox Jews would literally die rather than break it. His claim is that there is nothing in spiritual history than which he is not greater. But the sin against the Holy Ghost is such, as is not forgiven, neither before, nor at, nor after death, nor by it: all sins that are forgiven, are forgiven in this world, and that perfectly and at once; and all that are forgiven in this world, there will be a manifestation and declaration of the pardon of them in another; but such sins as are not forgiven here, there will be no declaration of the pardon of them hereafter. [1.] Jesus would accept no law which insisted that a man should suffer, even without danger to life, one moment longer than necessary. Now when David was fleeing from Saul he came to the Tabernacle of God. How little they had learnt the divine lesson of grace, not ordinances! His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. So for you to reject God's provision for your sins through the death of His Son, leaves God no alternative. Many a man refuses the way of Christ because he is afraid to take the stand which Christianity demands. The learned Dr. Whitby very well observes, that Christ speaks not of what should be (Mark 3:28; Luke 12:10); Whosoever shall blaspheme. This gives an opportunity to teach what truly defiles not things that go into the man, but those things which, proceeding out of the mouth, come forth from the heart. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. God would rather your heart be right before Him, than you be constantly be making sacrifices. They have treated the Bible either with levity, or as too awful a book to be apprehended really; not with the reverence of faith, which waits on Him, and fails not in due time to understand His word. It ought to have been John's place to have proclaimed the glory of Jesus; but all things in this world are the reverse of what they ought to be, and of what will be when Jesus takes the throne, coming in power and glory. See Proverbs 10:11; Proverbs 10:13; Proverbs 10:14; Proverbs 10:20; Proverbs 10:21; Proverbs 10:31; Proverbs 10:32. It says simply, "And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." Only tradition will not do this work, nor will human thoughts or feelings. He was coerced. ., p. "And if you'd understood this," Jesus said, "then you wouldn't be here condemning the guiltless." He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of, And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall, be forgive him: but unto him that blasphemeth against the Holy, Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be. Therefore, they had no way of receiving his forgiveness (Matthew 12:30-32). His cure was very strange, and the more so, because sudden; he healed him. "The Lord recompense thee a good reward for this thy good work in this world, and let thy reward be perfected in the world to come. (i) The evil spirit is banished from the man, not destroyed. We've entered into Christ. See what malignity there is in tongue-sins, when the only unpardonable sin is so. The world by wisdom knew not God, and by the foolish things the wise were confounded. See Genesis 6:5; Genesis 6:12; Matthew 15:18-20; James 1:15. Tobit is afraid, but the angel tells him, "On the night when thou shalt come into the marriage chamber, thou shalt take the ashes of perfume, and shalt lay them upon some of the heart and liver of the fish, and shalt make a smoke with it; and the devil shall smell it and flee away, and never come again any more" ( Tob_6:16 ). And that's talking about a person who has sort of a schizophrenia that he begins to talk to himself. Then follows the rise of what was great in its littleness till it became little in its greatness in the earth; and the development and spread of doctrine, till the measured space assigned to it is brought under its assimilating influence. He will not break the crushed reed, and he will not quench the smoking wick, till he sends forth his conquering judgment, and in his name shall the Gentiles hope.". In every man's life there are decisive moments, times and events on which the whole of his life hinges. Had there been a single thing good in Israel, their choicest guides would have stood that test. Zion may say of the Lord who laboured in vain, whom the nation abhorred, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." 30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. "He that transgresses an affirmative precept, if he presently repent, is not moved until the Lord pardon him; and of such it is said, Be ye converted, O back sliding children! of the sabbath. Not a word in my tongue but thou knowest it: though spoken without regard or design, God takes cognizance of it. A double action follows. Some phrases were received into common use, by which, in common speech, they opposed the heresy of the Sadducces, who denied immortality, Of that sort were olam ha-ba, , The world to come. If we turn toMark 1:1-45; Mark 1:1-45, the proof of what I have said will appear as to the leper. Here again is found a fresh case of the same remarkable principle of selection of events to form a complete picture, which I have maintained to be the true key of all. They automatically shrink away from anything which is disturbing, and even choice is a disturbance. We have here not only our Lord's ministry in the first parable, but in the second parable that which He does by His servants. Jesus blessedly answered their thoughts, had there only been a conscience to hear the word of power and grace, which brings out His glory the more. 27.) If you had false teeth, you could not wear them on the Sabbath day, because that also would be bearing a burden. Though a testimony to them, still it was in the result a recognition of what Moses commanded. Verse 32. "Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom? Parents, and the disciples, like the Pharisees, were shown that grace, just because it is the expression of what God is to a ruined world, takes notice of what man in his own imaginary dignity