Mark 3:28 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter,

NIV: Truly I tell you, people can be forgiven all their sins and every slander they utter,

NASB: Truly I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons and daughters of men, and whatever blasphemies they commit;

CSB: "Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for all sins and whatever blasphemies they utter.

NLT: I tell you the truth, all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven,

KJV: Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme:

NKJV: “Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

Jesus has dismissed the scribes' claim that He casts out demons with Satan's authority as illogical. Now He explains how those claims are also blasphemous.

Despite the seriousness of the sin of blasphemy, God says it can be forgiven. In this very important verse. Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised again, says clearly that all sins save one will be forgiven (Mark 3:29). And the one sin that cannot be forgiven is not sexual; it's not spontaneous, uncontrolled thoughts; it's not struggling with addiction; it's not even murder.

"Forgiven" comes from the Greek root word aphiemi, which means to send away and disregard. It doesn't mean God forgets our sins, as if His mental hard drive has been erased. It means He no longer thinks on the sin, and it does not affect our salvation. He will forgive even insults about His very nature, as long as we do not commit the one unforgiveable sin: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

"Blasphemy" comes from the Greek root word blasphemia, which refers to speech that is disrespectful of and defiant toward God. Ultimately, it means to intentionally misrepresent God's character. When Jesus infers that He is the Son of God, the Pharisees and scribes see that as blasphemy. In the Mosaic Law, blasphemy against God is punishable by death (Leviticus 24:10–16).

The wording Matthew uses in his gospel is slightly different. Instead of saying "all sins will be forgiven the children of man…" it reads, "whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven" (Matthew 12:32). Both statements are true.

Mark 3:22–30 continues as the Pharisees from Galilee show their disapproval of Jesus (Mark 3:6). Here, in the fourth story about people's reaction to Jesus, scribes from Jerusalem join in. They have heard that Jesus healed a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute (Matthew 12:22–23). The scribes quickly judge that Jesus is performing miracles through the power of Satan. This stubborn belief, in the face of logic, leads Jesus to condemn their blasphemy and warn that if they continue along this vein, they will be damned forever. Matthew 12:22–32 and Luke 11:14–23 also record this confrontation; in Luke 12:10 Jesus talks similarly about blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

The bulk of chapter 3 deals with how different people react to Jesus' teaching and His assumption of authority. The Pharisees' confusion transitions into plotting. The crowds that continually follow Jesus for healing become more frenetic and dangerous. Jesus' own family, afraid for His sanity, try to pull Him away. But true followers also show themselves. Twelve join together to become a core group, while a slightly bigger crowd, more interested in Jesus' teaching than miracles, earn the honor of being called His true family.

Mark chapter 3 continues in the same pattern as chapter 2, describing various teaching and healing encounters from the life of Jesus. These events are used to explain Jesus' overall message and demonstrate His power. They also serve to show how different people react to His teachings. Chapter 4 will focus more on Jesus' parables.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.