“but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” Mark 3:29 NASB Never – Yeshua seems to employ a rabbinic idea in this warning. As we discovered, it could be translated, “but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit does not have forgiveness but is guilty of sin…
“but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” Mark 3:29 NASB Never – What a lot of grief this verse has caused! Scary. Condemning. Hopelessness. Just some of the reactions to Yeshua’s warning. But maybe we are reading these words through our own cultural glasses. Maybe…
He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker; he who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished. Proverbs 17:5 NASB Mocks – Redistribution of wealth is a hot topic in today’s politics. Aggravating class warfare between the “rich” and the “poor” breeds contempt on both sides. First, the poor despise the success of the rich,…
“Though you are a whore, Yisra’el, let not Yehudah become guilty. Do not come up to Gilgal, nor go up to Beyth Awen, nor swear an oath, saying, ‘As YHWH lives!’” Hosea 4:15 (ISR) Swear an oath – Israel’s history is bound up with prophetic legacy. God spoke to His people through the prophets. God’s…
Woe to those who say to evil, good; and to good, evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Isaiah 5:20 (KJV) Evil/Good – What characterizes the ethics of the world more than this? “Evil is good, good is evil.” At some level, most…
He that oppresses the poor blasphemes his maker, but he who is gracious unto the needy honors Him. Proverbs 14:31 (translation A. Heschel) Blasphemes – What would you think of someone who curses God? You might be shocked, dismayed or disturbed. Who would do such a thing? You might understand the circumstances that would lead…
“But they become disobedient and rebelled against You, and cast Your law behind their backs and killed Your prophets who had admonished them so that they might return to You, and they committed great blasphemies.” Nehemiah 9:26 Blasphemies – The Hebrew words ne’atsot gedolot tell us that blasphemy is not limited to verbal expressions. In…
There are 3 passages that we have to consider. We will briefly look at the first two and then concentrate on the passage in Mark. Matthew 12:31-32 Reference to the strong man’s house (Isaiah 49). The issue is about authority. Jesus comes with a sign that can only be interpreted as God acting among the…
Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. Acts 6:11 NASB Against Moses – If you read Luke’s account of the works of the apostles (commonly called Acts), you will find a very curious thing. Over and over the apostles claim to observe the…
