To remake lives, start on the inside
Matthew 15:10-12, 15-20
10 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’… 15 But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ 16 Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’
Jesus and the Pharisees and the scribes have just had a debate in which the Pharisees wanted to know why Jesus and his followers did not do ritual washing of their hands and pots and dishes. The scribes and Pharisees were concerned Jesus and his followers were sinning by not doing the ritual washing. To be clear the debate was not about hygiene, it was about sin, wrongdoing, and guilt before God.
Jesus makes clear sinful patterns of behaviour arise from the heart, from inside a person. Actions like violence and slander, like lying and malicious intent, these arise from things lying deep in the human heart. The changes needed to address this contamination are not so form of exterior washing – no, the only way to change is an interior washing, being made new on the inside. In fact the exterior behaviour of a person may be good, but inside the human heart there may be malicious thoughts, evil intention, etc.
The story is told about a child in church. They were standing on a pew. Their parent told the child to sit down, but they would not. Finally, the parent forced the child to sit. To which the child said, “But I am still standing up on the inside.” The child was correct, proper external behaviour does nothing to address the root causes of evil, destructive behaviour. What we need is a heart transplant. We need God to remake our interior lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Getting the outside behaviour correct by imposing patterns of behaviour on people does not change people’s motivations, attitudes. New attitudes, new motivation comes about only from the inner life being made new.
To be a follower of Jesus, a disciple, is to let the Holy Spirit start giving us a heart transplant.
PRAYER:
Lord God, we need our lives transformed by the Holy Spirit. Come to us again and remake us from the inside out. Wash our hearts clean that we might live for you with our exterior lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.