20 Then he went home, and the crowd gathered again, so that they could not even eat. 21 And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 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.
28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.”
31 And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. 32 And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” 33 And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” —Mark 3:20-35
Jesus: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
C.S. Lewis
“One of three things is true, Jesus is either a lunatic on the level of somebody who thinks He’s a poached egg, or He is a liar at such a calculated and clever and extreme level as to probably be unequaled as a purveyor of deception, or He is Lord…But forget the patronizing nonsense that He’s a good teacher, that’s not an option. Jesus never intended it to be.”
Three responses to Jesus…
1) Jesus is a
And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” —Mark 3:21
2) Jesus is a
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” —Mark 3:22
What is blasphemy against the Spirit?
It is not - something believers can commit and lost their salvation.
It is not - something done lightly or by mistake.
It is not - any particular, serious sin like murder or suicide.
It is the knowing and willful refusal of the Spirit’s call to repent and believe in Jesus.
3) Jesus is
And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” —Mark 3:33-35