We can’t hide from our hearts
by Jeremy Lie
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You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (Matthew 12:34).
Read Matthew 12:33–42
Jesus takes his mission seriously and holds all those who join him to high account. In today’s passage, Jesus rips into the Pharisees, calling them vipers. He reinforces what we reflected on yesterday: the more important change is not a change of behaviour but a change of heart, because a change of heart will produce a change of habit but not necessarily the other way around. Christian discipleship is not a checklist activity full of rules and regulations. And God is not a far-off, distant God waiting for us to stuff up so he can reprimand us for our inability to live up to his perfect standards. God. Is. Love. God is relationship, and that’s what God desires for us.
For the disciples, striving to do what Jesus did only got them so far. Only by being with Jesus did they begin to become like him and see the world through his eyes. More often than not, the gospel writers don’t just tell us what Jesus did but, firstly, how Jesus felt.
We see Jesus’ heart when he has compassion on the crowds – for they are like sheep without a shepherd – even though Jesus himself was grieving over the beheading of his cousin and close friend, John the Baptist. We see Jesus’ heart when he weeps for his friend Lazarus. We see Jesus’ heart when he is outraged at the monetisation of the temple. You get the picture. It is not the goal of discipleship to simply do what the rabbi did but, in essence, to be who the rabbi was (and is).
We learn in today’s passage that we cannot hide from our hearts. They will always bleed through in our words and actions. And I think it’s apt that Jesus uses a fruit analogy here. The purpose of fruit is to be picked by others. Fruit is a selfless gift of generosity that benefits the surrounding ecosystem and community. Left for too long without being picked, the fruit will eventually begin to rot and decompose. Or, if there is a sickness in the tree, the fruit will be poisoned, spreading its toxicity throughout the community.
Jesus’ heart is always other-facing. It is feeble to want to change because we want to benefit ourselves. Jesus grows us so that those who feel far from God’s love might be brought closer.
We pray: Jesus, show us your heart. May our own hearts be softened so you might mould and shape us into selfless love. Please help us to feel what you feel when you come across those in need. Help us to walk in gentleness and humility when we encounter those who are difficult to be with. Help us to be a pure reflection of the love you have for the world. Amen.
Jeremy worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He volunteers to coordinate Our Saviour Youth and works alongside the worship team to organise their monthly ALTER worship service. He also enjoys playing in the band and making coffee after services.
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