good and evil

Gospel for June 16, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:26-34
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Jesus uses parables to illustrate his teaching, particularly about the kingdom of God. A parable connects with the listener on a concrete level, using familiar experiences and images with which they can identify.

The first parable in this passage is fairly direct. The kingdom of God is compared to seed scattered in the field that grows and matures while concealed from sight, and then finally is harvested when it is mature.

Note that Jesus is focusing here on the mysterious nature of the kingdom. Like the grain, the kingdom grows even after the sower has sown it, and while he is unaware of its progress:

God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how.

Ultimately, though, there is the inevitability of judgment — the harvest:

But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

Likewise the kingdom of God begins simply, and grows, and then comes to final harvest on the Day of the Lord.

In the second parable, Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, which he says:

is less than all the seeds that are on the earth.

Yet it grows to become the largest of the plants in the garden. In other words, however humbly or small the kingdom begins, it will inevitably become magnificent.

Finally, Mark’s Gospel makes clear that Jesus is seeking to accommodate the understanding of the people by telling them parables. As a wise teacher, he knows when to give his students a break:

Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

To his disciples, he interpreted the hidden meanings of his parables.

APPLY:

There are two applications I’d like to touch on — the purpose of the parable as a figure of speech, and the general meaning of these particular parables.

There seems to be dual purpose to the parables Jesus teaches. On the one hand they connect to simple, everyday experiences. But on the other hand, they seem to exceed the initial understanding of many who hear them, including the most erudite among them — the Pharisees and teachers of the law.

Jesus tells his disciples:

To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables,that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them’ (Mark 4:11-12).

To those who are open to spiritual insights, the parables may become clear; but to those who are stubborn and closed minded, they remain a mystery.

The second application I’d like to make is this — Jesus is telling us something very important about the nature of the kingdom of God, and our experience of it.

We may tend to expect impressive magnificence when we think of the kingdom of God. But Jesus is conveying the truth that the kingdom of God doesn’t necessarily come in great displays, or with impressive beginnings. In fact, the kingdom will come in slow, gradual measures until one day it becomes a universal reality.

This is a counter-narrative to the oft quoted descriptions of the kingdom of God as a sudden, cataclysmic event. Both views are present in Scripture, but perhaps we can reconcile the two by realizing that both are true.

We may have had the experience of planting a seed and then forgetting about it, until one day the flower has appeared in all its glory! The seed was present and growing, but not manifest until it bloomed. When we finally saw the flower, it may have startled us as though it appeared from nowhere.

What Jesus is saying is that the kingdom of God is already present, all around us, just as the seed is concealed and yet growing despite being hidden. Then, one day, the reality of the kingdom of God is revealed as the most dominant reality of them all. In that day what has always been true and real will be revealed, and:

every eye will see (Revelation 1:7).

RESPOND:

There must always be a certain level of humility when it comes to understanding Biblical and spiritual truth. We must always assume that there is more to learn.

In these parables, I am reminded that the kingdom of God is already present — and one day it will be revealed to all people everywhere.

We must live in the time between the now of the kingdom, where God’s love and grace are already present among us; and the not yet, anticipating that time when the kingdom will be fully and finally revealed everywhere and to everyone.

Lord, open my eyes to see the evidence of your kingdom that is all around me. Your kingdom is here, and it is coming. Prepare me now and forever! Amen!

PHOTOS:
The photo used for "Mark 4:33" is “Planting seeds of knowledge” by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 9, 2024

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 3:20-35
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Prophets, visionaries and saints seldom have a smooth ride. In the Gospel of Mark, the distance between the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and public controversy is very short. Jesus has allowed his disciples to pluck grain on the Sabbath, and has healed on the Sabbath, in defiance of the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law. He has even dared to forgive the sins of a paralyzed man before healing him, a prerogative reserved to God alone!

There are three divergent reactions to his ministry in this passage:

He is so popular with the people (the ha’ eretz, the ‘people of the land,’ i.e., the common folk), he can’t even find leisure to eat!
His family react anxiously, because they believe he may be mentally ill.
The most religious people of the day, the teachers of the law, are determined to discredit him because in their view he is flouting the law.