might count altogether petty. Or, how can anyone enter into the house of a strong man, and seize his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Context Summary Matthew 12:33-37 contains Jesus' harshest rebuke of the Pharisees in this chapter. It was true that the Law clearly laid it down that "every case when life is in danger supersedes the Sabbath Law." Only the expert, the man who has made himself able to hear it, will distinguish the different instruments in the orchestra and catch a lonely wrong note from the second violins. So, on the other hand, the centurion sets forth with no less aptness the characteristic faith that suits the Gentile, in a simplicity which looks for nothing but the word of His mouth, is perfectly content with it, knows that, whatever the disease may be, He has only to speak the word, and it is done according to His divine will. This came out most blessedly through the disciples. "Suffer me first," he says, "to go and bury my father." Vid. The woman of Canaan, out of the borders of Tyre and Sidon, appeals to Him; a Gentile of most ominous name and belongings a Gentile whose case was desperate; for she appeals on behalf of her daughter, grievously vexed with a devil. Who could touch the leper save Emmanuel? And he answered and said unto the one that had told him that, Who is my mother? Jesus may well be rebuking the Scribes and Pharisees for enslaving themselves and their fellow-men with a host of tyrannical regulations; and he may well be here laying down the great principle of Christian freedom, which applies to the Sabbath as it does to all other things in life. Our aim is not the mere negative absence of evil action; it is the positive presence of work for Christ. Matthew has already said that Jesus is the touchstone of all truth ( Matthew 10:32-33); and it is difficult to see what the difference between the two sins is. . Of course, both do preserve chronological order when it is compatible with the objects the Holy Spirit had in inspiring them; but in both the order of time is subordinated to still greater purposes which God had in view. 12:38-42 Then the Scribes and Pharisees answered him: "Teacher," they said, "we wish to see a sign from you." I have personally talked with Christians who were divorced, got an abortion, or committed adultery, and thought they had committed the unforgivable sin. Lusts and corruptions dwelling and reigning in the heart are an evil treasure, out of which the sinner brings forth bad words and actions, to the dishonour of God, and the hurt of others. . Mark tells us that when Jesus set out on his public mission, his friends tried to restrain him, for they said that he was mad ( Mark 3:21). Because you've got eyes. They would do his steps, like private detectives, seeking the evidence on which they could level a charge against him. But every Scripture that treats of that time proves what dread, what anxiety, what dark clouds will be ever and anon. We must shortly account for these idle words; they will be produced in evidence against us, to prove us unprofitable servants, that have not improved the faculties of reason and speech, which are part of the talents we are entrusted with. .," the Jewish Rabbi would say, "There was a son of man." It may well be that what Jesus said was this: "If any man speaks a word against a man, it will be forgiven; but if any man speaks a word against the Holy Spirit it will not be forgiven.". "Who is my mother? Jesus has just performed a miracle. Jesus, nevertheless, owned all that could be owned in him. Wretched we, that we should need such proof of it; wretched, that we should be so slow of heart to answer to it, or even to feel its immensity! It is true of all kinds of perception. Christ speaks here concerning idle words, and shows what evil there is in them (Matthew 12:36; Matthew 12:37); much more is there in such wicked words as the Pharisees spoke. Or they sometimes will mold, using gold or other metals, and they make their little god. We can see five ways in which he met this growing opposition. On this the Lord takes another step, when one said to Him, "Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee." In the time of the rising under Judas Maccabaeus certain Jews sought refuge in the caves in the wilderness. The Messiah promised, that was to spring from the loins of David? The faithful and true witness, it was His to display that power in goodness which shall be put forth fully in the world to come, the great day when the Lord will manifest Himself to every eye as Son of David, and Son of man too. It comes from the apocryphal book of Tobit. "Can a woman forget her sucking child? Or, is it humble acceptance of God's warning and God's truth as it was in the case of the people of Nineveh, and of the Queen of Sheba? Christ expects and requires from those who are with him, that they gather with him; that they not only gather to him themselves, but do all they can in their places to gather others to him, and so to strengthen his interest. Barbieri, p. You're insensate. That is the kind of sign that the Jews desired. And the cause being removed, immediately the effect ceased; the blind and dumb both spake and saw. The Greek word is constantly so used as an expression of contempt, "This [fellow] doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils." The delivered demoniacs are, to my mind, clearly the foreshadow of the Lord's grace in the latter days, separating a remnant to Himself, and banishing the power of Satan from this small but sufficient witness of His salvation. 12:31-32). Life had been imparted to, the sleeping maid of Zion the blind men call on Him as the Son of David, and not in vain. