Joel M Bradshaw

22Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him [Jesus], and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. 23And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” 25Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 

28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29Or 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. 30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.31Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 32And 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.–Matthew 12

1. Jesus had just healed a demon-possessed man.
2. His enemies claimed that He did so with the power of Satan.
3. Jesus claimed that He did so with the power of God, the Holy Spirit.
4. The truly repentant heart confesses their sins before God and receives forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
5. This means that Jesus recognized that His enemies made those blasphemy statements from an unrepentant heart.
6. The heart that is so stubbornly hard that would look at a clear miracle and attribute it to Satan will never on its own seek repentance.
7. Therefore, Jesus proclaimed no forgiveness possible. There is no forgiveness possible for the person who never does 1 John 1:9.
8. These Pharisees were so hard-hearted that they didn’t care. Remember, they would be the ones driving Jesus before the cross.
9. If you care about if you have committed the unpardonable sin, my pastoral thought is that you haven’t. This is because you actually worry about it. You are therefore not in the same hard-hearted place as the Pharisees were.
10. This is a hard topic. I hope I made it a bit easier.–JMB