Jesus counters the accusations that he is in league with the devil with a deft use of logic — if Jesus is casting out demons, then he is de facto the enemy of the demons. How then can he possibly be on Satan’s team?

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.

Jesus’ next remark is a little cryptic:

no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.

Who is the strong man, and who is the thief? In a surprising twist the strong man seems to be Satan, who is being bound by Jesus! And what is being plundered? Perhaps those who are being held in bondage by Satan are being released! This would be consistent with his own self-description of his mission:

For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

He has come to rescue those held hostage by the strong man.

Then there is an even more cryptic passage, when Jesus warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. He says this because the teachers of the law have accused him of having an unclean spirit. In other words, if Jesus truly is the Messiah, the Son of God, then they are guilty of rejecting not only him but God!

No doubt, Jesus’ family members can see the tension building and they seek to do the “responsible” thing — this is a family intervention to try and ‘talk some sense into Jesus.’

But Jesus declares that his ultimate loyalties transcend family and biological ties. And so does his true family. He has handpicked this new family, his disciples, in Mark 3:13-19. And now he seals them, and presents the criterion required to be a part of his family:

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

APPLY:

There are two key takeaways from this passage. One addresses the issue of the “unforgiveable sin.” The other, our relationship with Jesus.

On the issue of the “unforgiveable sin” of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit there is much confusion. We tend to think of blasphemy as a form of speech, like ‘taking the name of the Lord in vain.’ What Jesus addresses here, though, seems deeper.

What the teachers of the law have done, in accusing him of being possessed by Beelzebul (the Lord of the Flies, aka the prince of demons) is to invert the moral universe. Good has become evil, and evil good. The prophet Isaiah has a similar warning:

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

Here is my take. Receiving forgiveness of sins requires an awareness that one has sinned, followed by repentance. That means that the pardoned sinner has a moral conscience that can recognize how they have violated the moral law. However, those who have called good evil and evil good are no longer capable of discerning good from evil. Therefore they see no need to repent. Instead of recognizing God’s moral authority they have become a law unto themselves. If they could recognize their sin, they could repent; but because they have become blind to it they do not.

Jesus also addresses this same issue with the Pharisees in John 9:41, when he tells the Pharisees that:

If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

As the popular proverb puts it, “there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.”

The second important application in this passage is far more positive. What does it mean to be a member of the family of Jesus? The answer is quite simple:

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

We can certainly elaborate by citing Galatians 4 and Romans 8 in describing our adoption as children of God for Christ’s sake; and 1 John in describing the blessings of being called children of God. But this is very concrete. Do God’s will by trusting him and obeying him, and you are a member of Christ’s family.

RESPOND:

There’s an old saying that if you are worried that you have committed the unpardonable sin, don’t worry — you haven’t. Your conscience is still intact. You are still sensitive to the reality of sin, and capable of repentance.

Perhaps it is more important for us to concentrate less on the “don’ts” here, and more on the “do’s” — do strive to do the will of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The rest will likely take care of itself.

Lord, I am conscious daily of my sin and my need for your grace. Make me ever more sensitive to your Holy Spirit so that I may continue to grow. And make your will ever more clear so that I may obey it. I want to remain a part of your family! Amen.

PHOTOS:
"respond-to-gods-light" uses the following background photo: 
“Light on door at the end of tunnel” by Dusan Bicanski is in the Public Domain.

Gospel for June 13, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:26-34
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Note that Jesus is focusing here on the mysterious nature of the kingdom. Like the grain, the kingdom grows even after the sower has sown it, and while he is unaware of its progress:

God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how.

Ultimately, though, there is the inevitability of judgment — the harvest:

But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

Likewise the kingdom of God begins simply, and grows, and then comes to final harvest on the Day of the Lord.

In the second parable, Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, which he says:

is less than all the seeds that are on the earth.

Yet it grows to become the largest of the plants in the garden. In other words, however humbly or small the kingdom begins, it will inevitably become magnificent.

Finally, Mark’s Gospel makes clear that Jesus is seeking to accommodate the understanding of the people by telling them parables. As a wise teacher, he knows when to give his students a break:

Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

To his disciples, he interpreted the hidden meanings of his parables.

APPLY:

There are two applications I’d like to touch on — the purpose of the parable as a figure of speech, and the general meaning of these particular parables.

