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From hardness of heart, and contempt of Thy Word and commandments, Good Lord Deliver Us
Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
We are finally at the end of the list of personal impediments, the heart blockages that interfere with our walk with Jesus. Those listed above may be the biggest hurdles of all.
C.S. Lewis wrote a short little book called The Great Divorce. It was not a marriage primer but about an odd bus ride to the gates of Heaven. The people who took the bus had the opportunity to enter into glory if they would but ask, Some never got off the bus, hiding under the seats, begging to be returned to the dark, others timidly got off and faced their choice.
In one chapter, Lewis contrasted two people who stood at the gates. One was a young man who had a lizard attached to his shoulder (Lewis’ picture of a lust). It whispered in his ear, warning about this awful place. The other was a mother who had lost a child, embittered, hateful and anguished at her loss. As they were about to enter, Christ met them. He asked both to give up those gripping sins. After some anguish, the young man gave in, the lizard was killed, transformed into a beautiful horse and he entered with joy, riding like the wind. The mother could not, even when she saw her lost child beckoning her in. She couldn’t let go, her heart so hardened by selfish grief, that she even blamed her child for her pain. Sadly she returned to the bus and the darkness.
Lewis concludes, saying that a hard heart is the most difficult condition of sin to let go of. Moreover, our hard hearts lead us to unbelief. We look at scripture and sneer, we treat the paths of God as foolish fantasy and turn and walk in darkness, armoring our hearts against all assaults of goodness and grace.
So now, examine your hearts, ask Jesus to open those closed places in your soul where grudges hide, old hurts are nurtured and hate is bred. Let go, ask for deliverance and keep those doors open to light, to forgiveness and healing. As best as you can, restore broken relationships, apologize and love. Then the Word of God will become fresh and life-giving, God’s commandments aren’t rules anymore, they become healing ointments that allow you to live free. The last castle you must surrender to Jesus will be the one most defended…your heart. Yet it is so worth it.
Peace, Phil Parsons.
P.S. An old favorite about a bad break-up, and a bad response,
As I read Phil’s words above, I was struck by how quickly – and how strongly – a movie clip came to mind. (By now, most of you should be realizing that I am the movie nut in all this; while Phil’s the story-teller and book quoter!)
Maybe it’s because of reading about Gene Hackman’s death which is still very much an ongoing news story – but he’s always been one of my favorite actors and I’ve been lately remembering many of his roles. Most notably in this context, was his role of Avery Tolar in the 1993 movie “The Firm.” Tolar was Mitch McDeere’s (Tom Cruise) assigned mentor at the “Firm,” a Memphis law firm that it turns out were the lawyers for the Chicago Mob. Crass, bold, outspoken, and seemingly made of steel, Tolar clearly didn’t give a rip about anything or anyone other than his own selfish interests. A “hardened heart?” He was perhaps the paradigmatic example of what Phil outlines above.
As you watch this clip, Mitch’s wife Abby (Perfectly played by Jeanne Tripplehorn) exposes the lie and not only reflects how utterly broken Avery was (who had been murdered by his own colleagues at this point), but she points out to her husband, “He was decent, and corrupt, and ruined, and so unhappy… And it could have happened to you – all of it – you were on your way.”
What hits home to me in this, is the fact that a hardened heart isn’t an instantaneous thing. Sometimes it happens so gradually and subtly that we aren’t even aware of it – until it’s too late. Maybe one step at a time, we gradually grow inured to our hypocrisy and lack of charity, until we arrive at the point of not caring about anyone or anything OTHER than ourselves and our own selfish interests.
When we look around and are – at least to some extent – amazed at the hard-hearted attitudes and actions that supposed Christians are so willing and able to exhibit, perhaps we should hear again Abby McDeere’s words that might well be a message to all of us. It could happen to us also. We might well be on our way without even realizing it. The good news? Hearts can heal; damage can be repaired, and light always chases the darkness away – for those willing to throw open the curtains of our souls.