Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him…for it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach.
Here the Teacher rejects the prevalent religious tradition of ceremonial hand washing. Jesus knows it’s just silly or worse. It promises, but doesn’t deliver. Nothing changes!
If behavior is to change, first the heart must change!
After all, it's a heart problem. People do not say bad things because their tongues are evil. And hands only become instruments of murder when hatred or jealousy is in the heart.
Jesus gives a brilliant diagnosis of the root cause of every bad act - All these evils come from inside…
So naturally, this is where He desires to do His work in us! Rather than focusing on changing outward behavior, together with the Teacher we turn our attention inward.
His diagnosis exposes the quackery of any religion that primarily seeks to control or change outward behaviors. A list of do’s and don’ts while the heart is left untouched!
In fact, most religion is just stops signs and speed limits. It tells what to do, but provides no help to do them.
Jesus offers this more practical paradigm: Change the heart – change the behavior!
To accomplish this, an introduction is needed. Meet the Teacher who can change our behavior from the inside out!
This is what the University of Jesus is all about! Only as a student of this Teacher can we find power to change our behavior and do the good we desire – because only He can change our hearts.
And the heart is what needs to change!
ReplyDelete"All a man's ways seem right to him,
but the Lord weigh's the heart." Pr 16:2