Jesus tells his disciples:

To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them’ (Mark 4:11-12).

To those who are open to spiritual insights, the parables may become clear; but to those who are stubborn and closed minded, they remain a mystery.

The second application I’d like to make is this — Jesus is telling us something very important about the nature of the kingdom of God, and our experience of it.

every eye will see (Revelation 1:7).

RESPOND:

There must always be a certain level of humility when it comes to understanding Biblical and spiritual truth. We must always assume that there is more to learn.

In these parables, I am reminded that the kingdom of God is already present — and one day it will be revealed to all people everywhere.

Lord, open my eyes to see the evidence of your kingdom that is all around me. Your kingdom is here, and it is coming. Prepare me now and forever! Amen!

PHOTOS:
The photo used for "Mark 4:33" is “Planting seeds of knowledge” by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 6, 2021

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 3:20-35
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are three divergent reactions to his ministry in this passage:

He is so popular with the people (the ha’ eretz, the ‘people of the land,’ i.e., the common folk), he can’t even find leisure to eat!
His family react anxiously, because they believe he may be mentally ill.
The most religious people of the day, the teachers of the law, are determined to discredit him because in their view he is flouting the law.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.

Jesus’ next remark is a little cryptic:

no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.

For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

He has come to rescue those held hostage by the strong man.

No doubt, Jesus’ family members can see the tension building and they seek to do the “responsible” thing — this is a family intervention to try and ‘talk some sense into Jesus.’

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

APPLY:

There are two key takeaways from this passage. One addresses the issue of the “unforgiveable sin.” The other, our relationship with Jesus.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

Jesus also addresses this same issue with the Pharisees in John 9:41, when he tells the Pharisees that:

If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

As the popular proverb puts it, “there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.”

The second important application in this passage is far more positive. What does it mean to be a member of the family of Jesus? The answer is quite simple:

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

RESPOND:

PHOTOS:
"respond-to-gods-light" uses the following background photo: 
“Light on door at the end of tunnel” by Dusan Bicanski is in the Public Domain.

Gospel for June 17, 2018

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 4:26-34
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Note that Jesus is focusing here on the mysterious nature of the kingdom. Like the grain, the kingdom grows even after the sower has sown it, and while he is unaware of its progress:

God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how.

Ultimately, though, there is the inevitability of judgment — the harvest:

But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.

Likewise the kingdom of God begins simply, and grows, and then comes to final harvest on the Day of the Lord.

In the second parable, Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, which he says:

is less than all the seeds that are on the earth.

Yet it grows to become the largest of the plants in the garden. In other words, however humbly or small the kingdom begins, it will inevitably become magnificent.

Finally, Mark’s Gospel makes clear that Jesus is seeking to accommodate the understanding of the people by telling them parables. As a wise teacher, he knows when to give his students a break:

Without a parable he didn’t speak to them; but privately to his own disciples he explained everything.

To his disciples, he interpreted the hidden meanings of his parables.

APPLY:

There are two applications I’d like to touch on — the purpose of the parable as a figure of speech, and the general meaning of these particular parables.

Jesus tells his disciples:

To you is given the mystery of God’s Kingdom, but to those who are outside, all things are done in parables, that ‘seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest perhaps they should turn again, and their sins should be forgiven them’ (Mark 4:11-12).

To those who are open to spiritual insights, the parables may become clear; but to those who are stubborn and closed minded, they remain a mystery.

The second application I’d like to make is this — Jesus is telling us something very important about the nature of the kingdom of God, and our experience of it.

This is a counter-narrative to the oft quoted descriptions of the kingdom of God as a sudden, cataclysmic event. Both views are present in scripture, but perhaps we can reconcile the two by realizing that both are true.

every eye will see (Revelation 1:7).

RESPOND:

There must always be a certain level of humility when it comes to understanding Biblical and spiritual truth. We must always assume that there is more to learn.

In these parables, I am reminded that the kingdom of God is already present — and one day it will be revealed to all people everywhere.

Lord, open my eyes to see the evidence of your kingdom that is all around me. Your kingdom is here, and it is coming. Prepare me now and forever! Amen!

