Our passage starts with a question on the lips of “all the people”. The question is, at first glance, the right question, “Could this be the Son of David?” This question goes to the heart of Matthew’s gospel—“Who is Jesus?
However, the question is more literally, “This man couldn’t be the Son of David, could he?” That’s the way the NASB translates it.[1] The crowd, you see, are not sure who Jesus is. Jesus is puzzling. Jesus is a very unorthodox Messiah, if that is what he is. Jesus is a very unusual Christ. Jesus withdraws. He pulls back. He does things quietly. Those he heals, he silences. And what’s more, the Pharisees think he is a Sabbath breaker. Such a one can’t be the Christ, can he? Perhaps popular opinion is moving against Jesus.
And the Pharisees of course have a ready explanation for these strange behaviours. They’ve gone to their best spin doctors. They have an answer ready that the masses will accept. Verse 24:
It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons. (NIV)
Look, Jesus has authority over demons because he is their general. These exorcisms are just a ruse, a diversion. Jesus is really in league with Satan.
Well, Jesus deals pretty easily with this suggestion. If that’s the case, stop the war! Why are we worried about fighting the devil? Satan’s kingdom is crumbling from within.
But Jesus’ victories are not the result of Satan’s kingdom collapsing in on itself. Rather, there is another kingdom joining the battle. Jesus’ victory is a victory from the outside, not from within. And it tells us something about the nature of the time. Verse 28:
But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (NIV)
The kingdom of Satan is assaulted from outside. For Jesus brings the kingdom of God. Jesus brings God’s kingdom, for Jesus is God’s king. Kings fight their people’s battles. That’s why people have kings, to fight wars they don’t want to fight. And Jesus does just that. He engages in a full frontal assault on the kingdom of Satan on our behalf. He goes in, ties up the strong man Satan, and robs Satan of that which he stole, being poor men and women in bondage to the demons. In other words, we are Satan’s possessions, and Jesus came to save us from him. As Paul says to the Ephesian Christians:
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you used to live, when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the Spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature, following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph 2:1-3 NIV)
You may not have been possessed by a demon. Thank God for that! But as far as the Bible is concerned, each of us were at one time the devil’s servants, followers of Satan, deceived and enslaved by spiritual forces of evil. We needed a strong man to save us, to rescue us from this bondage to the demonic forces. And that strong man was Jesus Christ, and he airlifted us out of the dominion of darkness and he brought us into his own kingdom (Col 1:13-14). And wherever the king has come, there the kingdom has come.
Now, Jesus doesn’t sneak up on the demons. He is not a sniper, hiding and picking people off. He fights them out in the open. But the kingdom of God seems to have snuck up on the Pharisees. It has come upon them unaware,[2] because they do not recognize the king of God’s kingdom. Jesus has not come armed by unclean spirits. Jesus comes armed by the Spirit of God. At his baptism, the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. The Spirit led Jesus into 40 days of testing. And now, Jesus claims he drives out demons by the Spirit of God.
But the Pharisees call this work ‘satanic’, the work of driving out demons that demonstrates the activity of the Spirit of God. They call this the work of Beelzebub. And so Jesus has some words about words, in verses 31 to 37. He warns the Pharisees about their words.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me. We try to think that words don’t matter: a throw away line here, something under your breath there; a mutter here, a grumble there. Ah, what does it matter? Does that mutter really matter? It’s only words. I don’t care what they say. And maybe that is a sensible way to live life. Ecclesiastes says:
Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you – for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others. (Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 NIV)
That’s wise advice. But there is someone who pays attention to every word people say: Jesus. He pays attention to every little word. Jesus is the man for whom mutters really matter. And Jesus has three warnings for the Pharisees, and for us as we listen in to this conversation about words.
His threefold warning is this. First, words show our heart (Matt 12:33-35). Second, on judgment day, our words will justify us or condemn us (Matt 12:36-37). Third, Jesus will forgive every word and blasphemy, but one (Matt 12:31-32).
