Rejecting What Is Good (Matthew 12:22-37)

July 19, 2020

Why are people so stubborn? Don't we realize that stubbornness is a bad thing? I found these examples of stubbornness in an article by Harvard Business Review. We can title this "You might be a stubborn person if..."

"You keep at an idea or plan, or insist on making your point, even when you know you're wrong."

"You do something you want to do even if no one else wants to do it."

"When others present an idea, you tend to point out all the reasons it won't work."

"You visibly feel anger, frustration, and impatience when others try to persuade you of something you don't agree with."

"You agree to or commit halfheartedly to others' requests, when you know all along that you're going to do something entirely different."

He goes on to say, "Stubbornness is the ugly side of perseverance. Those who exhibit this attribute cling to the notion that they're passionate, decisive, full of conviction, and able to stand their ground --- all of which are admirable leadership characteristics."

According to them, being stubborn isn't always a bad thing. "Stubbornness is the ugly side of perseverance." But perseverance is what we do when we know something to be accurate, and we refuse to let it go. Stubbornness is what we do when we know something to be false, and we refuse to let it go. All of us with strong-willed children understand stubbornness very well. Our toddlers will fight us about anything just for the joy of fighting and the thrill of one day being right.

In the book of Matthew, we have seen a group of people who appear to be stubborn. Jesus has been doing many mighty works, but the Pharisees keep finding something wrong with him because they don't want to believe that he is the Messiah. This comes to a pinnacle as we study the rest of Chapter 12.

By The Prince of Demons (22-24)

Jesus has been healing on the Sabbath, but we aren't told whether it is still the Sabbath or not by the time we get to verse 22.

Matthew 12:22--24 (ESV) --- 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.”

Notice that Jesus does a mighty miracle before their eyes. He heals a man who is blind, mute, and demon-possessed. He heals all three at once! Then, look at how the crowds respond, "Can this be the Son of David?" They seem skeptical, but they are on the right track. Of course, this is the Son of David! This is the Messiah! Matthew has shown us this throughout the book. But the Pharisees want to squash that by stating that he is a worker of Beelzebul. Who is Beelzebul?

Beelzebul is a phrase that was used for foreign gods. It technically means the Lord of the flies, but the Jews refer to this foreign god as the Lord of the dung heap. These foreign gods were a representation of Satan working in the Jewish mind. Satan deceived them into worshipping idols, and that is what led to their punishment and captivity. So they were afraid of being deceived to worship foreign gods. They don't want to take part in the work of Satan.

These Jews have resorted to this notion that Jesus is just trying to deceive them back in 9:32-34.

Matthew 9:32--34 (ESV) --- 32 As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. 33 And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel.” 34 But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince of demons.”

Isn't it interesting that this is their go-to when Jesus does something amazing? They will hold on to that viewpoint no matter what. Why? Because they want to believe that they are righteous. They want to hold onto their checklist system and say that it is better to sacrifice than to show mercy! (9:13, 12:7) Ultimately, this shows that they are stubborn. They refuse to believe that Jesus is the Messiah because he does not fit into the mold that they were expecting. He does not verify their beliefs and make them feel good about their accomplishments.

Jesus Responds and Warns (25-37)

Matthew 12:25--29 (ESV) --- 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.

At first, Jesus responds to the Pharisees by pointing out the foolishness of their claim. Why would Satan destroy himself? If he did that, then his whole kingdom would fall. But if Jesus is on God's side, then this is the kingdom of God. He gives an illustration that shows he is trying to keep Satan from destroying Israel. His work is binding up Satan so that men will have an opportunity to break out of his spell. Jesus is on the side of God, standing against Satan. Think about how little sense this makes when all he is doing is helping people and teaching scripture. But in Chapter 10, Jesus told his disciples to expect this. When men are offended, they may call good evil and evil good.

Blasphemy

Matthew 12:30--32 (ESV) --- 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.

These words from Jesus serve as a stern warning. If anyone wants to follow the Pharisees, they are choosing to work against the will of God. Notice the way this is worded. In verse 31, he says, "Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." This is pointing to the blasphemous statement of the Pharisees. They have said, "He is healing people by the working of Satan." They have blasphemed the Holy Spirit, who has given Jesus this power by calling him Satan.

My, how the tables have turned. Earlier in this chapter, they accuse Jesus and his disciples of breaking the Sabbath, although they weren't. This is a sin punishable by death in the Old Testament. In Numbers 15, a man picked up sticks and was condemned. Now Jesus looks at what they say and defines it as utter blasphemy. God is here doing mighty works in front of their face, and they are ascribing it to Satan! Blasphemy is the act of disrespecting God's name, and it is punishable by stoning.

