Daily Lesson for October 6, 2020

 Today's Daily Lesson comes from Mark chapter 3 verses 19b through 30:

Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons.” 23 And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

28 “Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”— 30 for they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

This scripture has been greatly mistranslated, misinterpreted, and therefore misunderstood over time, but I like the way the NRSV reframes it.

The problem centers around verse 29, the idea of an unforgiveable sin, and the term "eternal sin".

The actual greek word translated "eternal" is "eanon", from which we get the word "eon". "Eternal" is a good translation. Or, it might also could be translated "ageless".

Jesus is saying that those opposed to him and his ministry are guilty of an "ageless" sin -- a sin of all ages and eons. It is the sin of blaspheme -- seeing the Spirit's good work and calling it evil.

This is the sin of every age -- calling healing on the sabbath, the inclusion of gentiles, the abolition of slaves, the suffrage of women, the marrying of gays, and all manner of other good things evil.

It is not an unforgiveable sin in that it can't be pardoned. God can pardon all things -- and we pray will!

But it is an eternal sin, because it happens from age to age and generation to generation, the people sometimes blindly but often willfully opposed to the work of the Spirit, calling evil good and good evil.

Be advised, friends. This comes with the territory. For as Jesus said, "If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!"

That's me and you; and that's-- not the unforgiveable sin -- but the sin that never, ever ends.

NOTE: We are reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow we will read Matthew chapters 5-7.