Mark tells us that Jesus continues his explanation of his position and
actions with a comment about not blaspheming against the Holy Spirit. This demonstrates
the seriousness of the charge.
This comment has gained particular significance because of identifying this – blasphemy against the Holy Spirit – as an unforgiveable sin. I remember my first New Testament teacher at the University of Glasgow, Professor William Barclay, talking about this when we studied Mark with him. In those days, Barclay did a great deal to communicate the Christian message to ordinary people in Scotland, alongside being a university professor. He commented that the single issue on which people most commonly wrote to him was their fear that they had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, and were concerned that they had done the one thing for which they could not be forgiven. He told us that he always replied that those who fear they have done that can be sure that they have not.
Barclay (Daily Study Bible – The Gospel of Mark) makes the point like this – “There is only one condition of forgiveness and that is penitence. But if a man (sic), by repeated refusals of God’s guidance, has lost the ability to recognise goodness when he sees it, if he has got his moral values inverted until evil to him is good and good to him is evil, then, even when he is confronted by Jesus, he is conscious of no sin; he cannot repent and therefore he can never be forgiven. That is the sin against the Holy Spirit.”
The theme of forgiveness is a strong element in Jesus’ teaching, but the concern is always to find the way to offer it, and not a case of claiming that it may not be possible in certain circumstances. The question of forgiveness is one that frequently comes to the fore in situations of extreme hurt and injustice. I wonder how we see forgiveness, and how we might promote it. As we pray every time we say the Lord’s Prayer – forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
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