How Does “Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit” relate to Jesus? Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (pt. 4)

Picking up from our last post on “How We Blaspheme (or Don’t Blaspheme!) the Holy Spirit, we said with no justification that blasphemy of the Holy Spirit directly relates to Jesus. So, let’s us look afresh at this crucial component.

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is ultimately a Jesus issue. This assertion appears less intuitive from our discussion. Furthermore, to say blaspheming the Holy Spirit really revolves around one’s response to Jesus seems flat wrong when comparing with the other gospel texts that each say something like this: “Whoever says a word against the Son of Man [i.e., Jesus], it will be forgiven him. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven” (Matt. 12:32). That aside, I find the context from Mark 3 and Matthew 12 to point in this direction. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit really boils down to an informed denial of Jesus.

• Mark 3: After he concludes Jesus’ comments on blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Mark gives insight as to why Jesus was bringing this up: “for they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit’” (v. 30). First, who are they? They are the scribes from verse 22 that said this about Jesus: “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out demons.” Going back to Mark 3:30, what is an unclean spirit? A demon. So with the “for” starting verse 30, Mark ties the whole discussion of blaspheming the Holy Spirit to the scribes’ accusation that Jesus is demonic. Though the scribes are blaspheming the Spirit, their negative assessments are assessments of Jesus. But, what connects the Holy Spirit and Jesus? From Mark’s Gospel (1:9-11), the Spirit comes upon Jesus at His baptism to then empower Him for His Messianic ministry.  Through the miracles like exorcism, the Holy Spirit would proclaim Jesus’ identity (cf. Heb. 2:3-4). So by denying Jesus, they are deny/blaspheming the Holy Spirit’s testimony through Jesus.
• Matthew 12: Matthew 12 contains a parallel or at least very similar discussion on the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. There you find the statement about forgiveness and then the laying out of unforgivable sin, just as Mark 3. But the first words in Matthew for this passage are “for this reason” (Matt. 12:31). So, what was the immediate reason for talking about blaspheming the Spirit? Matthew 12:30 says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Jesus here draws a line in the sand. You are either for Jesus or against Him. There is no middle ground. You cannot be neutral to Jesus. “For this reason…blasphemy of the Spirit will not be forgiven” (v. 31). Allegiance to Jesus becomes the dividing and main issue (this too fits the context of insiders and outsider of Mark 3). To deny Jesus then, is to deny the testifying work of the Spirit in Jesus. This answers why after talking about allegiance to Him, Jesus moves right into the discussion on slandering the Holy Spirit.

In keeping with the New Testament’s theology, Jesus stands as the defining figure of history and life, even in regards to the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. In His own words, if you are not for Jesus, you are against Him.

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is an informed denial of Jesus. This essentially summarizes what or how one blasphemes the Holy Spirit. Above we concluded that blaspheming the Holy Spirit comes by denying Jesus. But, blaspheming here is not a simple denial. It is an informed denial of Jesus. That is, the bushman who denies Jesus because he has never heard of Him does not commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. He has no real exposure to Jesus or the Spirit’s power through Jesus. But the scribes in Mark 3 were seeing Jesus and Holy Spirit’s testimony in action. Yet, they denied it so vehemently and hard-hearted-ly so actually ascribe that testimony to demonic forces.

Thus in our own context, those most at risk to commit blasphemy of the Holy Spirit are churched people. Those exposed to the Christ in the life-giving gospel have been informed. Their denial is an informed one. And dare I say, perhaps, they are the ones who commit blasphemy against the Spirit by denying deity and power of the Son.

So, what should be our task? Preach Christ. For even Christ can break through the hardest of hearts.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16  But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,  16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.

2 Corinthians 4:4-6   4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.  5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.  6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

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