The disciples of Jesus were part of two great miracles. But still,
The feeding of the four thousand – Mark 8:17, 18 “And Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?””
The feeding of the five thousand – Mark 6:52 “For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened.”
What happens when my heart is hardened?
I would lack the ability to perceive and understand God’s ways. Every day and every moment of our life is filled with God’s doing within and without us. And God wants us to understand that which He is doing in and through our life, so that we may learn His ways and also be thankful to Him. It also helps us to become mature Christians.
How to know whether my heart is hardened and how to avoid its hardening?
1. When I worship God only with my lips and not with my life
I worship, sing songs to God, read the Bible only as a tradition. I do because I have been doing it for many years! (Mark 7:3 “observing”) I am involved in all such spiritual activities, but my thoughts are filled with something else. My lips move, but my heart is mute! “I have become as a sounding brass or a clanging cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1)
I look very good clean “outside” (Mark 7:4,5) but my “inside” is stinking (Mark 7:14, 15, 21-23). I could even be a teacher or a preacher! (Mark 7:7)
How is the “inside” of me today? Is it filled with evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, evil eye, blasphemy, pride and foolishness?
We enjoy LIVE worship, but more than that we need to enjoy LIFE worship!
2. When I am not willing to help someone who is not in my “accepted” list or whom I don’t like
Am I willing to help those who are not related to me, who come to me seeking help? People who are not in my “accepted” circle because of their education, their family background, their failures, their behaviour, etc. If I am in a position to help such and don’t do so, then my heart is hardened!
3. When I am quick enough to speak and not open enough to listen
Mark 7:31-37 talks about Jesus healing a deaf mute. The bible says he “was deaf and had an impediment in his speech” (Mark 7:32)
His deafness had caused that impediment in his speech. How is my speech? How are my words?
- do they heal others or hurt others?
- do they encourage others or discourage others?
- do they build others or break others?
How do I react when people say something against me or that which I don’t like?
Quite recently I went to Hyderabad where I was put up in a guest house. In the bathroom in my room there was this cute little geyser. It was high there mounted on the wall.
When I closely looked at it, one thing attracted my attention.
And I came to terms with a beautiful truth. As you see in the picture there are two tubes, one is an “in let” for cold water and the other is an “out let” for hot water. And there is a small valve in which it is written “DO NOT DISTURB”.
The bible says, “What you say flows from what is in your heart.” (Luke 6:45 NLT)
Like the geyser until there is a proper supply of cold water and the machine works well, there is no problem. But what happens when it is disturbed? It might send out only hot water which when used will burn the skin. How am I when I am disturbed? Until no one disturbs me, I might seem good to all. But when someone says something against me or spreads false rumours about me, how do I react?
One another thing that I enjoyed seeing in this geyser was the auto cut-off. When the water reached the optimum heat, the power cuts off automatically, avoiding over heating. Does my heart have a auto-cut? Or if not, am I uncontrollable at such a situation?
“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
And we also need to listen to God and listen to others, before we speak! Even as we are called to be transformed in the image and likeness of Christ, let this Messianic prophecy be true in our lives too, “The Lord God has given Me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to hear as the learned.” (Isaiah 50:4)
4. When I feel sorry for someone, but do nothing about it
The NLT translation says, “I feel sorry for these people” and like Jesus many a times we too feel sorry for others. But compassion needs to couple with action. Because feeling sorry for others is easy, but doing something to meet their need takes effort. Many a times we would excuse ourselves saying “I feel like doing something for him/her, but I do not have the resource.” But when we really want to do something for others and with faith and prayer, when we step out, God will provide the resource.
Here we also see that which the disciples said, “How can one satisfy these people with bread here in the wilderness?” (Mark 8:4) And Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” (Mark 8:5)
The disciples look at the need and the means to meet it in a general context, distancing themselves away from it – “How can one…” But Jesus makes the context specific and personalises it – “How many…. do you have” Whenever we see a need, we got to ask this question, “What can I do about this?”
When we give what we have, the Lord not only multiplies, people are also filled and there is overflowing abundance!
The next time when we look at our spouse, children, parents, grandparents, friends, neighbours, colleagues, students, teachers, milkman, postman, housemaid, etc., or at least when we know that they are in need let’s ask this question “What can I do for him/her?” and find ways to help!
“Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion…” (Psalm 95:8)
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
Break me, melt me,
Mould me, fill me,
Spirit of the living God,
Fall afresh on me.
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