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. And the Pharisees went out, and they held council against him, how they might destroy him ( Matthew 12:13-14 ). In other words, it is certain that in the gospel of Luke, in whose preface we have expressly the words "set in order," the Holy Ghost does in no way tie Himself to what, after all, is the most elementary form of arrangement; for it needs little observation to see, that the simple sequence of facts as they occurred is that which demands a faithful enumeration, and nothing more. 2. As in the then present state of the Jewish church, there was no sacrifice of expiation for the soul that sinned presumptuously; so neither under the dispensation of gospel grace, which is often in scripture called the world to come, shall there be any pardon to such as tread underfoot the blood of the covenant, and do despite to the Spirit of grace: there is no cure for a sin so directly against the remedy. The title used for the Messiah. God would forgive any sin, including extreme slander of Jesus, when a person trusted in Jesus. Judgment will have early cut them off. The comparing of Christ's miracles, particularly this of casting out devils, with his doctrine, and the design and tendency of his holy religion, evidenced that he was so far from being in league with Satan, that he was at open enmity and hostility against him (Matthew 12:29; Matthew 12:29); How can one enter into a strong man's house, and plunder his goods, and carry them away, except he first bind the strong man? Matthew 12 Calvin's Commentaries - Bible Hub Here is a known rule laid down, that in all societies a common ruin is the consequence of mutual quarrels: Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every family too: Qu enim domus tam stabilis est, qu tam firma civitas, qu non odiis atque dissidiis funditus everti possit?--For what family is so strong, what community so firm, as not to be overturned by enmity and dissension? Matthew 12 - Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible - StudyLight.org Mary being a virgin when the Holy Spirit came upon her and she conceived and bore Jesus Christ. There is a whole world of the most practical truth in this compact and eerie little parable about the haunted house. 1. c Sepher Chasidim: num. Matthew 19:1-30 brings in another lesson of great weight. but what a heart was His! Matthew 12:32 - Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary - StudyLight.org The saying of Jesus--"He who is not with me is against me"--presents us with a problem, for both Mark and Luke have a saying which is the very reverse, "He that is not against us is for us" ( Mark 9:40; Luke 9:50). This is an acknowledgment, that there is no hope of salvation to any one whose guilt is not pardoned before death. We can only say that these Old Testament texts do not have the same air nor do they produce the same impression. The Book of Jubilee has a chapter (chapter 50) about the keeping of the Sabbath. But Jesus said, no, really if you have hatred in your heart for your brother, you're guilty. As Plummer puts it, "The carefully spoken words may be a calculated hypocrisy." She has been in turn married to seven different men, all of whom perished on their wedding night, because Sara was loved by a wicked demon, who would allow none to approach her. Note this, which Christ contradicts, concerning blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Matthew 12 NIV - Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath - At that - Bible Gateway To eat with unwashed hands defileth not a man. You couldn't say that it was not lawful to do good on the Sabbath days. 3. "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! The orthodox were not now content to watch and criticize; they were preparing to act. One of the favourite evening dishes for the traveller is parched corn. 32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. If He offers to go to his house, it was to bring out the faith that He had created in the heart of the centurion. It is the character of a good man, that he has a good treasure in his heart, and from thence brings forth good things, as there is occasion. Reject Him as the Messiah; in that rejection the moral glory of the Son of man would be laid as the foundation of His exaltation and manifestation another day; He was Lord of the Sabbath-day. Answer The concept of "blasphemy against the Spirit" is mentioned in Mark 3:22-30 and Matthew 12:22-32. There was the consciousness of good unattained, a void for which he appeals to Jesus that it might be filled up. In this incident Jesus lays it down that the claim of human need must take precedence of all other claims. 12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. Such is the perversity of man, that he who is not called thinks he can follow Jesus whithersoever He goes. His love for humanity far surpassed his respect for ritual Law. 60. He seems to turn from the Pharisees to the people, from disputing to instructing; and from the sin of the Pharisees he warns the people concerning three sorts of tongue-sins; for others' harms are admonitions to us. "Upon this rock," says He, "I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." But here pardon dispensed on earth arouses the pride of the religious leaders to the quick, and implacably. But the future is in view also. Two weeks ago on Sunday morning we took the Sunday morning with this lesson on the sin against the Holy Spirit and what it is. Why do you put eyes in your god? In this case there was no question of the paralysed man's life being in danger; as far as danger went, he would be in no worse condition the next day. The Saviour, while He puts forth His hand, touching him as man, and yet as none but Jehovah might dare to do, dispels the hopeless disease at once. Therefore the very fact that I have been able so successfully to invade Satan's territory is proof that he is bound and powerless to resist." Lord . And he preached one monotonous message, forty days, and comes destruction. 