This is part three (my teaching notes for this Sunday’s lesson) on the tough sayings of Jesus. [ Part One ] [ Part Two ]
How often do you find yourself knowing the boundaries, yet pushing yourself to the very edge, just to see how far you can go without crossing the line? Kids do it, and we never grow out of it!
Rules provide security because we know what to expect. Think about reality TV, like Survivor. Just when you think you know the rules, this season brings a change that no one expected. The Bachelor (ABC’s reality show featuring a somewhat handsome yet morally despicable fellow) makes a choice, hands out a rose to the ones he desires to keep around, and then one day at the end of each one-on-one date, he decides who goes and who stays right there, to the amazement of the contestants and the audience as well. After these types of twists and turns, the level of distrust, hatred and insecurity will rise. Just when you have life all figured out, the rules change without warning.
The same is true in our relationship with God. How do rules meet needs deep inside of us? What are some of the rules (or expectations) in your relationship with God?
Matthew 12 has a serious plot twist in the Jesus story. Generally we believe that you can’t out-sin the grace of God, which is what we call a hard and fast rule. But check out Matthew 12:31. How do you interpret what Jesus is saying here? What is this unforgivable sin described here? Why is it so unforgiveable?
Is this what we might call the “fine print” in our relationship with God? Is this the clause in the contract? How do we sin against the Holy Spirit? Have we already done it and are we just condemned dead-people walking around? Unforgiveable sin goes against all we know about God. We can always come back, you can count on it. What sort of life can be so unsecure and ambiguous?
Look at the context. What is happening just before and after this passage? Everyone seems to be confused about the identity of Jesus. Some said He was the Messiah, others wondered how He could be. Then comes this conversation after Jesus heals the man with the withered hand (Matthew 12:9-14) and the demon-possessed man who was blind and mute (Matthew 12:22-28), all done on the Sabbath. The consensus is that Jesus is of the devil; He broke tradition, the Sabbath, and made outrageous claims about His authority.
What are some of the most popular ideas about the identity of Jesus today? What could be the source of some people’s reluctance to acknowledge Jesus as God? Why would He cast out demons if He was working for them? Just what is blasphemy anyway?
Blasphemy is defined as deliberate and defiant sin against God, with a punishment (Numbers 15:30-31). Jesus says this unforgivable sin is only against the Holy Spirit, like say what you want about Me or the Father, but you cross the line by bad-mouthing the Holy Spirit. Why is this sin so devastating?
According the John 16:8, the Holy Spirit’s role is to convict us of sin. What other words can we use that mean convict? The Spirit works to expose our sin. In our tolerant age, we seek enlightenment, with no moral absolutes, and the Spirit steps in to expose the error in that sort of thinking. So, when you continually resist the truth of God that He has exposed to you through the Holy Spirit, when you refuse to listen to Him as He convicts you of the wrongness of your worldview, when you insist that the ways of Jesus are foolishness, then you have shut out your only opportunity for forgiveness.
Forgiveness is offered to those who repent. People repent under the influence of the Holy Spirit. If you do not accept the Spirit’s voice in your life, you will never repent. Resistance belittles the Spirit so much that He withdraws forever, rendering us unable to repent. The heart is hardened, the conscience is seared.
Where’s the encouragement here? Have you ever asked the question, if you had committed this mysterious sin? Those who have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit will not question themselves on it. Just this self-examination tells me that someone has not committed it!
How comfortable are you with these mysteries in faith? Why would God want to preserve these mysteries?
Think back to the Pharisees. They did not want answers, they wanted to teach. They were not listeners, but talkers. They were not humble, but proud.
When we ask about life, God’s will, doing the best thing for our lives, and making sure we do not grieve the Spirit, we show a concern for the things of God. This is the paradox in life: we believe, we still have questions, we know, and yet there is a mystery. My faith exceeds my understanding. My faith in who God is in my life is greater than my questions. His love for me is not dependent on my ability to understand the answer to questions. His love for me is a starting point for my journey, not the destination.