PHOTOS:
The photo used for "Mark 4:33" is “Planting seeds of knowledge” by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 10, 2018

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Mark 3:20-35
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

There are three divergent reactions to his ministry in this passage:

he is so popular with the people (the ha’ eretz, the ‘people of the land,’ i.e., the common folk, he can’t even find leisure to eat!
his family react anxiously, because they believe he may be mentally ill.
the most religious people of the day, the teachers of the law, are determined to discredit him because in their view he is flouting the law.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. If Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he can’t stand, but has an end.

Jesus’ next remark is a little cryptic:

no one can enter into the house of the strong man to plunder, unless he first binds the strong man; and then he will plunder his house.

For the Son of Man also came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

He has come to rescue those held hostage by the strong man.

No doubt, Jesus’ family members can see the tension building and they seek to do the “responsible” thing — this is a family intervention to try and ‘talk some sense into Jesus.’

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

APPLY:

There are two key takeaways from this passage. One addresses the issue of the “unforgiveable sin.” The other, our relationship with Jesus.

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
who put darkness for light,
and light for darkness;
who put bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20).

But why is this moral reversal unpardonable, when Jesus clearly says all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme — all sins except the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Here is my take: receiving forgiveness of sins requires an awareness that one has sinned, followed by repentance. That means that the pardoned sinner has a moral conscience that can recognize how they have violated the moral law. However, those who have called good evil and evil good are no longer capable of discerning good from evil. Therefore they see no need to repent. Instead of recognizing God’s moral authority they have become a law unto themselves. If they could recognize their sin, they could repent; but because they have become blind to it they do not.

Jesus also addresses this same issue with the Pharisees in John 9:41, when he tells the Pharisees that:

If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.

As the popular proverb puts it, “there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.”

The second important application in this passage is far more positive: what does it mean to be a member of the family of Jesus? The answer is quite simple:

For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

We can certainly elaborate by citing Galatians 4 and Romans 8 in describing our adoption as children of God for Christ’s sake; and 1 John in describing the blessings of being called children of God. But this is very concrete — do God’s will by trusting him and obeying him, and you are a member of Christ’s family.

RESPOND:

PHOTOS:
"respond-to-gods-light" uses the following background photo: 
“Light on door at the end of tunnel” by Dusan Bicanski is in the Public Domain.

Gospel for June 14, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Mark 4:26-34

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

CLICK HERE FOR .PDF FILE TO PRINT WITHOUT PICTURES

OBSERVE:

The first parable in this passage is fairly direct. The kingdom of God is compared to seed scattered in the field that grows and matures concealed from sight, and then finally is harvested.

Note that Jesus is focusing here on the mysterious nature of the kingdom. Like the grain, it grows even after the sower has sown it, and while he is unaware of its progress: Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. Ultimately, though, there is the hint of judgment – – the harvest: “As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Likewise the kingdom of God begins simply, and grows, and then comes to final harvest on the Day of the Lord.

In the second parable, Jesus speaks of the mustard seed, which he says is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet it grows to become the largest of the plants in the garden. In other words, however humbly or small the kingdom begins, it will inevitably become magnificent.

Finally, Mark’s Gospel makes clear that Jesus is seeking to accommodate the understanding of the people by telling them parables. Like a wise teacher, he knows when to give his students a break: With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.

To his disciples, he interpreted the hidden meanings of his parables.

APPLY:

There are two applications I’d like to touch on: the purpose of the parable, and the general meaning of these particular parables.

Jesus tells his disciples “The secret of the kingdom of God has been given to you. But to those on the outside everything is said in parables so that,“

‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving,
and ever hearing but never understanding;
otherwise they might turn and be forgiven!’ ” (Mark 4:11-12).

To those who are open to spiritual insights, the parables may become clear; but to those who are stubborn and closed minded, they remain a mystery.

The second application I’d like to make is this: Jesus is telling us something very important about the nature of the kingdom of God, and our experience of it. We may tend to expect impressive magnificence.

But Jesus is conveying the truth that the kingdom of God doesn’t necessarily come in great displays, or with impressive beginnings. In fact, the kingdom will come in slow, gradual measures until one day it becomes a universal reality.

RESPOND:

There must always be a certain level of humility when it comes to understanding biblical and spiritual truth. We must always assume that there is more to learn.

