The Servant’s Sane Defense
Mark 3:22-30
Introduction
In this third chapter of Mark we have observed the courage of Jesus (vv.1-6); the compassion of
Jesus (vv.7-12); the call of Jesus to a specific group of men that would be called apostles (vv.
13-19); and these last several verses have been devoted to the critics of Jesus; friends and foes
(vv.20-30). In the last few verses his own family suspected Jesus might be crazy (out of his
mind). Now a group of religious leaders-scribes accuse Jesus of casting out demons by the
power of Satan himself. The accusation cannot go unchallenged or unanswered. The answer
Jesus gives points to both the logical inconsistencies of the accusation and a stern warning
towards those who would entertain and embrace such a notion. The Servant warns His wicked
enemies of a terrible line, a dangerous territory, once crossed that leads to eternal judgment.
Many years ago I took a class on Legal Research and Writing. My Professor said, “In Law-when the facts are in your favor, argue the facts. When the Law is in your favor, argue the Law.
When neither the facts nor the law are in your favor--just argue.”
The religious leaders in Jerusalem have gotten wind of the incredible ministry of the Lord Jesus
Christ. The miracles of healing and deliverance could not be rationally denied or ignored. The
Scribes would adopt a strategy of explanation that accounted for the supernatural miracles and at
the same time condemn the ministry of the Nazarene Jesus. The Scribes will not believe Jesus
is God. The Scribes adopt the option that Jesus must be in league with the devil. In order
to truly embrace that position the Scribes must believe Jesus is evil, a clever impostor, a
deliberate deceiver who sets out to mislead the world into thinking that He is the Son of
God and the way to God. The religious leaders believe Jesus is the antichrist.
For the religious leaders neither the law nor the facts are in their favor.
The Scribes Accusation (v.22)
(NKJV) (v.22) “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebub,” and,
“By the ruler of the demons He cast out demons.”
In the Syriac language “Beelzebul” means “Lord of Filth”.
“Beelzebub” (or “Beelzebul”) is a name for the devil, and it means “master of the house.” Jesus
picked up on this meaning and gave a parable about a strong man guarding his house. To
plunder the house, one must first overcome the strong man” (see Warren Wiersbe Be Diligent).
Anyone who has traveled the road from Jerusalem to the Galilee knows you “come down”.
Jerusalem is about 2400 above sea level and the Sea of Galilee is about 600 feet below sea level.
The Scribes were the keepers of the Law and the traditions and mounted an investigation. Some
have suggested they constituted an official committee of inquiry from the Sanhedrin.
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The Servant’s Sane Defense
Mark 3:22-30
If that’s the case they may have conducted an investigation to determine the claims and the
legitimacy of the miracles. Who instigated the miracle? What claims were being made?
The Servant’s Defense (v.23)
23So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: “How can Satan cast out Satan?
Mark introduces a new word to us in his gospel. The word translated parables parabole literally
means “a placing beside” and so a comparison (50 times in the NT). Some have said, an earthly
story to illustrate a heavenly truth. It is that and more. Parables also have the quality to reveal
truth and conceal truth.
“A parable begins innocently as a picture that arrests our attention and arouses our interest. But
as we study the picture, it becomes a mirror in which we suddenly see ourselves. If we continue
to look by faith, the mirror becomes a window through which we see God and His truth. How we
respond to that truth will determine what further truth God will teach us” (Warren Wiersbe Be
Diligent).
Jesus also uses the proper title Satan (satanas) and not Beelzebub.
The First Reply: Strife Divides And Destroys (vv.24-26)
24If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
In our own Civil War Lincoln quoted this scripture. In the days of Jesus the nation of Israel was
deeply divided among its people. There were scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots,
and other sects. Seldom could the nation come together and agree on anything!
Oddly enough the one thing that would bring this deeply divided nation together would be an
intense hatred of and suspicion of Jesus!
25And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. 26And if Satan has risen up
against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.
The expression house seems to imply “posterity”. If a family is deeply divided that family
cannot remain powerful for very long. In the history of the nation the southern kingdom was
ruled by a single dynastic house; the house of David. In the northern kingdom there were nine
dynastic rulers; many of which lasted less than a generation. The Northern Kingdom survived
until its capitol was destroyed by the Assyrians in about 722 B.C. Jerusalem and the Southern
Kingdom would hold on until about 586 B.C. when the city was eventually destroyed by the
invading armies of Babylon.
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The mission of Satan was to control men by using demons. The mission of Satan was not to free
men from demons! Continued survival requires internal cooperation. Jesus points out that if
Satan is at war with himself the only possible outcome is the collapse of his kingdom!
Jesus applies this logic to Satan and Satan’s kingdom. If Satan would rise up against himself,
and work against himself, by releasing those he held in captivity, by releasing those he held
captive, how would he thrive, or survive? All the evidence pointed to the fact that Satan was
alive and well, that his demons continued to enslave men--and exercise their influence on people;
and the ministry of Jesus was providing a powerful source of deliverance for those who were
afflicted!
The Scribes accusation was illogical and preposterous.
The Second Reply: Satan’s Kingdom Has Suffered Loss (v.27)
27No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong
man. And then he will plunder his house.