First, Jesus’ harsh words to the Pharisees in verse 34:
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. (NIV)
Jesus is saying it the way it is. You Pharisees say my works are Satanic when they are Spirit-driven. But of course you say that. You are evil. Jesus is not exactly trying to win friends and influence people, is he? When you lift the lid of the garbage bin, you smell garbage. And when you open your mouth, out comes the evil.
You don’t have to go too far to hear evil words. Turn on FM radio, free to air TV, go to the movies, and there are evil words. Why do people say stupid, foolish, hurtful, cruel, vengeful, rude, foul, shameful things? Why? Not primarily because they had a bad upbringing, not because they are passionate or funny, not because they have a carefree, relaxed way of life, but the reason people say evil things is because those people’s hearts are evil. And that applies to me, too.
And why do you say the sinful things you say. It’s got to do with your heart. It’s evil. It’s no good trying to change the words. You’ve got to change the heart. And you cannot change your heart. Only God can do that! He can make a tree good so that its fruit is good. And he can make a human heart good so that its words are good. He can give a new heart and put a new Spirit, the Holy Spirit inside us. He did it for Isaiah. Isaiah saw a vision of God and said:
Woe to me, I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty. (NIV)
And yet God dealt with his sin.
See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin is atoned for. (Isa 6:5-7)
Indeed, God promises to do something similar to all who trust in Jesus. Because Jesus says in verse 31, “every sin and blasphemy of men will be forgiven them”.
Second, as far as Jesus is concerned, we have said nothing in secret. Jesus has heard everything. Every time someone uses “Jesus Christ” as a swear word, Jesus has heard it. Every “Oh My God” is uttered, your God has heard. Every word, curse, grumble, mutter, temper tantrum, road rage, lie, empty promise: God hears it, God knows, God records, and God will call to account. Verses 36 and 37:
But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgement for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (NIV)
Third, isn’t it a good thing that Jesus is forgiving? Thank God, He promises to forgive every word and blasphemy of men (Matt 12:31-32). Verse 31:
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men (NIV)
The Pharisees are not yet beyond forgiveness. They may be effectively calling Jesus ‘satanic’ and ‘demon possessed’, but it is not too late for them.
And so it is with me and with you. There is nothing you or I have done that cannot be forgiven … yet. There is still an opportunity for repentance. Jesus’ words are clear:
Every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven men. (NIV)
On the last day, many careless words will be forgiven. Thank God for that, for I need it. They will be forgiven because Jesus’ death covered them over.
But there is one sin that will not be forgiven on that day. There can be no forgiveness, because there can be no repentance: the person just continually refuses to repent. This is the unforgivable sin, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is not a particular failing, one act, or a class of acts. It is not uttering one form of words. It is a settled disposition and impenitence. I know it’s all true, but I will not turn. The Spirit draws me to Christ, but I will resist the Spirit. I don’t want to come. No, I will speak against the Spirit. And for these ones, Jesus will bring their words back up on the last day, as evidence of their resistance of the Holy Spirit. There can be no forgiveness because the person cannot ask for forgiveness. There can be no repentance because the person wants no repentance.
Here is Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees: You are coming close to and are heading toward the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus warns us, “Be careful. Do not taste the Spirit, then reject it. Do not reject as evil the Jesus you know to be good. Do not reject as false the Christian faith you know to be true. Do not reject as evil the Spirit you know to be Holy, because, as many find, once they make that decision, there is no going back. And they cannot repent.
The Pharisees, however, have another strategy. Jesus is the one making the big claims. He needs to prove them. He needs to show us not just a miracle, but a miraculous sign, something that proves that he is the Christ.
Jesus will not play that game. For a start, what do you call the driving out of the demon by the Spirit? Wasn’t that a sign that the kingdom of God has broken into our world? In other words, Jesus has already given a sign, for those who can see. So he is searing in his response. Verses 39 to 40:
A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
That’s just typical, says Jesus, typical of your evil and unfaithfulness. But he doesn’t just address the Pharisees, but speaks to the whole society. For the Pharisees are simply saying what the generation is thinking. No one wants to recognize God’s word when they hear it, or God’s son when they see him. As John says, “Jesus came to his own country, but his own country did not receive him.”