27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? Father Potter held the highest possible ideas of worship; and yet when he is explaining the work of the Brotherhood he writes of anyone who wishes to enter into its triple vow of poverty, chastity and obedience: "He mustn't sulk if he cannot get to Vespers on the Feast of St. Thermogene. but it was far too much for the young man. Why should that sin be unforgivable? The Lord is not going to face them with a direct confrontation, just to withdraw Himself. To meet the criticism of the Scribes and Pharisees Jesus put forward three arguments. Of course, there is often the order of time, but through the central part, and not infrequently elsewhere, his setting forth in order turns on another principle, quite independent of mere succession of events. In this instance Jesus cured a man who was deaf and dumb and whose infirmity was attributed to demon-possession. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? Second, he forbade men to surround him with publicity. Peter answers, "Of strangers." Breaking The Sabbath Law ( Matthew 12:1-8), 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the cornfields on the Sabbath day. Yoma, fol. So, also, I have seen my muleteers, as we passed along the wheat fields, pluck off the ears, rub them in their hands, and eat the grains unroasted, just as the apostles are said to have done.". Christ's reply to this imputation is copious and cogent, that every mouth may be stopped with sense and reason, before it be stopped with fire and brimstone. V. Here is a discourse of Christ's upon this occasion, concerning tongue-sins; Wherefore I say unto you. Therefore they shall be your judges. Nevertheless, when there was the display of the glory of the kingdom, the Father's voice proclaimed Him as His own Son, and not merely as the man thus exalted. 2 But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But our Lord with dignity demands of Peter, "What thinkest thou, Simon?" If our presence does not strengthen the Church, then our absence is weakening it. They reproached him as being a Nazarene - sprung from Nazareth, a place from which no good was expected to proceed; with being a Galilean, from Galilee, a place from which no prophet came, John 7:52. (1.) "Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering for ever" ( 1 Samuel 3:14). Whoever lies with his wife, or plans to do anything on the Sabbath, or plans to set out on a journey (even the contemplation of work is forbidden), or plans to buy or sell, or draws water, or lifts a burden is condemned. He would be destroying himself. (i) If he was casting out devils by the help of the prince of devils, it could only mean that in the demonic kingdom there was schism. After this, dismissing the multitudes, He retires alone, to pray, on a mountain, as the disciples toil over the storm-tossed lake, the wind being contrary. The rigorous Jewish observance of the Sabbath seemed to other nations nothing short of insanity, since it could lead to such amazing national defeats and disasters. . And so they have to give some explanation. I pray you, Jesus, to give me back my health, so that I shall not need to beg for food in shame.". On the other side of the picture, behold the Lord leading on a soul to draw on divine grace in the most glorious manner. It was not done in their absence; it was done when they were there with deliberate intent to formulate a charge against him. "Then," said the Lord, "are the children free. But although the original words referred to Cyrus, the complete fulfilment of the prophecy undoubtedly came in Jesus Christ. 22 Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. For He loved Peter felt for him, and his wife's mother was precious in His sight. First, they act foolishly in torturing the expression, future life, to mean an intermediate period, while any one may perceive that it denotes the last judgment. But it is likewise a proof of their dishonesty; for the objection which they sophistically urge is inconsistent with their own doctrine. Let them read their error in One who was evidently superior to the condition and the ruin of man in Israel. Unwillingness to repent and accept God's forgiveness is what Jesus was talking about when he referred to "blasphemy of the Spirit" (Matt. Let us then try to understand what Jesus meant by the sin against the Holy Spirit. God had given his soul a deeper, fuller sight of Christ; for the Gentile's words prove that he had apprehended God in the man who was healing at that moment all sickness and disease in Galilee. Even amongst ourselves anyone can think himself into having a headache, or can convince himself that he has the symptoms of an illness. Professor Courvoisier writes that the vocation of medicine is "a service to which those are called, who, through their studies and the natural gifts with which the Creator has endowed them specially fitted to tend the sick and to heal them. It is not easily taken by such as would do so, but recedes from their hands, nor will it yield itself to be taken quietly until either the urine of a woman, or her menstrual blood, be poured upon it; nay, even then it is certain death to those who touch it, unless anyone take and hang the root itself down from his hand, and so carry it away. We may take this, 1. When they walked down the streets they held their robes tightly against them, because they didn't want their robe accidentally to swish out and brush against you, lest they be defiled with your filth. for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. Ll. 2. It was characteristic of the Jews that they asked signs and wonders from those who claimed to be the messengers of God. But, as I have stated, the choice and ordination of the twelve apostles had really taken place before the sermon on the mount, though not mentioned in Matthew, but in Mark and Luke. Basically, it is the refusal to harken to the work of the Spirit within your life. What instrument so suitable? We must grasp the fact that Jesus was not speaking about the Holy Spirit in the full Christian sense of the term. In the end of the chapter is set forth parabolically the unlimited forgiveness that suits the kingdom; here, I cannot but think, looking onward in strict fulness to the future, but with distinct application to the moral need of the disciples then and always.