Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy

 

 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. 

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.  

 

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.  

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

 

- Luke 11:53-12:12 

 

Yesterday we read that, as Jesus spoke to the crowd, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him.  So He went in and sat down to eat.  When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.  Then the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.  Foolish ones!  Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?  But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.  But woe to you Pharisees!  For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God.  These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.  Woe to you Pharisees!  For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them."  Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, "Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also."  And He said, "Woe to you also, lawyers!  For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.  Woe to you!  For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.  In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.  Therefore the wisdom of God also said, 'I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,' that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple.  Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.  Woe to you lawyers!  For you have taken away the key of knowledge.  You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered."

 

  And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.   We note now the level of hostility in the religious leaders.  Their response to His criticisms (in yesterday's reading, above) is simply to find a way to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him.

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, "Beware the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."  Jesus takes His criticisms a step further, and warns the people against the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  Note that this is not simply done in order to criticize the leadership, but on the contrary, to lead the people to a true way of practicing faith themselves.  His statement that there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nothing hidden that will not be known is a way of emphasizing that hypocrisy avails nothing when it comes to the truth of God's judgment and the real state of our souls.  Everything will be revealed and known to all.  Believers should proceed about their lives with this understanding in mind.

"And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  But I will show you whom you should fear:  Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?  And not one of them is forgotten before God.  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows."   Even as He criticizes the leadership who now seek to find something with which they can accuse Him, Jesus speaks of the One more powerful than those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.  Again, this is another reference to God's judgment, as in the statements regarding hypocrisy He's just made.  Whom you should fear refers to God (Proverbs 9:10).  My study Bible comments that the body will die eventually, one way or another.  It notes that St. Ambrose even states that the death of the body is not itself a punishment; instead, it marks the end of earthly punishments.  But the soul continues for all eternity.  Since God is the judge of the soul, our efforts in this world are to please God alone.  But God's witness to all things, from the great to the tiniest -- a single sparrow, even each hair of our head -- are all in the awareness of the Father who holds us precious.

"Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God.  But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven.  Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  My study Bible has a lengthy note on these verses.  It says that to say a word against the Son of Man is to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Jesus seemed to be a mere man to many people before their conversion.  The scandal which was caused by the Incarnation and Crucifixion of the Son of God (1 Corinthians 1:23) makes this sin more easily forgiven.  On the other hand, the Holy Spirit does not have bodily form, and invisibly works divine goodness.  According to St. John Chrysostom and many other patristic teachers, the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be forgivable if a person were to repent of it.  My study Bible says that Jesus never calls the sin itself "unforgivable."  It notes that He makes this declaration knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure, divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.  

