Matthew 12:15-32
15 Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. And many followed him, and he healed them all 16 and ordered them not to make him known. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
18 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
22 Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25 Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or how can someone enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. 30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32 And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Reflection
In this alarming passage, Jesus speaks of a sin that cannot be forgiven (see also 1 John 5:16–17). It is important to consider this statement within the broader context in order to understand what it means. Jesus is responding to the Pharisees who claim that he casts out demons by means of demonic power rather than the power of God’s Spirit (Matt. 12:24; Mark 3:28–30). This is the second time in the book of Matthew that the Pharisees have said this (cf. Matt. 9:34; see also 10:25), and on top of that, they have hatched a conspiracy to kill Jesus (12:14). Their “blasphemy against the Spirit,” then, is not an impulsive action or statement. It is the settled and unchanging conviction that Jesus is evil. In essence, the only “unforgivable” sin is a conclusive rejection of Christ rather than a humble reception of him. Those who once rejected Christ and now have a changed desire to trust and follow him may do so without fear that they have committed the unforgivable sin.
Romans 9:25-33
25 As indeed he says in Hosea,“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’” 26 “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they will be called ‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: “Though the number of the sons of Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
30 What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
Reflection
Paul has told us that God’s chosen people consist of both Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews) whom he has elected and called to himself (Rom. 9:23–24). He now defends this teaching by quoting from the Old Testament books of Hosea and Isaiah to explain that God never intended to limit his promises to ethnic Israel (vv. 25–29).
This is a stunning turn of events. The non-Jewish Gentiles have eagerly responded to the good news about Jesus (the gospel), gladly receiving the gift of “righteousness that is by faith” (v. 30). In contrast, the vast majority of ethnic Jews have missed the message that was programmed into their own law (v. 31). The Mosaic law (Israel’s national contract with God that was first given to Moses at Mount Sinai) reveals sin and points people to their need for Jesus, but most Jews did not accept him as their promised King and Savior. They had missed the point of the law, and rather than turning to trust in Jesus, they were offended by him and stumbled over his message of grace (v. 33).
Our good deeds can never produce the perfection that God demands. If we want a clean and perfect record (“righteousness”), we must receive it from God as a gift “by faith” (v. 30). This means that sinners like us must come to God with the empty hands of faith, trusting only in Christ.
Psalm 22:27-28
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you. 28 For kingship belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations.
Though God’s salvation of the nations may have been surprising to many Jews, it was clearly predicted within the Old Testament. Pray that God would continue to take his gospel to the nations and that you would know how to faithfully play your role in that mission.