Matius 12:29-33

12:29 How ¹  else can someone enter a strong man’s ²  house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. ³  12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, ⁴  and whoever does not gather with me scatters. ⁵  12:31 For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, ⁶  but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. ⁷  But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, ⁸  either in this age or in the age to come.

Trees and Their Fruit

12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad ⁹  and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

[12:29]  ¹ tn Grk “Or how can.”

[12:29]  ² sn The strong man here pictures Satan.

[12:29]  ³ sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.

[12:30]  ⁴ sn Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.

[12:30]  ⁵ sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.

[12:31]  ⁶ tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”

[12:32]  ⁷ tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”

[12:32]  ⁸ tn Grk “it will not be forgiven him.”

[12:32]  sn Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning.

[12:33]  ⁹ tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “tree” and “fruit,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).