So instead Jesus gives a cryptic sign, the sign of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet, sent to save Nineveh. But he had to learn obedience, so he suffered. He was thrown out of a boat, swallowed by a sea monster, spent three dark, slimy, icky days and nights in the animal’s gastro-intestinal system, and then was vomited out. And Jesus says, here is your sign. The great and mighty Son of Man, the one who all nations will worship, who will receive from the Ancient of Days all honour, glory, and sovereign power, I will be buried, I will learn obedience through what I suffer, I will spend three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Jesus is talking about his death and resurrection. The sign of Jonah is the news that Jesus will die, and after three days rise again. It is a sign that Jesus is the Christ. The Christ must suffer, die and rise again. But of course, that sign will not be acceptable, for the Jews were looking for miraculous signs, but Jesus preached Christ crucified (cf. 1 Cor 1).
Jesus doesn’t back away from his big claims. He says he is greater than Jonah, and Solomon (Matt 12:41-42). But the greatest will be the servant, and Jesus is the greatest, for he is the suffering servant who serves many well (Isa 53:11 LXX).
Jesus however, has another warning. The kingdom of God might be breaking in, Jesus might be casting out demons, as we saw in verse 22, and many people might be enjoying freedom from the demonic powers, and indeed, that society was benefiting from the victory of Christ over the demonic powers, but that is not enough. It is not enough for a society to accept the short-term benefits of Christ and his kingdom. After all, demons can come back. That’s the point of verses 43 to 45:
43When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says “I will return to the house I left.” When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation. (NIV)
That society accepted the temporal benefits of Christ’s coming, but there must be something deeper. It is not enough for the evil Spirit to be cast out. A new tenant must be found: the Holy Spirit. Evil spirit out, Holy Spirit in: only that can long term save anybody. That is the danger of blaspheming, of resisting, the Holy Spirit: for by blaspheming the Holy Spirit, you are abusing and rejecting the only one who can help us.
This is a warning against neutrality. It is not enough to not be against Christ. You must be for Christ (cf. Matt 12:30). It is not enough to be swept clean of evil spirits. You must be filled with the Holy Spirit. Neutrality to Jesus is in fact opposition to him. Indifference to the Holy Spirit is an open invitation to evil spirits.
Dear friends, our Lord Jesus Christ is generous. He sends the Holy Spirit from the Father to all who would come to him. Jesus gives all who trust him his Holy Spirit. So friends he says to his disciples:
If you then, though you are evil, know hoe to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. (Luke 11:13 NIV).
Receiving the Spirit is not difficult. If you are in doubt, ask your Father. He gives the Holy Spirit without limit.
Well, Jesus has said enough to offend the Pharisees and teachers of the law. But now it’s his family’s turn. Matthew tells us a little bit about his family. Chapter 13 verse 55-56:
Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? (NIV)
And mum and the brothers turn up and want to see him. Now please don’t try this at home, but pay attention to what Jesus says:
He replied to him, “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” (NIV)
At first sight, this is an offensive thing to say. But Jesus is making a spiritual point, that there is no nepotism in God’s kingdom. There are no jobs for little brothers, for Jesus gives the high title of Jesus’ mother and brother and sister to “whoever does the will of my father in heaven”. Roman Catholicism is so busy saying how special Mary is because she was Jesus’ mum that they conveniently neglect this verse, that whoever does the will of God is Jesus’ mother. So every Christian here is on the same level as Mary. They should have rosary beads to them, too, and the little statues and great cathedrals named after them, too, for Jesus said, “whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
So that’s the real Jesus for you, who offends leaders, lawyers, and family. Beware of all imitations.
Let’s pray.
[1] Questions starting with meti usually expect a negative answer. Davies and Allison take it as a question involving genuine doubt, although they acknowledge the form is of a question expecting a negative answer (Matthew: ICC, 2:335 fn 6; cf. France, Matthew: TNTC, 208). Gundry takes the question as a ‘hopeful perhaps’ in contrast with the negative opinion of the Pharisees (Gundry, Matthew, 231). Morris and BAGD render the question as one where there is doubt regarding the answer (Morris, Matthew: Pillar, 314 fn 57).
[2] France, Matthew, 209; Morris, Matthew, 316.