Leviticus 25:10--16 (ESV) --- 10 And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his clan. 11 That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; in it you shall neither sow nor reap what grows of itself nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. 12 For it is a jubilee. It shall be holy to you. You may eat the produce of the field. 13 “In this year of jubilee each of you shall return to his property. 14 And if you make a sale to your neighbor or buy from your neighbor, you shall not wrong one another. 15 You shall pay your neighbor according to the number of years after the jubilee, and he shall sell to you according to the number of years for crops. 16 If the years are many, you shall increase the price, and if the years are few, you shall reduce the price, for it is the number of the crops that he is selling to you.

What Jesus and his disciples were doing was not defiant rebellion, but these Jewish leaders are defiantly rebelling against God's anointed and God's Holy Spirit. They are stubborn and want to ignore the truth that is evident before them.

Many people get hung up in this section. They wonder, "What is the unforgivable sin?" People tend to look at this as though there is one small mistake that we could make that is beyond God's redemption or forgiveness. These Pharisees have not just made one small innocent mistake. Look at the next section to understand this better.

Sinful Hearts

Matthew 12:33--37 (ESV) --- 33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit. 34 You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Jesus tries to get these Pharisees to reveal what is in their hearts to all the people. The Pharisees are claiming to be a good tree while bearing bad fruit. They produce evil and not good by spouting off such blasphemy. They are scattering those who would otherwise be gathered to accept the truth. He then calls them a brood of vipers. They spit poisonous words that make people doubt Jesus is who he claims to be. But how does this answer the unforgivable sin question? Pay close attention to a phrase in verse 34, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks."

The thing that makes this sin unforgivable is not that it makes God so mad that he cannot forgive. The problem is that this sin of blasphemy reveals an abundantly evil heart that is defiant and rebellious, worthy of condemnation. These careless words will be brought against them on the day of judgment if they refuse to repent. They are too stubborn and hard-hearted to repent.

What Does It Mean?

How does this help us with the "Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit" question? Is there a particular sin that I can commit that God won't forgive? When we look a little closer, this all begins to make sense. Look again at verse 31.

Matthew 12:31 (ESV) --- 31 Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.

What sins will be forgiven men, according to verse 31? All sin, but then he says the sin against the Holy Spirit won't be forgiven. Is Jesus contradicting himself? Think about this for a second. Is this exception clause found anywhere else in the Bible? God forgiving every sin can be found all over the place, but this idea that he won't forgive the Holy Spirit's blasphemy is only found in this event. Maybe we misunderstand what he is saying.

Isaiah 1:18--20 (ESV) --- 18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; 20 but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Notice that God does not give the exception clause to the rebellious in Israel. He doesn't say, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be almost white as snow." He doesn't mention the sin of blasphemy as unpardonable. Why not? Because this is not an external sin. This is Jesus' way of describing their rejection of the Holy Spirit's message. They refuse to believe the truth that Jesus is proclaiming, and God will not forgive them for that. He can't forgive those who refuse to submit to God's will. This is their opportunity to repent of their sins and be forgiven, but they refuse to listen. He has said multiple times that God desires mercy and not sacrifice, but they don't want to give mercy. They just want to sacrifice. They don't want to love God with all of their heart. They want to play church.

Application

Do we see how dangerous this all is? It is so easy for us to do this same thing. It's not that we can accidentally say something blasphemous against the Holy Spirit. The problem is that when we are wrong, we can be stubborn and come up with many ways of convincing ourselves that we are right. We can shift blame, deny our faults, justify our failures, and completely deceive ourselves. We can choose to rebel against God and harden our hearts to the truth. We can develop an abundantly evil heart. This is the same picture that we get from Hebrews 6.

Hebrews 6:4--8 (ESV) --- 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

These men refuse to repent. It is not that they cannot be forgiven. God will forgive any sin. The problem is that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. It is impossible because of their stubborn and rebellious heart. They are near to being cursed, producing thorns and thistles, and will not find the forgiveness that is freely offered because their hearts refuse to change.

Conclusion

We are looking for a reason to call God harsh and judgmental, but he is exceptionally long-suffering. He forgives every sin, but those who have a stubborn and rebellious heart will never find forgiveness. If we don't let the gospel cut through our stubbornness, we will not find the hope that God wants us to find. We have to admit that we are wrong and that we need salvation. Then, we have to come to God on his terms. With humility, we must seek to do things his way.

Matthew 7:21--23 (ESV) --- 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Don't be religious and fail to be genuinely submissive to God's will. Don't make excuses. Don't overlook sins and deceive yourself. Worship God through mercy, not sacrifice. Don't be stubborn.