"If justification depended on the perfection of our speech, none would stand" Wednesday of Sexagesima 2026

11. February 2026
Wednesday of Sexagesima
Matthew 12:30-37

Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come (Mt 12:31–32).

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Our Lord’s words in Matthew 12 are not mild. They are not therapeutic. They are not vague. They divide. “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.” (Matthew 12:30)

There is no neutral ground with Christ. No middle position. No safe religious distance where you can admire Him, appreciate His moral teaching, and yet remain uncommitted. You are either with Him or against Him. Either gathering into His kingdom, or scattering what He has sown.

This comes in the context of an accusation. The Pharisees had just claimed that Jesus casts out demons by the power of Beelzebub. They saw the work of God in front of their eyes—the blind healed, the mute speaking, demons driven out—and they attributed it to Satan. They were not ignorant. They were hostile.

And Jesus answers with clarity. A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Satan does not cast out Satan. If demons are being driven out, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

That is the point. The kingdom is not theoretical. It is present. It is embodied in Christ. And where Christ stands, the line is drawn.

There are only two kingdoms. The kingdom of God and the kingdom of the strong man. And Jesus says:

“Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” (Matthew 12:29)

He is the One who binds the strong man. The devil is not equal to Christ. He is not a rival deity. He is bound. Christ enters his house, tears his captives free, and carries them out. That is what exorcism is. That is what forgiveness is. That is what baptism is. A rescue operation.

You were not neutral before Christ found you. You were not spiritually independent. Scripture is blunt: dead in trespasses and sins. Under the dominion of darkness. And Christ came into that house and bound the strong man for you.

This is why neutrality is a lie. If you are not with Christ, you remain under another lord. Then our Lord speaks one of the most sobering warnings in all of Scripture:

“Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” (Matthew 12:31)

This is not about a stray word. It is not about a passing doubt. It is not about a troubled conscience fearing it has gone too far. The very fear of having committed this sin is evidence that you have not.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the hardened, persistent, willful rejection of the Spirit’s testimony about Christ. It is seeing the work of God and calling it demonic. It is hearing the Gospel and declaring it a lie. It is shutting your ears and hardening your heart until repentance becomes impossible—not because God is unwilling to forgive, but because you refuse the only means by which forgiveness comes.

The Spirit’s work is to testify to Christ. To bring sinners to repentance. To deliver forgiveness through the Word. To create faith. If that testimony is rejected and slandered to the end, there is nothing left. There is no other Savior. No other sacrifice. No other Gospel.

This is not meant to terrify the penitent. It is meant to warn the proud. Our age treats words lightly. Speech is entertainment. Expression is self-therapy. But Jesus does not treat words lightly. He continues:

“For a good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34)

Words are fruit. They reveal the tree. They expose the heart. You do not accidentally speak. You speak what fills you. Your mouth is a window into your heart. And that should make us uncomfortable.

Consider your speech. Not just the polished words. Not the ones you choose carefully in public. But the unguarded ones. The quick reactions. The sarcasm. The bitterness. The boasting. The subtle contempt. The complaint. If words flow from the abundance of the heart, then what does your speech reveal about what fills you?

We often try to manage fruit. Clean up the language. Modify the tone. Filter the expression. But Christ goes deeper. The problem is not primarily the tongue. It is the heart.

And this is where the Gospel must be heard clearly. If the tree is bad, fruit inspection will not save it. The tree must be made new. Christ does not merely trim branches. He dies. He rises. He gives His Spirit. He creates a new heart.

In baptism, the old tree is drowned. A new creation rises. The Spirit takes up residence. And where the Spirit dwells, new fruit begins to grow—not perfectly, not instantly, but truly. Then Jesus presses the point further:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things.” (Matthew 12:35)

Treasure. That is the word. What you treasure fills you. What fills you comes out. If you treasure resentment, it will surface. If you treasure status, it will show. If you treasure yourself above all, your speech will orbit around you.

But if Christ is your treasure—if His mercy, His cross, His righteousness fill you—then that too will come out. Forgiveness will not be theoretical. It will shape your words. Patience will not be sentimental. It will be spoken.

Then comes the final warning:

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment… For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:37)

Every idle word. Every careless, empty, wasted word. This is not an exaggeration. The Judge hears everything. And that should crush us. Because if justification depended on the perfection of our speech, none would stand.

But here is the deeper truth: you will be justified by your words because your words confess Christ. Faith speaks. The justified sinner says, “Lord, have mercy.” The justified sinner says, “Jesus is Lord.” The justified sinner speaks the Creed, prays the Lord’s Prayer, and receives Absolution.

It is not eloquence that saves. It is a confession. And confession is the fruit of faith.

On the Last Day, there will be two kinds of speech. One will say, “Depart from me.” The other will say, “Hosanna.” One will deny Him. The other will confess Him.

So examine your heart. Not to despair. But to repent. Where your speech reveals pride, repent. Where it reveals contempt, repent. Where it reveals fear or compromise, repent. Do not defend the old tree. Do not excuse the bad fruit. Bring it into the light.

Christ has bound the strong man. He has plundered his house. He has claimed you. He has forgiven you—not selectively, not partially, but entirely. Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men. That includes the sins of the tongue.

But do not treat that lightly. You belong to Him. You are not neutral. You are either gathering with Him or scattering. Let your mouth be filled with what fills heaven: the praise of the Lamb. Let your words align with your Lord. Let your confession be clear.

Because the kingdom has come upon you. And there is no middle ground.

This is the Word of the Lord that came to me, so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in His + Name. AMEN.

Rev. Christopher R. Gillespie
St. John Ev. Lutheran Church & School - Sherman Center
Random Lake, Wisconsin