In these parables, I am reminded that the kingdom of God is already present; one day it will be revealed to all people everywhere.

We must live in the time between the now of the kingdom, that God’s love and grace are already present among us; and the not yet, when the kingdom will be fully and finally revealed everywhere and to everyone.

Lord, open my eyes to see the evidence of your kingdom that is all around me. Your kingdom is here, and it is coming. Prepare me now and forever! Amen!

PHOTOS:
The photo used for "Mark 4:33" is “Planting seeds of knowledge” by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Gospel for June 7, 2015

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Mark 3:20-35

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

CLICK HERE FOR .PDF FILE TO PRINT WITHOUT PICTURES

OBSERVE:

Prophets, visionaries and saints seldom have a smooth ride. In the Gospel of Mark, the distance between the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with his baptism and public controversy is very short. Jesus has allowed his disciples to pluck grain on the Sabbath, and has healed on the Sabbath, in defiance of the Pharisees’ interpretation of the law. He has even dared to forgive the sins of a paralyzed man before healing him, a prerogative reserved to God alone!

There are three divergent reactions to his ministry in this passage:

he is so popular with the people (the ha’ eretz, the ‘people of the land,’ i.e., the common folk, he can’t even find leisure to eat!
his family react anxiously, because they believe he may be mentally ill.
the most religious people of the day, the teachers of the law, are determined to discredit him because in their view he is flouting the law.

Jesus counters the accusations that he is in league with the devil with a deft use of logic: if Jesus is casting out demons, then he is de facto the enemy of the demons. How then can he possibly be on Satan’s team? If Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come.

Jesus’ next remark is a little cryptic: no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house. Who is the strong man, and who is the thief? In a surprising twist the strong man seems to be Satan, who is being bound by Jesus! And what is being plundered? Perhaps those who are being held in bondage by Satan are being released! This would be consistent with Jesus’ reference later to his purpose in coming, when he describes himself as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). He has come to rescue those held hostage by the strong man.

Then there is an even more cryptic passage, when Jesus warns against blaspheming the Holy Spirit. He says this because the teachers of the law have accused him of having an impure spirit. In other words, if Jesus truly is the Messiah, the Son of God, then they are guilty of rejecting not only him but God!

No doubt, Jesus’ family members can see the tension building and they seek to do the “responsible” thing — this is a family intervention to try and ‘ talk some sense into Jesus.’

APPLY:

There are two key takeaways from this passage. One addresses the issue of the “unforgiveable sin.” The other, our relationship with Jesus.

What the teachers of the law have done, in accusing him of being possessed by Beelzebul (the Lord of the Flies, aka the prince of demons) is to invert the moral universe. Good has become evil, and evil good. The prophet Isaiah has a similar warning:

Woe to those who call evil good
and good evil,
who put darkness for light
and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet
and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20).

But why is this moral reversal unpardonable, when Jesus clearly says people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter — all sins except the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit? Here is my take: receiving forgiveness of sins requires an awareness that one has sinned, followed by repentance. That means that the pardoned sinner has a moral conscience that can recognize how they have violated the moral law. However, those who have called good evil and evil good are no longer capable of discerning good from evil. Therefore they see no need to repent. Instead of recognizing God’s moral authority they have become a law unto themselves. If they could recognize their sin, they could repent; but because they have become blind to it they do not.

Jesus also addresses this same issue with the Pharisees in John 9:41, when he tells the Pharisees that “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.” As the popular proverb puts it, “there are none so blind as those who refuse to see.”

The second important application in this passage is far more positive: what does it mean to be a member of the family of Jesus? The answer is quite simple: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

We can certainly elaborate by citing Galatians 4 and Romans 8 in describing our adoption as children of God for Christ’s sake; and 1 John in describing the blessings of being called children of God. But this is very concrete: do God’s will by trusting him and obeying him, and you are a member of Christ’s family.

RESPOND:

Perhaps it is more important for us to concentrate less on the “don’ts” here, and more on the “do’s”– do strive to do the will of God through the power of the Holy Spirit. The rest will likely take care of itself.

PHOTOS:
The background photo: “Light on door at the end of tunnel” by Dusan Bicanski is in the Public Domain.