Mark 3:20-30
Introduction
In this passage, two accusations are made against Jesus. The first one comes from those close to Him. The second one comes from the scribes (the religious leaders). And finally, the passage ends with a sober warning from Jesus.
Bear this in mind as we make our way through it.
Verses 20 to 21
In verse 21 we are told that ‘His own people’ accused Jesus of being mad. His own people were either His immediate family or His closest friends. This is what the Greek indicates.
It wasn’t just Jesus who was accused of being mad. We see the same thing happening to Paul in Acts 26:24. In fact, it is something that Christians can expect to happen to them today.
His own people’ wanted to restrain Jesus because the words and actions of Jesus were causing a lot of trouble for Him and those closest to Him. Most people want a quiet life. They don’t like conflict. They will do whatever it takes to avoid it. They will either desert the person causing the conflict or try to stop them.
Paul was deserted by those around him when he was imprisoned in Rome. See 2 Timothy 4:9-16. This kind of behaviour is common in the Church. If trouble comes to you for being a Christian, will you stand firm or run away?
Verses 22 to 27
In these verses we see a much more serious allegation being made against Jesus by the scribes from Jerusalem. They accused Jesus of being possessed by Beelzebul and that He used the power of Beelzebul to cast out demons. See verse 22. The accusation is made by the scribes who represent the religious authorities. It was the worst thing they could ever say to Jesus.
Beelzebul is the Lord of the Dung Hill who rules over filth, carrion and flies. He is also known as the Prince of Demons. Beelzebul is in fact another name for Satan.
Let’s have a closer look at the accusation made by the scribes. They claimed that Jesus was possessed by or in league with Satan and that the miracles of Jesus were done through the power of Satan. So, the Scribes were saying that Jesus was acting in the power of Satan. But it was in fact the power of the Holy Spirit that He was really using. Jesus received this power when He was baptised by John the Baptist and the Spirit came upon Him.
In verses 23 to 27 Jesus responds to the accusation of the scribes. His arguments were that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand and that you cannot burgle a strong man’s house without binding the strong man first. Bear in mind that the strong man is Satan.
What do we learn from Jesus’ arguments? We learn the following:
• That Satan has a kingdom, otherwise known as his house. That he rules over demons. He is the Prince of Demons.
• That Jesus has bound up Satan and has stolen his property.
• In other words, Jesus is greater than Satan and that He is successfully attacking his kingdom.
Jesus steals Satan’s property by delivering people from demonic influence. He casts out demons and He saves people.
Now comes the most important part of this passage.
Verses 28 to 30
In these verses Jesus tells us about a sin that cannot be forgiven. And it is important that we understand what exactly this sin is and who can commit it and who can’t commit it.
There are the two key words in verse 28. They are ‘all’ and ‘whatever’. All sins and blasphemies shall be forgiven. Let that sink in for a moment. Now look at verse 29. In verse 29, Jesus gives an exception to what He said in verse 28. The exception is blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. This is the unforgiveable sin.
But what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit? Let’s start with blasphemy. Blasphemy occurs when we say something that desecrates the holy character of God. Blasphemy is a verbal or written sin. In the example we have before us, the Scribes blasphemed the Holy Spirit by saying that He was evil.
Now for my next point. Who was Jesus talking to about the unforgivable sin? He was talking to the scribes. The scribes did not believe in Jesus. They hated Him. He was telling the Scribes that they had committed the unforgiveable sin.
This tells us the following about the unforgivable sin:
• It is committed by unbelievers.
• Those who do it, know the truth about Jesus but choose to reject it.
• It is an expression of their unbelief.
• And unbelief is the only unforgivable sin.
It is not possible for a true Christian to commit this sin. As Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones said:
"This occurs (the unforgiveable sin) when a man deliberately rejects Christ and glories in his rejection of Him. It is someone who doesn't believe in Christ and doesn't want to believe Him."