Lord of Lords or Lord of Flies?

In this passage, some scribes from Jerusalem are guilty of an enormity, and Jesus pronounces that those who accept this line of argument are in danger of a fearful judgment — that of eternal damnation.

What is the setting? Remember we are now dealing with the kind of opposition that is based upon “re-explanation.” Friends had come for Him because of a report that He was deranged (v. 21). The scribes from Jerusalem now weigh in with their explanation. They cannot dispute the fact of the miracles, so they grant He has power, but it is power from the devil (v. 22). They phrase it in a particularly insulting way. Beelzebub is lord of the flies, a dung god. And then the chapter concludes with Mary and Christ’s brothers asking for Him (v. 31). They are possibly with the group mentioned in v. 21.

Jesus answers the charge in parables (v. 23). First, He shows the internal absurdity of the charge, and makes it clear that the charge could not be sustained unless they were prepared to say that Satan had come to an end (v. 26).

A kingdom in the midst of civil war cannot stand (v. 24). A family or household with internal strife cannot stand either (v. 25). If Satan has now declared war on himself, then he has clearly come to an end (v. 26). Is that what Christ’s opponents were trying to say? Christ then goes on to show what was really happening; if the strong man was being robbed, then someone had clearly tied him up. Satan was the strong man, and Christ was the one ransacking his house (v. 27). As an aside, note how different this is from how most Christians think of “spiritual war.”

Then comes the warning. Jesus begins with an amen. All sins will be forgiven the sons of men, blasphemy against Christ included (v. 28). But they had said that Jesus had an unclean spirit (v. 30), and this was the same Spirit He was going to send at Pentecost. As they continued to resist that Holy Spirit, calling it foul, the culmination of their disobedience was the public vindication of Christ in the destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13). Where were these scribes from? Whom did they represent? The religious leaders of the city that was going to go down.

But there is also the matter of eternal punishment. While remembering the cultural context, we must never forget the immediate application of these words. Jesus teaches us here about the reality of hellfire and damnation as a destination for certain individuals (v. 29).

But here is a pastoral aside. The Church has always had tender consciences in her midst who have agonized over the possibility that they may have committed this unpardonable sin. They seem to believe they were created for just one purpose, and that is so that they might twist in the wind. But first, look at what this sin looks like. When Jesus delivers this stern warning (and He does deliver a terrifying warning), we must look at the context of it. These men were His enemies, settled in an implacable hostility to Him, despite overwhelming evidence that the power of God was at work. That is what provoked this warning. The remarkable thing about the battles of “tender consciences” is that such struggles never look anything like this original situation.

But there is a sin in this introspection. The fact that such people have not committed the unforgivable sin does not make them guiltless. In fact, their lives are characterized by a very selfish arrogance. Suppose a man came to you and confessed that he had stolen something, many things. You investigate and find out he has never stolen anything in his life. You confront him with this, and he cries out with a loud voice, “Yes, I am a very great sinner! I steal all the time!” Hopefully, you would rebuke him in truth. “No, you lie all the time.” It is the same with tormented consciences. They love to confess to sins they are not guilty of, and like all sinners, love to ignore the ones they are committing that very minute.

We have learned that Satan’s household could not stand if it were divided against itself. Here we see the nature of the true family of Christ. His family sends a message into the crowded place, and the multitude tells Jesus they are there (vv. 31-32). He replies with a question — who is His true family? Far from being an insult to His earthly family, He adopts others into His family. He is not demoting, but promoting. Anyone who does the will of God is the mother, brother, or sister of Christ (v. 35).