The scribes’ accusation that Jesus is possessed by Beelzebul is not only flawed, but completely absurd. He’s been casting OUT demons. If he was aligned with Satan, why would he do that? Why would he fight against or destroy a kingdom that he was a part of? Satan may have power on the earth, but he’s powerless against Jesus; he can’t bind him. On the other hand, Jesus can and will bind Satan and destroy the kingdom of darkness altogether because Jesus has come to destroy the works of Satan not align himself with him.
Verses 28-30 contain several weighty implications. For one, all sins are forgiven, including speaking against God (blasphemy). And yet, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the one eternal sin. This is defined as knowingly, willingly and persistently attributing to Satan, the works of the Holy Spirit. In other words, a heart that calls evil good and good evil, a heart beyond the possibility of repentance. The reassuring news is, Christians, who have been saved by the grace of God and SEALED by the Holy Spirit, are incapable of committing a sin that would cause us to lose our salvation. Also, anyone who’s worried that they’ve committed this sin, can be sure they’ve NOT committed it, because that very question shows a posture of repentance and conviction, which doesn’t exist in those capable of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. As encouraging as this is, this eternal sin should still shake us to the core, awaken us to the seriousness of unbelief, lead us to confess (and profess!) Jesus as Lord over and over again.
In verses 31- 35, Jesus is declaring that his family’s physical relationship with him doesn’t constitute spiritual union with him. Being part of the God’s family has nothing to do with lineage (a great reminder for the Gentiles and Jews present), and everything to do with God’s sovereign will. Those who believe and profess Jesus as Lord (“do the will of God”) are Jesus’ true family, the “insiders” and as an “insider,” you have a relationship with him that’s far superior, far stronger and more satisfying, than any human family relationship.
Parables make the divide between the “outsiders” and “insiders” even more apparent. For the “insiders,” they reveal more truth, for the “outsiders,” they hide the truth. Everyone will see and hear, but only the insiders will perceive and understand and ultimately repent and receive forgiveness. N.T. Wright says, “Just as the sun that hardens the clay also melts the wax, so the Word of the gospel offends the resistant and rebellious and yet encourages and brings hope to the receptive.”
In the parable of the sower, the sower represents Jesus, or really, anyone who shares the gospel. The seed represents the Word of God. And the soil represents the ears (and ultimately the heart) of man. There’s a spiritual connection between our ears and our hearts that this parable exposes.
The seed is spread on all four types. God’s Word is meant for everyone, he scatters it everywhere, for everyone, indiscriminately, but it lands on different soil, on different ears, so there’s different results. The seed is constant, it’s the soil that’s the variable.
The path represents the hard-hearted. The rocky soil represents the shallow-hearted. The thorny-soil represents the crowded-hearted. These three describe unbelievers (the “outsiders”)! The good soil represents the new-hearted, the “insiders”!
How do we know if we are the “good” soil? There’s evidence! There’s fruit. In fact, we don’t bear fruit APART from him; God’s Word must take root in our hearts for us to bear fruit (John 15: 5).
What makes the good soil, good? The Holy Spirit, who opened our ears to the truth. God removed our heart of stone and replaced it with a heart of flesh, allowing us to receive him and his Word. Salvation is of the Lord, and to him alone belongs the glory.
If you’ve been given ears to hear and eyes to see, use them! If you have heard the word and accepted it, go and bear fruit, go sow God’s Word, spread it out for others to hear, go confess and profess Jesus as Lord.
