Daily Readings and Thought for August 8th. “WHOEVER BLASPHEMES AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT”


 

As we read ch. 3 in Mark’s gospel we saw how the jealousy of the religious leaders toward Jesus was mounting and even his family were not supporting him and “went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” [v.21], although there is an indication that his mother had become, at least to some degree, conscious of his powers, see John 2 v.1-5.

The religious leaders, the scribes were making wild accusations against him, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” [v.22]

Jealousy can cause people to express strange, totally unreasonable objections; these leaders were denying that the remarkable miracles he was doing was because he possessed divine power.  This was especially because some people being healed, “fell down before him and cried out, You are the Son of God.’ ” [v.11]  The reaction of Jesus to the extreme reactions of the religious people is significant.

“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,  but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—  for they were saying, Jesus “has an unclean spirit.” [v.28-20]

We ponder, is this “eternal sin” occurring today as so many have decided that there is no Creator, that everything, in some ‘impossible’ way, sort of created itself, there never was a Creator!   Surely this classifies as ‘blasphemy’!  Jesus later bluntly said, “I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.” [Matt. 12 v.31]

The majority of people today appear to accept this “blasphemy’ that there is never was a Creator!  Surely they will deserve the awesome judgements that Jesus later, before his arrest and crucifixion, said would one day come – at the time of his return.    We will read of this in the 13th chapter where Jesus said “the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.  And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect …”[ v.25-27]

What an awesome climax this world is going to witness – and we cannot help but see that a major cause will be the “blasphemies against the Holy Spirit  But, says Jesus, “for the sake of the elect, whom he chose” those days will be “shortened.” [v.20]  And how awesome are his words in the previous verse. “…. there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.”  How heart-overwhelming for “whoever (has) “blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.” 

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