The Unforgivable Sin Series

Jesus’ answer is summed up briefly and powerfully in the form of an absurd question: “How can Satan cast out Satan?” Good teachers use rhetorical questions and Jesus used them all the time.

Jesus then uses the word “divided” three times in the next three verses to prove His point. This word means, “to be disunited by discord; to be separated into parts.”

1. A divided kingdom cannot stand. His listeners were probably thinking of how Israel and Judah split into two parts after the death of Solomon when Jesus said in verse 24: “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.”

2. A divided house cannot stand. In verse 25 we’re reminded of the importance of a family not fracturing: “If a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

I want to pause here and give God the glory for Edgewood being a unified church. Thank you for how each of you strive to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace as spelled out in Ephesians 4:3. And thank you for how you love and support your pastors. Now more than ever we need to be a church that stands united on gospel truth as our society heads south. Let’s continue to march forward on mission for His glory.

3. A divided Satan cannot stand. Jesus points out the absurdity of their evil argument in verse 26: “And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end.” If Satan were to cast out demons it would defeat his own purpose. Satan would never act contrary to his own interests. He wants to destroy the work of God, not his own work.

In verse 27, Jesus goes in for the kill shot, literally: “But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.” If you want to take the property of someone, you must overpower the owner. Here Jesus is saying that Satan is the strong man but He is the stronger Savior.

Jesus binds Satan and then plunders his possessions. Kent Hughes believes these possessions, or “goods” are the helpless victims Satan holds in bondage through his demons. To “plunder” means to “snatch, seize and carry away.” That’s exactly what Jesus has been doing, and continues to do today as He saves people from the bondage of serving sin and Satan.

There is no way that the Lord of Lords is in league with the prince of darkness! Jesus has come to conquer the evil one and to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 is quite clear: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” Jesus is clearly stronger than Satan as evidenced by our passage last week when we saw that the demons “fell down before him” in verse 11.

Keeping in mind the context, let’s look now at the text found in verse 29: “But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin.” To “blaspheme” means “defiant irreverence.” At its most basic level it refers to speaking evil about the Holy Spirit. One Bible dictionary puts it like this: “To speak reproachfully, to rail at, to revile.” These are deeply disturbing words.