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The Heart of the Matter
Joe Killian • October 20, 2016
I once attended a men's Bible Study where the men discussed the merits of living life righteously. Being the new guy I sat back and listened. When the facilitator asked me for my opinion I said, "I think it depends on where a person's heart is." The debate continued as the guys all gave their definitions of living a Christian life. When asked for my thoughts a second time I said, "It depends on where a person's heart is." "But!" was the first word spoken by several guys as they sought to explain themselves. Who really has the right concept of living? Here is how Jesus deals with the issue in this week's Gospel.
Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, ‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14
In his mind the Pharisee actually thinks he is "better" than everyone else. He lists the flaws of humanity that make him feel good about himself. He describes his good behaviors, fasting and tithing, that make him grateful. But Jesus obviously sees things differently because He sees where a person's heart is.
As I write this I realize that I have set myself up for a pat on the back. (This isn't sounding very humble, Joe.) I had gotten to the core of the issue in the Bible Study and the facilitator eventually agreed by coming back to my statement. "Joe I think you might be onto something with the heart." This week's Gospel makes it very clear. We see in the tax collector a contrite heart that acknowledges his need for mercy. His humility demonstrates a "right" heart towards God. It is not what we think of ourselves and our behaviors that matters. A humble heart! That is authentic Christian living.
Where is your heart right now? Oh and as for me being right about righteous living, here's what I have to say now.
O God, be merciful to me a sinner.
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