Today's reading marks a kind of turning point in Jesus' ministry.  While the scribes and Pharisees now attack Him in response to His criticisms of their hypocrisy, and they will seek to look for something with which they can accuse Him, Jesus becomes more public with His criticism.  In particular He attacks their hypocrisy, their way of practicing their faith with an eye to the outward appearance, fulfilling duties to keep their positions, but the love of God not touching their hearts, their inner lives.  Jesus goes forward with this teaching by declaring hypocrisy to be the enemy of spiritual life, and He takes this message directly to His disciples.  When the Gospel informs us that He begins to do so when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, it is a sign that -- although He is first addressing His disciples -- this teaching is going out to all the public and all the world.  In some sense, the teaching itself is calling out those who are prepared to become His followers and His disciples, who will follow His teachings.  Let us again note the importance of the emphasis on hypocrisy as the enemy of the spiritual life He teaches, and of the Kingdom which He preaches.  He is not simply preaching a kind of rebellion against the religious establishment, nor is He attacking the Law (which, in the sight of the Church, He as Lord has given).  He is attacking and condemning hypocrisy as the enemy of spiritual life, and in particular of the spiritual life that is the gospel of the kingdom He brings into the world.  He attacks not the Pharisees per se, but the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.  He does not want His followers to imitate what they do (Matthew 23:3).  For in this Kingdom He brings into the world there is at work that which will reveal all, where "there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops."   And we may ask why this is so, and Jesus provides the answer.  First of all, there is nothing that God does not know or see, and God's judgment will be active in the world.  Jesus gives vivid images of the small things of which we normally may take no notice -- the sparrows, even the number of hairs on our heads -- to express the vision and awareness of God in the least details of life.  But, even more powerfully, in this eschatology He brings, the life of the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit will be at work in the world, beginning a new age even in the midst of the present age.  Thus the God who led the Israelites to the promised land will be more fully present and at work in the world.  In John's Gospel, at the Last Supper, Jesus teaches that He must go away so that the Helper, the Holy Spirit comes.  "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (see the full passage at John 16:5-10).  Here it is the powerful testimony of the Holy Spirit that Jesus emphasizes when He says that "anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven."  This presence of the Spirit becomes even more greatly emphasized when Jesus includes the detail that when His disciples are brought "to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."  This means that the Helper, the Holy Spirit, will be present to all who are followers and disciples of Christ -- for, as St. Paul writes, in the faithfulness of Christ we are all "temples of God," for the Holy Spirit dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16).  Christ is proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom, and expressing more fully what it means that His disciples were sent out to proclaim that "the kingdom of God has come near you" (Luke 10:9-11).   He is giving us a powerful understanding of the reality of the kingdom of God and its "breaking in" upon us, so that we live in a world permeated at times by the reality of the age to come, even while we continue to live in the present age.  With the Incarnation of Christ, we entered what are called "end times," and that is the present age in which we live.  But He prepares us to be those in whom the Spirit can dwell, as temples of God, and also those who will help to manifest His kingdom in the world.  With His teachings against hypocrisy, He initiates the way we have to live, He teaches us what it means to be His disciples, and expresses how clearly we are known to a loving Father -- even as we are invited to become bearers of the Kingdom into the world by following what He teaches.  Let us note, most importantly in this context, the names Helper and Spirit of truth (John 16:13).  "Helper" is one translation for Παράκλητος/Paraclete.  In Greek, this literally means one who comes when called; and is characterized as an advocate, a counselor, one who may make a good judgment call and give solid truthful evidence.   In the present context, we can see the relation of a Counselor or Helper especially in times of trial and testimony.  And the Spirit of truth is that indispensable One who keeps us from hypocrisy, reminding us of Christ's words that nothing will be hidden, and helping to illuminate His teachings to keep us in His way (John 14:25-26).  Let us remember that, whether or not we are always aware of it, the Helper is always with us and at work, for the Kingdom is meant to dwell within us, even midst the present age.

Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, after disagreement with the Pharisees over healing a man on the Sabbath.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sickness and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the same Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."   Jesus' "own people" are extended family.  While the crowds surround Him, as if He's a contemporary rock star, His family is upset.   It is so out of context, so inappropriate in their understanding, that they think He is out of His mind.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.   Jesus' own people have said that He is out of His mind.  Here, the religious leadership from Jerusalem pronounces Him as one working in conjunction with demons, like a person possessed.   Jesus has disrupted the social order, on both a personal and a public level.  But He is the One who brings order, not destroys it, and He sets out the logic that defeats the claims of the scribes.  "How can Satan cast out Satan?" is asking us for logic, ultimate logic.  Why would the ruler of demons cast out his own, work against his own kingdom.  They know how worldly kings fight.  In fact in the centuries leading to Christ's birth, the entire Near East was one great battle ground, with kingdom battling against kingdom, one after the other, and a constant switching of alliances and powers.  Jesus' illustration comes as one people know very well.  Why would a man on the throne fight against his own house, his own army, his own kingdom?  To plunder a strong man's goods, one would have to first defeat him, bind him, imprison and capture him.  This is what Jesus is doing with the "house" of Satan; therefore He is the enemy of Satan.   Beelzebub, also called Baal, was "the prince of the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" in the pejorative title given by the Jews -- a god worshiped by the Philistines, but here referred to as the ruler of the demons by the scribes.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  The characterization by the scribes of Jesus' work as demonic isn't only a vain product of pride and envy, it's a far more serious problem.  Jesus works by the Holy Spirit, and to call this work demonic is something far more grave than an accusation against a man.  It is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, an accusation against the divine activity of God.  It is calling the essentially good "evil."  He separates their hostility to Him from their qualification of the work of the Holy Spirit as evil or demonic, something they should understand and know as experts in the Scripture.  Indeed, exorcism was practiced by the Jews.  My study bible is quick to point out that Jesus does not say repentance and forgiveness are not possible even for this sin.   Jesus stresses the great gravity of the sin.

 Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And He looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."  Jesus' brothers are again extended family, not necessarily blood brothers (even today in the Middle East, cousins are commonly called brothers).  Jesus is not insulting His family when He teaches about the union in the will of God, the family created by God.  In some way, it is similar to His teaching about the union of marriage made by God.  My study bible suggests that Jesus points to a spiritual family based on obedience to the will of God.

We see a great division created by Jesus, and by the work of the Spirit.  It's something that is reflected in Jesus' words later on in His ministry (see Matthew 10:35), about what is to come in the world and to His followers after He is gone, the purpose and effect of His mission.  Controversy surrounds Him, even as He gains more and more fame and is in such demand that no one can even eat a meal in the house He stays in.  Jesus now faces divisions in both His personal and His public life.  Those who have known Him best, His extended family and kin, His own people, think that He must be out of His mind.  The person of the public ministry is very different from the person they've known, the One who had lived the life of a simple Galilean in Nazareth.  Now He's causing an unseemly furor.  The religious authorities accuse Him of working healings and exorcisms by the power of the ruler of demons.  This is an accusation raised out of envy, and pride of their own places, as His popularity and fame extend ever more greatly.  They feel challenged in their role as authorities, particularly after He healed on the Sabbath in their presence, after He'd already been challenged about Sabbath work.  Jesus is causing an extraordinary sort of scene.  Nothing is "normal" --  rather, it is all extraordinary.  Extraordinary is the important qualification here, because this isn't just the work of a preacher; the centerpiece here is the work of the Holy Spirit in the world, at work through His ministry.  It is God at work in the world, and this is what gathers the great central place of Jesus' mission.  Everything is done to serve the will of the Father.  At work is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- and the effects of this ministry come in the wake of that central fact, that central work.  Everything else gathers around that pole, that central reality.  And it will continue to cause its own disruption of the fabric of the world and our social structures.  This seems to be particularly so when things become highly rigid.  The Spirit works through all circumstances, and takes on particular effects within systems that do not allow for the freedom of truth.  We see this in the Old Testament, in the holy prophets who shake up the worldly powerful, who will not go along with the kings who hire others to prophesy for money.  In Eastern Orthodoxy, it can be seen in the person of the holy fool, who somewhat resembles many of the prophets -- living outside of the social structures and norms of his or her time, seemingly out of their minds, but speaking the truth to the powerful, saying the things no one else will dare say.  John the Baptist is a similar sort of figure -- one outside of the social structures, living in the wilderness in strict asceticism.  But with the saints and the holy, it is just as Jesus will say: "Wisdom is justified by all her children" (Luke 7:35).   Jesus Himself is truly our central figure.  He's one who's come from Galilee, from a family established in His small town, but who tangles with the religious establishment, answering with authority all those in authority, whose work and effects are so challenging to what has become rigid and in some sense stagnant that the challenge will go right up to the Roman authorities.  He is our central figure, and His words teach us everything about where we stand, where our first loyalty must be, what truth is, and even the price we may pay for His kind of freedom.  Let us remember His truth in our daily lives, through all that we do, and all the challenges we may find.

If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you

 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

- Matthew 12:22-32

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus knew that the Pharisees were plotting against Him, He withdrew. And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen,  My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.   He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.  A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory;  And in His name Gentiles will trust."

Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  To heal the blind and mute is a sign of the Messiah.  This is why the people ask, "Could this be the Son of David?"  The Pharisees at this point are looking for reasons to condemn Jesus.  Beelzebub -- or Baal -- was the prince of "the dung heap", or lord of "the flies" (derisory terms used by the Jews for this god worshiped by the Philistines; see 2 Kings 1:2-16).   Here the Pharisees refer to Baal as the ruler of the demons.  Jesus answers with direct logic and knowledge of warring kingdoms:  the demons fighting against one another couldn't be strong.  Furthermore, if He casts out demons by demons, then by whom do Jewish exorcists under their religious authority (for there was such a tradition) cast out demons?  He puts it very bluntly:  they must consider what they are saying.  If He casts out demons, contrary to their assertions, by the Spirit of God, then surely the kingdom of God is present.  He is the stronger man.  Those who are not with Him are against Him, and those who don't gather with Him scatter abroad.  My study bible says that the impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus.

