"'Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin' - for they were saying, 'He has an unclean spirit.'"

This week we looked at the scribes and their attitude of CRITICISM towards Jesus. These men had witnessed Jesus' claims and his casting out of demons from people and they could not rationalize it. And the claim that Jesus made that He did it by the power of God did not make sense to the scribes. Therefore, they criticized Him and in their criticism called Jesus a liar.  This is what many people today do. They witness the miracles of Jesus and yet can't make sense of it and therefore criticize Jesus and claim that what He said and who He was is false. BUT WE KNOW THAT TO BE WRONG.

Their criticism consisted of the accusation that Jesus was casting out these demons by the power of Satan and the possession of the demon Beelzebul. However, Jesus comes back and addresses their claims by speaking in parables. He first points out that if a kingdom is divided against itself, it wouldn't stand. Therefore saying if Satan is divided against himself, he won't last. And then says that He is stronger than Satan in the parable of a man coming and plundering the strong man's house. Jesus is infinitely stronger than Satan and has the power to cast out the demons.

Therefore, their critic of Jesus, that He was a liar, doesn't hold true.

Historian Philip Schaff says this:

"How in the name of logic, common sense, and experience, could an impostor - that is deceitful, selfish, and a depraved man - have invented, and consistently maintained from the beginning to the end, the purest and noblest character known in history with the most perfect air of truth and reality? How could He have conceived and successfully carried out a plan of unparalleled beneficence, moral magnitude, and sublimity, and sacrificed His own life for it, in the face of the strongest prejudices of His people and age?"

However, Jesus also points out the danger in holding this critical attitude toward Him. He brings up the doctrine of the "Unforgivable Sin", which is the blaspheme of the Holy Spirit. The blaspheme of the Holy Spirit is the continual, ongoing rejection of the witness of the Holy Spirit to the divinity and saviorhood of Christ. And that is what the scribes were doing here. They knew the Scriptures, they knew the claims, they knew the miracles, and yet they were in danger of rejecting the evidence and the convictions of the Holy Spirit in their lives. And when we do that, we committing the unforgivable sin. Now, if this is something that is troubling to you, the mere fact that it is troubling, means that you are not committing this, so be encouraged. So, there is danger in criticism and having a heart that is full of rejection.

So, I leave you with the question that Jesus asked to Peter, "WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?" Who do you say Jesus is in your life? God Bless!