The miracles of Jesus and the deliverance Jesus provided was a sure sign that the downfall of
Satan was at hand. The person is not weak. The person is capable of defending his own
property. Satan is the strong man. The house is the place where he rules and exercises
dominion.
The expression “plunder his goods” might be translated “thoroughly ransack” (diarpasai).
Satan has many titles; “the god of this age” “the prince of the power of the air”. His goods are
the people to whom he holds hostage; towards whom he exercises control and influence.
Jesus is the one who binds the strong man. Jesus is the one who spoils Satan’s inner
sanctums. The fact Jesus can bind the strong man is proof that Jesus is stronger than the
strong man!
When Jesus returns at His second coming; Satan will be bound and cast into a bottomless pit for
a thousand years.
The deliverance ministry of Jesus signaled the beginning of the end for Satan and his demons.
The deliverance ministry of Jesus served as a preview of Christ’s complete binding of Satan and
the fact that the days of temptation and opposition would one day end.
The Third Reply: God’s Gracious Offer Of Forgiveness (v.28)
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28“Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies
they may utter;
Now Jesus will use what will become a familiar phrase; “amen lego ymin” or the transliteration;
Amen, I tell you! In this sense Amen becomes an expression of truth and the reliability of that
truth! In the grammatical sense the word is an adverbial accusative; combining the idea of
substantial, weighty truth, with a profound sense of solemnity (see Hendricksen, Exposition of
the Gospel of Mark; p. 137; and Louis Barbieri Moody Gospel Mark; p.90).
This does not lessen what has been previously said, but rather serves to intensify what is about to
be said. It has the net effect of Jesus saying; “This is true--without mistake--substantially true-all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter” (now and in
the future!). Is this a blanket statement of amnesty? Before we answer that question we must
acknowledge the serious sin of blasphemy! If we were to sum it up in one expression it is the
defiant hostility towards God!
All sins forgiven. . .whatever blasphemies they may utter! In Matthew’s gospel we read (12:31);
“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy
against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. (v.32) 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”.
The sense Matthew emphasizes is the religious leaders had rejected a work of God; a miracle
they knew was in fact from God; the religious leaders could not deny the fact that miracle was
wrought by the power of God through Jesus; so they attributed to Satan a work they knew was
from God. In verse 32 Jesus points out that it is possible for a person--who has never been
exposed to Christ’s power and presence might reject Him from ignorance and be forgiven
(assuming the unbelief genuinely gives way to true belief--genuine repentance). Clearly Saul of
Tarsus is such an example.
The Lord God loves humanity and seeks to redeem them and forgive them! The Lord God is
willing to forgive sin; the cursing, the rebellion, the insults, no matter how terrible, no matter
how vile, no matter how wicked! Human beings can and will be forgiven when they turn from
sin and turn to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The savage treatment and wicked
execution of Jesus did not prevent Jesus from extending the offer of forgiveness; “Father
forgive them” (Luke 23:34).
Does it shock you, surprise you, even a little that God loves and is willing to forgive all your
sins? The Lord God is willing to forgive us in Christ Jesus. Paul preaching in Antioch in Pisidia
said; “ Therefore let be known to you, Brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the
forgiveness of sins; (39) and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from
which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. (40) Beware therefore, lest what has been
spoken in the prophets come upon you: Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish! For I work a
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work in your days A work which you will by no means believe, Though one were to declare it to
you.’”
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace” (Eph. 1:7). In the Old Testament the prophet Isaiah wrote; “Let the wicked forsake
his way, and the unrighteous man his thought: let him return unto the LORD, and he will have
mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon” (Isa. 55:7).
The Fourth Reply: Resisting God’s Spirit Is Dangerous (vv.29-30)
29but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal
condemnation”— 30because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.”
The religious leaders could make a mistake about Jesus. But how could they mistake His power?
The religious leaders should have been able to discern and detect whether or not this was the
power of God at work! The religious leaders truly had the responsibility to exercise
discernment and make judgments about the character, the legitimacy and the results of the
miracles of Jesus.
“Even though they might have misunderstood Jesus Christ, they never should have
misunderstood the power He was demonstrating as He was casting out demons” (Barbieri p.91).
Jesus cast out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Scribes accusation was that Jesus
cast out demons by the power of Satan. By implication they were attributing both the power and
work of the Holy Spirit to the power of Satan.
The expression “but is subject to” or “in danger of” (enochos) was a legal term meaning guilty
(AG, p.268). Danger does not quite capture the severity of what’s at stake. The person who
blasphemes the Holy Spirit; that is who attributes to Satan the gracious works of the Holy Spirit
are already “caught” and found guilty. The old KJV translates this “eternal damnation” and here
in the NKJV it is translated eternal condemnation. The word krisis simply means judgment but
some older manuscripts do use the word hamartema or hamartia- “sin” eternal on going sin--the
implication--a sin that never goes away--a sin that cannot be cleansed. In the parallel passage in
Matthew (12:22-32) Jesus says, “And whosoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it shall
be forgiven him; but whosoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him,
neither in this world, neither in the world to come.”