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  Here's the "real deal," so to speak.  The work of the Spirit in the world -- as they know full well -- is God's work in the world.  What Jesus condemns is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit, a blasphemy against what my study bible calls "pure goodness."  A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because they don't know much about Christ.  But the Spirit's divine activity is known from Old Testament Scripture, in which they are the official experts.  That type of blasphemy won't be forgiven, says my study bible, because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy.   In the tradition of the Church, blasphemy against the Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin," nor does Jesus ever call it "unforgivable."  St. Chrysostom teaches that it would be forgivable if one repented of it.  This declaration by Jesus is made knowing that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling divine goodness "evil," and that they are deliberately choosing to do so for their own reasons.  They are past repentance.

Why would people deliberately blaspheme the Holy Spirit?  It's rather ironic, to say the least, that it is Jesus who will be brought up and "convicted" on charges of blasphemy.  A different charge will be made in order to bring Him to Pilate and have Him put to death, but that is simply because Pilate wasn't a religious authority, and blasphemy charges would have meant nothing to him.   Jesus is a popular figure, and so it was necessary for His death to have been an act by the Roman state.  But we can ask ourselves why these religious authorities would do such a thing if they truly understood that the Spirit was at work in Christ.  Perhaps they thought that the sanctity of their positions, and their places within the establishment group of the temple leadership, ensured them.  Perhaps the Gospel is simply trying to allow us to see -- as so much in the Old Testament Scripture does as well -- that a position in life, even one of religious authority, doesn't preclude us from sin and terrible error.  It really serves to enforce the fact that it is the circumcised heart and humility toward God that is the best and only protection that we're on the right track.  Jesus' criticism of the Pharisees is that they've made such an idol out of their own traditions built up around the Law that they criticize Him for doing good -- for fulfilling the aims of the Law in the first place.  But none of this would be happening if it weren't for envy, at least this is the position of the Gospels.   Pilate, veteran of politics, will see that.  But it must be a dire warning to us that envy can blind us to the true reality of something we should know better about.  Envy can trip us up in matters of the greatest importance.  It is a kind of archetypal sin; after all, it's the one ascribed to Satan.  Jesus' popularity with the people is very strong, as was John the Baptist's.  And now the signs He's producing are those associated with the coming of the Messiah.  That is a threat to the positions of these men who criticize and find fault, and Jesus does nothing to diminish the growing split between His work and the anger of these men.  He tells them the truth, a truth He knows they won't believe.  So as we're heading into the time of His ministry in which He accepts this growing split, we note Jesus' mission and strategy:  He has attempted to avoid direct confrontation with the leadership, but He does not back down from doing the good works He's sent to do.  He doesn't stop teaching, even about the presence of the kingdom of God in their midst.  He doesn't stop defending the work of the Spirit.  He is our Suffering Servant, One who's humble and meek and lowly of heart, who is compassionate, but who will not stop His mission for any reason.  He's humble enough to accept what is happening, and His signs are for use only to build up the faithful.  Let us remember His focus, through all things. 

Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation

 And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.  But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."  And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house.

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And he looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."

- Mark 3:19b-35

Yesterday we read that after healing a man on a Sabbath in direct confrontation with the religious leadership, Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea.  And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him.  So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him.  For He healed many, so that as many as had afflictions pressed about Him to touch Him.  And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God."  But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.  And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those He Himself wanted.  And they came to Him.  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses and to cast out demons:  Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. 

And they went into a house.  Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.   Again, in Mark's usually brief Gospel, we're given a significant detail.  No one could even take a meal in this house, so great is the demand for Jesus, and the numbers of those who crowd around Him.

But when His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind."   Here is another significant detail.  Members of His own extended family are alarmed at what is happening in this ministry.  He's drawing a huge attention to Himself, and they can't understand it.  It gives us a special message about the power of the gospel:  not everybody is going to understand it.  Not everyone of "His own" accepts Him as Messiah, nor even that God is present in Him and in His message.

And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables:  "How can Satan cast out Satan?  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.  No one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man.  And then he will plunder his house."   "Beelzebub" or Baal was the prince of "the dung heap" or lord of "the flies" -- a satirical title for a god worshiped by the Philistines (see 2 Kings 1:2-16).  Here the leadership call him the ruler of the demons.  My study bible says, "The impossibility of demons fighting against themselves illustrates the irrational pride and envy of the Pharisees in their opposition to Jesus."

"Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter; but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation" -- because they said, "He has an unclean spirit."  My study bible says that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit; in other words it's a blasphemy against pure goodness.  It says, "A sin against the Son of Man is more easily forgiven because the Jews did not know much about Christ.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity they knew from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven because it comes from a willful hardness of heart and a refusal to accept God's mercy."   My study bible adds that Church Fathers are clear that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not an "unforgivable sin" nor does Jesus call the sin "unforgivable."  St. John Chrysostom tells us that blasphemy against the Spirit is forgivable if a person repents of it.  Jesus makes this statement because He knows that those who blaspheme the Spirit are calling pure and divine goodness "evil," and that they are beyond repentance by their own choice.

Then His brothers and His mother came, and standing outside they sent to Him, calling Him.  And a multitude was sitting around Him; and they said to Him, "Look, Your mother and Your brothers are outside seeking You."  But He answered them, saying, "Who is My mother, or My brothers?"  And he looked around in a circle at those who sat about Him, and said, "Here are My mother and My brothers!  For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother."   We remember that in the tradition of the Near and Middle East, the word "brothers" is used for extended family and kin.  Perhaps, as we're told above, they don't understand His mission and identity, and they've come calling for Him again.  But Jesus' statement here isn't to deny His family, so much as it is to express the true and broad nature of real family.  His mission is to do the will of God, His Father.  This is something that surpasses all else -- and by extension, whoever does the same is His brother and sister and mother.  Jesus makes His mission and loyalty clear.

We're given a strange sense of division here in today's reading, a kind of delineation along particular and strong lines.  We don't usually think of Jesus as One who causes division; He is the uniter.  He's the One in whom we are united.  But rejection of His mission creates delineation, separation.  This is a very important distinction, one that is significant to the whole of the gospel, and even to our understanding of faith.  It's also necessary to our understanding of divine justice.  At its center is precisely Jesus' statement about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  God's work in the world stands of itself as a kind of arbiter, a lodestone, the true pole of essential goodness.  It's how we respond to that holy work in the world that separates and makes potent the reality of faith.  And it's along this same sort of division that notions about family and kinship are expressed in today's reading.  His mother and brother and sister is whoever does the will of His Father.  Those who accuse Him of working by demons may do nothing by insulting Jesus as human being, but the reality of the subject here is the work that's being done by the Holy Spirit, God's work in the world that happens through this ministry of Jesus.  And that's what's being blasphemed as coming from Beelzebub or Baal, from the ruler of the demons.   To blaspheme the Spirit, the work of God in the world, is to violate true justice.  They are condemning essential goodness, holiness by this blasphemy.  And Jesus knows they will not repent of that statement but carry it to its final end.  It's the same pole that separates Him from the extended family or clan members that think He's out of His mind; they simply don't "get" what is happening.  The gospel message hasn't reached them.  We'll get many instances in the Gospels where familiarity somehow fails to create real faith, even may add a barrier to faith and the perception of the work of the Spirit, the truth of the Gospel.  In all four Gospels, Jesus states that a prophet has no honor in his own country (see Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, and John 4:44).   The delineation is clear:  the lines aren't drawn among conventional understanding of who is in "our group," who is related to us, who is our family or kin and even countrymen.  There is one pole, and that is God, and everything else, in spiritual sight, really depends upon how we relate to God and to God's work in the world (the Holy Spirit, as Jesus says above).  This is what really takes priority in true judgment, and it's a dividing line that passes through everything we think we know and see.  The Gospels make this clear in many statements by Jesus, particularly when He warns the disciples later on about what is to come as Jesus gets closer to open confrontation with the authorities (see Matthew 10:35, Luke 12:53).  St. Paul writes, "The word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart"  (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV).  He gives us the sharpest, strongest picture of delineation by the word of God, the gospel message that calls us to faith, the work of the Spirit in the world.  If we are to understand the power of faith and Jesus' message, then we are called to this place that separates everything else from us but the truth in the heart.  It's how we respond to true goodness, regardless of circumstances or situations or ties or loyalties, that really brings justification or not, and true "right-relatedness" or righteousness -- or that separates us from the good.  It's the power of the Spirit, a living holiness, that constitutes true goodness or righteousness.   And it's this living reality that brings us true ties.  Blasphemy of that living reality separates us from true goodness.  What's in your heart?

Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come

 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.  Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

- Matthew 12:22-32

Yesterday, we read what happened after some Pharisees had begun to plot against Jesus.   When Jesus knew it, He withdrew from there.  And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.  Yet He warned them not to make Him known, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:  "Behold!  My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased!  I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles.  He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust."

  Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.  And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"  Healing the blind and mute are signs of the Messiah, messianic acts.  The crowd understands this, and so begins to wonder if Jesus could be "the Son of David."

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."  But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them:  "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself.  How then will his kingdom stand?  And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out?  Therefore they shall be your judges.  But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will plunder his house.  He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad."  My study bible points out here that the Pharisees are filled with envy and pride. They find in this miracle a pretext to attack Jesus, accusing Him of having Beelzebub as the source of His power.  "Beelzebub/Ball," it notes, "was the prince perhaps of 'the dung heap' or 'the flies' -- a god worshiped by the Philistines (2 Kings 1:2-16), here he is called ruler of the demons.  Demons do not fight against themselves, but are cast out by God's power through the Holy Spirit, whose action signals the present reality of the Kingdom."

"Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."  My study bible tells us, "Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is blasphemy against the divine activity of the Spirit - the accusation that Jesus healed the demoniac by demonic power rather than by the power of the Holy Spirit (see Mark 3:29-30).  Every sin against the Son of Man can be forgiven, because the Jews do not yet know much about Him.  But blasphemy against the Spirit, whose divine activity they know from the Old Testament, will not be forgiven.  This blasphemy is willful hardness of heart.  It attributes the saving action of the Spirit to Satan and refuses to accept God's forgiveness and mercy."

Once again, Jesus as Son of Man defers to God -- this time in the Person of God the Spirit.  It is the Spirit that will be the judge, that creates judgment, in the sense that those who blaspheme the work of the Spirit are judged.  This tells us something important and essential about the nature of God and the nature of the Spirit.  Not only do these people, as my study bible points out, fully understand the work of the Spirit as they are experts on Scripture already and the spiritual history of Israel, but it is clear from this passage that human beings are capable of receiving an understanding about this work.  The common people wonder, "Could this be the Son of David?"  They at least pay attention to the effects of this ministry, and begin to ask themselves what it means.  But the leadership, jealous for their places, are not doing this.  Instead they continue to merely advance their own authoritative places, and they simply feel a threat from Christ.  They claim to work for God themselves, but they fail to honor the work of God through Jesus' ministry.  It's an important reminder of another teaching of Jesus that "whoever is not against us is for us."   There is a kind of hidden theme within a theme here; even the demons work together.  Who are they therefore working for, who deny the Spirit's presence in this healing?  It comes down to a stark choice, here in today's reading.  The Pharisees are either going to open up their eyes and ears and really look and accept what is happening, or they are going to be fighting something much bigger than they understand.  Jesus compares the "Son of Man" to the Spirit, and even the Son of Man comes short of what it is these men are blaspheming.  As Jesus' ministry continues, the inevitable conflict occurs because of their rejection of the Kingdom that has come near, the work of the Spirit.  And this is what the conflict is all about.  It's not about the Son of Man, but about humility before God, deference to the work of God in the world, to the presence of the Spirit.  It's a mistake to see this conflict in terms of human beings, some believing one thing and others believing another.  That is the point of view of these men who cannot give up their authority to recognize God in their midst, even the actions of the Holy Spirit at work.  The real point of view here, if they should truly be healed by the presence of the Spirit, eyes and ears open, is to wake up to the spiritual work of God.  This is the God who lives, who is.  It is the work of the Spirit that is still moving among us, that is always present, that moves and works in our world, that comes when we call.  The important thing, if we really want to be healed, is to be aware of this spiritual reality and what it asks of us -- especially in how it asks us to grow and to stretch, to open our eyes and ears, and to quit taking the easy way out and defending what should not be defended.  I find that the process of growing in faith asks of me this kind of stretching and growth, to open up my eyes and ears, to heal what needs healing in humility before God.  When we lose that living connection, when we forget that the Spirit is present now to us, in a moment of prayer, then we lose the thread, the real meaning and power behind the Son of Man.  We've been given this tremendous gift.  Let us not refuse it.  Let us not refuse to acknowledge what's on offer because it takes us out of what we think we know.