THE HARDENED HEART
But 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? (Mark 8:17)
Jesus rebuked his disciples and described their hearts as hardened. The word that Jesus used carries the idea of ’covering with a thick skin’ or ’becoming dull in understanding’. Though He was the world’s greatest Teacher, Jesus experienced difficulty in getting his disciples to understand His message.
In this passage, the disciples of Jesus misinterpreted a statement He had made. He spoke about the ’leaven of the Pharisees’; in reference to the corrupting influence of the teaching of the Pharisees.
On hearing the word, ’leaven’, Jesus’ disciples assumed he was talking about bread and whether they had carried enough bread. It was not the only time they had so grossly misunderstood what Jesus meant, even though they spoke the same language as Him.
The term ’hardened heart’ is used to refer to a person who is so used to a particular idea that when a better one is shared with them, they refuse to take it on board. The disciples of Jesus were like that.
They were Jews who had grown up seeing the scriptures from the traditional perspective of their religious sects. When Jesus came, He shone a new light on the scriptures. It was that unique light that the disciples found challenging to receive.
If Jesus had such a problem with His first disciples, is it possible that He has similar issues with us? Could we also have hardened hearts such that the light of His word is not allowed to penetrate deeply within us?
Here are three things that can harden our hearts:
- Pride. Our hearts can be hardened when we think of ourselves higher and better than everyone else. Pride will lift our hearts above the word of the Lord.\
- Pain. Our hearts can be hardened when we go through painful experiences; especially repeated painful experiences.
- Power. Our hearts can also be hardened when we have so much power in this life. Power, whether through our positions or prosperity, can intoxicate us with our sense of greatness.
May the Lord help us to have a softened heart towards Him.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, touch my heart with your Spirit. Deliver me from anything that will harden my heart towards you. In Jesus name, Amen.
Scripture Reading: Mark 8:13-21