In John 8:21 Jesus tells the religious leaders; “I go my way, and you shall seek me, and shall die
in your sins: whither I go you cannot come”.
(v.30) “because they said. . .(elegon. . .imperfect tense) or they kept repeating or they continued
to say. . .Jesus had an unclean spirit. . .and was therefore exercising supernatural abilities
through that unclean spirit. That conclusion is. . .unforgivable.
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The persistent unbelief would have grave consequences; a national and personal rejection of the
King and the postponement of the Kingdom. The Spiritual Kingdom would come. God’s will
would be done. But the physical rule of Jesus on His Father’s throne would have to wait.
The passage prompts two questions. What is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit? And the second
question is “Can someone commit this particular sin today?” What is the blasphemy of the Holy
Spirit? It appears to be attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to demonic powers. Think about
that for just a moment. If the Holy Spirit who is pure and holy, is thought to be a demonic spirit,
a filthy spirit, an evil spirit, and if Jesus is thought to be a demonic being, or a satanic creature,
you could not possibly believe Jesus is the Savior.
John 16:13; “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will
tell you things to come.”
If the work of the Holy Spirit is the impartation of faith; if the work of the Holy Spirit is to
expose sin, and point people to Jesus and effect regeneration, resisting the Holy Spirit means
resisting the Holy Spirit’s influence; rejecting the Holy Spirit’s message and refusing the Holy’s
Spirit’s invitation to believe and receive the Messiah.
Some Bible teachers narrow the meaning of blaspheming the Holy Spirit to “a sin which men
committed when Jesus was on earth performing miracles. Since He is not on earth today in the
same sense, casting out demons, the same possibility of blaspheming the Holy Spirit does not
exist” (see William McDonald The Gospel of Mark; p.23). The ‘blasphemy of the Holy Spirit’ is
sometimes called ‘the unpardonable sin’. Is there a sin so egregious, so wicked, so unspeakable
that there is no forgiveness either in this life or the next?
If I were to venture a guess--the answer seems to be--to be convicted by the Holy Spirit-concerning the Messiah--to hear the message of the gospel--and experience the conviction of the
Holy Spirit to repent of sin and believe that Jesus Christ is Lord--and be born again--experience
forgiveness and hope, a new life and an eternal loving relationship with Jesus; and decline that
invitation; over and over and over and then find yourself on the precipice of eternity--having
resisted God’s gracious invitation and rejected the gospel and then finding yourself dead--you
remain dead--eternally separated without hope and without life and without love. Does the Holy
Spirit extend that invitation once in a life-time or twice? If it is possible to commit the
unpardonable sin; if it is possible to resist, refuse, reject, the ministry of the Holy Spirit and then
die permanently estranged from God; what ever line you cross and however you get to that line
is not clearly laid out in the Scriptures.
Thomas Fuller wrote; “The sin against the Holy Spirit is ever attended with these two symptoms;
absence of all contrition, and of all desire of forgiveness. Now, if thou canst truly say that thy
sins are a burden to thee--that thou dost desire forgiveness, and wouldst give anything to attain it,
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be of good comfort. Thou hast not yet, and by God’s grace, never shall commit that
unpardonable offense. I will not define how near thou hast unto it. As David said to Jonathan,
‘There is but a a step between me and death,’ so may be, thou hast missed it very narrowly; but
assure thyself, thou art not as yet guilty thereof” (Thomas Fuller; Cause and Cure of a Wounded
Conscience).
Scholars are divided whether or not the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit can be repeated in the
modern world. Those who argue against the idea say that the presence of Jesus and the miracles
of Jesus were a matter of historical reality and the sin cannot be repeated at least in the same
way!
Charles Ryrie writes:
Speaking against the Spirit was not merely a sin of the tongue. The Pharisees had not sinned
only with words. It was a sin of the heart expressed in words. Furthermore, theirs was a sin
committed to His face. To commit this particular sin required the personal and visible presence
of Christ on earth; to commit it today, therefore, would be impossible. But to show wickedness of
heart is unpardonable in any day if one dies persisting in his or her rejection of Christ. A
person’s eternal destiny is determined in this life, but no sin is unpardonable as long as a person
has breath” (Ryrie, Basic Theology; p352).
Conclusion
What then is the unforgivable sin? What then is the unpardonable sin?
The answer appears to be--to remain in your sin--to continue in your rebellion--to reject--God’s
offer of full and complete amnesty and pardon in Jesus Christ. It is not simply and in isolation to
reject the promptings of the Holy Spirit; to ignore the message of the Holy Spirit, to willfully and
persistently continue in sin after hearing and ignoring the gospel, it is not simply opposing the
work of the Holy Spirit and justifying sinful behavior in spite of the Holy Spirit; it is the
accumulation of all those things and then dying having never experienced true salvation in Christ
Jesus by the transforming power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus told a contemporary religious leader “He that believes on the Son has everlasting life:
and he that believes not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abides (remains) on
Him” (John 3:36).
Jesus is different. He is different from any teacher in history. Other religious leaders make
their teaching the basis for following them. Jesus makes himself the basis for believing and
following Him. Jesus makes Himself the line drawn in the cosmic sand between belief and
unbelief.
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