Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 12:31

"Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven." — Matthew 12:31 (ASV)

“And so” ties the statements about blasphemy against the Spirit (v.31) to the preceding verse. But the transition cannot easily be readily grasped till vv.31–32 are understood. “Blasphemy” (GK 1060) is extreme slander, equivalent to “speaking against” (cf. v.32). Blasphemy against God was viewed by Jews with utmost gravity (26:65); but here Jesus makes a sharp distinction between blasphemy against the Son of Man, which is forgivable, and blasphemy against the Spirit, which is not.

His statement is remarkable because one of the glories of the biblical faith is the great emphasis Scripture lays on the graciousness and wideness of God’s forgiveness (e.g., Psalms 130:3–4; Isaiah 1:18; Micah 7:19). Among the many interpretations of this difficult saying, the best treats it in its setting during Jesus’ life. The Pharisees have been attributing to Satan the work of the Spirit and have been doing so, as Jesus makes plain, in such a way as to reveal that they speak, not out of ignorance or unbelief, but out of a conscious disputing of what should never be disputed.

The distinction between blasphemy against the Son of Man and blasphemy against the Spirit is that the first sin is rejection of the truth of the Gospel (for which there may be repentance and forgiveness), whereas the second sin is rejection of the same truth in full awareness that that is exactly what one is doing —willfully, thoughtfully, and self-consciously rejecting the work of the Spirit even though there can be no other explanation of Jesus’ exorcisms than that. For such a sin there is no forgiveness, “either in this age or the age to come” (cf. 13:22; 25:46)—a dramatic way of saying “never” . This interpretation can also apply to Heb 6:4–6; 10:26–31; and possibly 1Jn 5:16.

If this interpretation is correct, the distinction between Son of Man and Spirit is relatively incidental. After all, blasphemy against the Spirit is also a rejection of Jesus’ own claims. Jesus charges that those who perceive that his ministry is empowered by the Spirit and then, for whatever reason—whether from spite, jealousy, or arrogance—ascribe it to Satan, have put themselves beyond the pale.

The significance of the transitional words “And so” now becomes plain.

Neutrality to Jesus is actually opposition to him (v.30); and therefore Jesus gives this warning regarding those who blaspheme against the Spirit, since the selfprofessedly neutral person may not recognize the inherent danger of his position.