And He came home, and the crowd gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal. When His own people heard of this, they went out to take custody of Him; for they were saying, “He has lost His senses.” The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.” And He called them to Himself and began speaking to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. If Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but he is finished! But no one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he first binds the strong man, and then he will plunder his house. “Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — because they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent word to Him and called Him. A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
In this lesson Jesus says “all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” (v. 28-29). This is an important point, teaching us that speaking against God’s presence with us is the worst of sins. When we reject the Holy Spirit, we reject God Himself.
One might think Jesus would be upset at the things being said about Him, but as always, He is more concerned about our eternal life than anything about Himself. Rather than a rebuttal of the accusations raised against Him, He speaks to us about the importance of connecting with God through the Holy Spirit. Nothing is more essential than loving God and allowing Him to work in our lives.
Jesus shows us how a life in God blesses us, not always with ease and plenty, but with the assurance we are forgiven. God’s everlasting love for us is the connection we need, and we must return that love to Him and all His children. When we love God and neighbor, all other things proceed according to His plan.
Loving Lord, we are ashamed of our sins and want to live new lives through Your mercy. Make us strong in Your spirit to share Your truth with all people. Amen.