In chapter 11, John the baptist sends messengers to inquire of Jesus whether He is “the one who is to come.” This seems strange to us because we know that John had declared before he baptized Jesus “Behold, the lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” (John 1:29). But John, though clearly a prophet, was nonetheless a man; and men have doubts at some time in their lives. Jesus was not the military leader or future earthly king that most Jews were expecting.

Saint John the Baptist and the Pharisees (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Chapter 12, among other things, contains the passage about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that often leads to confusion about the “unforgivable sin.” It is important when reading the Bible to remember that all scripture should be considered in conjunction with the rest of what has been written for us. There are many commentaries on this passage to consider, and the best one I can find does explain that Jesus is talking about sin that is not repented for. But the important thing to remember is that there is no sin that God will not forgive, if we just ask for forgiveness. Consider 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

/Bob’s boy

Bible Reading Schedule for this month
Click links below to read or listen to audio of one of this week’s chapters in Colossians and Luke

Matt 11, Matt 12, Matt 13, Matt 14, Matt 15

___________________

some images © V. Gilbert & Arlisle F. Beers

Please visit this site’s menu item “The Author’s Books” for info on the author’s books, website, and Facebook page.

All of my comments in this blog are solely my responsibility. When reading any commentary, you should always refer first to the scripture, which is God’s unchanging and unfailing word.