Unforgiveable Sin

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟐𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐒. 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐔𝐒, 𝐁𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐬

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝟐 𝐓𝐢𝐦 𝟏:𝟏-𝟖

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟗𝟔:𝟏-𝟑, 𝟕-𝟖, 𝟏𝟎 “𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐝’𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐤 𝟑:𝟐𝟐-𝟑𝟎

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧.” (𝐯.𝟐𝟗) 

         If we are to go give meaning to this Gospel passage in the literal sense it will lead us to conclude that baptized Christians who have drifted from the practice of their faith and who have been wallowing in sin could be committing what is known as the unforgiveable sin even without their knowing it.

         This is largely due to the undeniable fact that our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit our main preoccupation is to keep this temple sacred and we know this from St. Paul who said: “𝐃𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐝? 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐰𝐧; 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬.” (𝟏 𝐂𝐨𝐫 𝟔:𝟏𝟗)        

         Recall too that man is a tripartite being composed of body, soul and spirit, a radical interpretation of what sin does to the soul could mean a desecration of the temple of God in us because sin is not only a rejection of God but a form of blaspheming the Holy Spirit who is present in us.

         And to better understand this Gospel passage we should know that the religious leaders in the time of Jesus was not against the practice of exorcising evil spirits from people who are possessed by spirits because exorcism was widely practiced then and continues to this day.

         The bone of contention in this passage was when the Scribes or the teachers of the law ascribed the power and authority of Jesus to cast out the evil spirits from the demon-possessed to an evil power and they went on to accuse him as being “𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐁𝐞𝐞𝐥𝐳𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐥, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬." (𝐯.𝟐𝟐)

         But the Gospel today did not describe how Jesus reacted to such accusation. Mark the Gospel writer merely quoted Jesus as throwing the issue back at the teachers of the law by asking: "𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧?” (𝐯.𝟐𝟑). Allow me to venture a guess as we believe that the scenario was filled with tension and that Jesus was angry if not mad and we will see the reason why towards the end of this passage.

         To put things in their proper perspective Jesus told his accusers that if “𝐚 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐝, 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐝. 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.” (𝐯𝐯.𝟐𝟓-𝟐𝟕)        

          What Jesus was saying here was that it would have been impossible for him to invoke the power of another power beyond the power of God because the evil one cannot be expected to go against another evil force. The reason that he was able to cast out demons from the people who have come to him for healing was because he was before all else the same God who came down from his heavenly throne to redeem the people from sin.

          In other words, what Jesus was saying was that Satan cannot go against himself and Jesus assertion of his authority to cast out demons was a clear demonstration of the reign of God and that God's power which was clearly at work in the exorcisms that Jesus performed gives evidence that God's kingdom has indeed come.

         Jesus used the illustration of a strong man whose house and possessions were kept secure, but who is no match to someone who is stronger than himself? What Jesus was pointing out was that Satan, who is our foe and the archenemy of God, is stronger than us and unless we are clothed in God's strength, we do not have the power to stand up to Satan with our own human strength.

         Our catechism teaches us that Satan exists and could infect our lives if we are not aware of its presence because what the evil one does is it shakes the foundation of our faith and confidence in God and our commitment to follow God's law. Satan rebelled against God and he can separate us from the love of God through lies and deception.

         And in the whole of Scriptures, Jesus makes it clear that we cannot be neutral in this world. It’s either we are for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. The evil one moves when we disobey God's word as we open the doors of our hearts to the power of sin and Satan's influence in our lives.

         If we want to live in true freedom from the power of sin and Satan, then Jesus must reign in our “𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞” which is our heart, mind and soul. And towards the end of this Gospel passage, we see that Jesus was indeed angry at his accusers because he did not hold back when he said that their accusation will find no recompense in heaven: "𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲, 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐞𝐧, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫; 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐢𝐧.” (𝐯𝐯.𝟐𝟖-𝟑𝟎)        

         That was then and we need to ask this same question now to know whether this unforgiveable sin remains operative today and what is this unforgiveable sin? Yes, we can still be committing this unpardonable sin and not know it because this is one area that is rarely talked about in the church or community.

         This passage is a warning for us to avoid this unforgiveable sin and with it comes his assurance that the Holy Spirit himself will give us the Grace that we need in times of adversity. Jesus, however, was very particular about blaspheming the Holy Spirit which will never merit any form of forgiveness.

         Why? Because blasphemy is an utterance against God Himself regardless of whether this is expressed in an inward or outward manner and this may include words of hatred, reproach, or defiance to the authority of God. A sin can be unforgivable if repentance is impossible and we can be guilty of this if we repeatedly close our eyes and ears to the Word of God that is before us which brings us to a point when we can no longer recognize God.

         God’s mercy and compassion may be infinite but those who refuse to acknowledge and confess their sins and ask God for forgiveness has already condemned themselves as they have closed the door to God's offer of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing.

         Let this awareness of the existence of an unforgiveable sin be the light to guide us in our path as we move on in faith, inspired by the lives of Saints Timothy and Titus whose feast we are celebrating today. Timothy was a convert following his encounter with Saint Paul while Titus was a close friend of Paul who had accompanied the latter in many of his crusades.

         Let today be the beginning of a new phase in your life – a life centered on the Word of God the way Saints Timothy and Titus lived. If you will just start reading and reflecting on the Word of God, you will find that you have an affinity to it. We know this in 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝟏:𝟏𝟒 which says: “𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐮𝐬.” This simply means that God who is present in His Word has become part of our lives and that he is present even from the time we were created.

          To read the Scriptures regularly will transport us right into the heart of God and by knowing him and acknowledging him as our God will help us realize that we have the power to share in Christ’s victory over sin and death and have received adoption as God's sons and daughters.

         Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord empowers us to live our lives in absolute freedom from slavery to sin. The Bible will tell us that Jesus is our refuge and strength because our lives are hidden in him who created us. Make it a habit to spend a few moments reading the Holy Bible and God Himself assures us that it will be a time well spent since it provides us with the light and clarity as we journey into our spiritual life. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 26, 2026)