Hard Hearts
This morning our men finished Luke 7 and the story about the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with oil after she washed them with her tears and her hair at the home of Simon, the Pharisee. It is a moving story of how much this sinful woman loved Jesus for forgiving her many sins. She was simply overcome with repentance and faith that produces an unhindered expression of her love for her Savior. I wish we could all be as uninhibited as she was.
However, Simon was the other main character in the story. He had invited Jesus to his home for a meal. We are not told why he asked Jesus to come, but soon, it becomes evident as we read the account. He was not believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. He was seeking to assess who Jesus was, and He decided Jesus was not a prophet, since He allowed this sinner to touch Him. In addition to that he did not perform the common courtesies for any guest. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss, give Him water to wash His feet, or give him oil to anoint His head. All of these omissions point to the fact that Simon had a "hard heart" of unbelief. He was not seeking to believe in Jesus or to obey Him. He was seeking to inspect Him and find a problem. This is definitely not love. It was skepticism from a cold, hard heart that wanted to have its own way.
We must be quick to guard against having hard hearts, too. It is easy to slip away from Jesus and to begin to be proud. It is easy to begin to think we know the truth and to be closed to any further knowledge of God's will. It can happen to us even if we are conservative Christians. We must not become like Simon and miss loving Jesus completely, because we think we are righteous. Instead, we are to constantly search our hearts to see if there are any sins to confess. That will keep our hearts soft toward Him. Then, we can love Jesus like this woman did, and we can express it every day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 11-13.
However, Simon was the other main character in the story. He had invited Jesus to his home for a meal. We are not told why he asked Jesus to come, but soon, it becomes evident as we read the account. He was not believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior. He was seeking to assess who Jesus was, and He decided Jesus was not a prophet, since He allowed this sinner to touch Him. In addition to that he did not perform the common courtesies for any guest. He did not greet Jesus with a kiss, give Him water to wash His feet, or give him oil to anoint His head. All of these omissions point to the fact that Simon had a "hard heart" of unbelief. He was not seeking to believe in Jesus or to obey Him. He was seeking to inspect Him and find a problem. This is definitely not love. It was skepticism from a cold, hard heart that wanted to have its own way.
We must be quick to guard against having hard hearts, too. It is easy to slip away from Jesus and to begin to be proud. It is easy to begin to think we know the truth and to be closed to any further knowledge of God's will. It can happen to us even if we are conservative Christians. We must not become like Simon and miss loving Jesus completely, because we think we are righteous. Instead, we are to constantly search our hearts to see if there are any sins to confess. That will keep our hearts soft toward Him. Then, we can love Jesus like this woman did, and we can express it every day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 11-13.