Satan's Blasphemous Thoughts During Bible Reading in Matthew 12
The Bible does not explicitly describe Satan having blasphemous thoughts during a specific instance of Bible reading in Matthew 12. Instead, Matthew 12 records Jesus' confrontation with the Pharisees, who accused him of casting out demons by the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons [9]. Jesus refutes this by arguing, "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" [1, 13]. This passage is part of a larger discussion about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.
Blasphemy, in its technical sense, refers to speaking evil of God [2, 6]. It can also denote any form of calumny or abuse [2, 6]. In the Old Testament, blasphemy was punishable by stoning [2]. Jesus himself was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God [6]. The specific "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" mentioned in Matthew 12:31-32 is understood by some as the persistent and obstinate rejection of the Gospel, attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan [2, 6, 11].
Satan, whose name means "adversary" or "accuser" [3, 7, 8], is depicted in scripture as actively opposing God and his people. He is called "the accuser of the brethren" (Revelation 12:10) and seeks to undermine faith [8]. In the parable of the sower, for instance, Satan is described as coming to take away the word sown in people's hearts, preventing them from believing and being saved [4, 5, 12]. This suggests Satan's efforts to hinder the reception of God's word, rather than engaging in blasphemous thoughts during a specific act of Bible reading. Matthew Henry notes that Satan is a "sworn enemy to God and all good men," constantly seeking to cause mischief and tempt people to blaspheme God [10].
Therefore, while Satan actively works to oppose God's word and tempt individuals, the specific scenario of him having blasphemous thoughts during Bible reading in Matthew 12 is not directly addressed in the biblical text or its common interpretations. The passage focuses on Jesus' refutation of the Pharisees' accusations and his teaching on the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit [1, 11].
Sources
- Matthew “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? -- Matthew 12:26”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Blasphemy — in its technical English sense, signifies the speaking evil of God and in this sense it is found (Psalms 74:18; Isaiah 52:5; Romans 2:24) etc. But according to its derivation it may mean any species of calumny and abuse: see (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 18:6; Jude 1:9) etc. Blasphemy was punished by stoning, which was inflicted on the son of Shelomith. (Leviticus 24:11) On this charge both our Lord and St. Stephen were condemned to death by the Jews. The blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, (Matthew 12:32; Mark 3:28) consisted in attributing to the power of Satan tho”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Satan — The word itself, the Hebrew satan, is simply an "adversary," and is so used in (1 Samuel 29:4; 2 Samuel 19:22; 1 Kings 6:4; 11:14,23,25; Numbers 22:22,33; Psalms 109:6) This original sense is still found in our Lord's application of the name to St. Peter in (Matthew 16:23) It is used as a proper name or title only four times in the Old Testament, vis. (with the article) in (Job 1:6; 12; 2:1; Zechariah 2:1) and without the article in (1 Chronicles 21:1) It is with the scriptural revelation on the subject that we are here concerned; and it is clear, from this si”
- Luke “Luke 8:12 (LEB) — and those beside the path are the ones who have heard. Then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved.”
- Mark “Mark 4:15 (LITV) — And these are those by the wayside where the Word is sown. And when they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the Word having been sown in their hearts.”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Blasphemy — In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Ps. 74:18; Isa. 52:5; Rom. 2:24; Rev. 13:1, 6; 16:9, 11, 21. It denotes also any kind of calumny, or evil-speaking, or abuse (1 Kings 21:10; Acts 13:45; 18:6, etc.). Our Lord was accused of blasphemy when he claimed to be the Son of God (Matt. 26:65; comp. Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36). Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost (Matt. 12:31, 32; Mark 3:28, 29; Luke 12:10) is regarded by some as a continued and obstinate rejection of the gospel,”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Satan — Adversary; accuser. When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word so rendered has the article "the adversary" (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeable with Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than thirty times. He is also called "the dragon," "the old serpent" (Rev. 12:9; 20:2); "the prince of this world" (John 12:31; 14:30); "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2); "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4); "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). The distinct personality of Satan and h”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Accuser — Satan is styled the "accuser of the brethren" (Rev. 12:10. Comp. Job 1:6; Zech. 3:1), as seeking to uphold his influence among men by bringing false charges against Christians, with the view of weakening their influence and injuring the cause with which they are identified. He was regarded by the Jews as the accuser of men before God, laying to their charge the violations of the law of which they were guilty, and demanding their punishment. The same Greek word, rendered "accuser," is found in John 8:10 (but omitted in the Revised Version); Acts 23:30, 35; 2”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 12:24: 12:24 Satan: Greek Beelzeboul; see study note on 10:25.”
- Job (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Job 2:1: Satan, that sworn enemy to God and all good men, is here pushing forward his malicious prosecution of Job, whom he hated because God loved him, and did all he could to separate between him and his God, to sow discord and make mischief between them, urging God to afflict him and then urging him to blaspheme God. One would have thought that he had enough of his former attempt upon Job, in which he was so shamefully baffled and disappointed; but malice is restless: the devil and his instruments are so. Those that calumniate good people, and accuse them falsely, will have”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 12:32: 12:32 One may stumble over Jesus’ mysterious revelation of himself as Son of Man and be forgiven, but one cannot be forgiven for attributing the work of the Spirit to Satan. The present-day analogy is the outright rejection of the conviction of the Holy Spirit concerning Christ—that is, the ultimate rejection of the Good News by an unbeliever (cp. Heb 6:4-6; 1 Jn 5:16-21).”
- Luke (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Luke 8:12: 8:12 to have the devil come and take it away: Satan seeks to prevent unbelievers from seeing the truth.”
- Matthew (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Matthew 12:26: 12:26 Jesus argued, in essence, “If I cast out demons under the influence of Satan, then Satan is dividing his camp, which obviously would be a foolish thing for Satan to do.””