Matthew 12:43-45
“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”
It’s really easy to get distracted by Jesus’ dark imagery on this one. Yet perhaps the reasoning for it is because the potential consequences are so very dire. Once we get past that it becomes clear that he’s saying it’s not enough to eliminate the bad because it leaves a void. If not refilled deliberately with good things, bad things will find their way back in. In the case of sin, they don’t just spawn out of nothing after all, each person responds from their own heart. So if our heart is wounded it will more likely respond in ugly shortsighted ways.
It’s also easy to just label things wrong or evil. it’s not as easy to stop and consider how these sins we struggle with may actually be a misguided coping mechanism. Removing even dysfunctional mechanisms recklessly without a replacement will produce consequences, and ultimately backsliding. That’s why we must face the wound behind our sins, and not just the sin itself. As I said upfront, we must do more than break cycles, we must replace them.
Ephesians 4:22-24 puts it this way.
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
It doesn’t just say take off the old self, nor just put on the new self, but both. If we just took off the old self we would be left spiritually naked and vulnerable. If we just put on the new self, the old would soil the new. If we only focus on one side of it, we are only setting ourselves up for failure. Yet there is a third point in-between, about the attitude of the mind. This is key to breaking unconscious behavioral cycles.
Consider Matthew 19:16-22
Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
In the original Greek the word translated perfect, can also mean complete. Which may fit better with the actual question of “What do I still lack?” A curious way to put it, but it indicates he knew something was missing and was looking for answers to fill his emptiness. Despite all his wealth, he still did not feel whole. We don’t know how he came to put all his hope into money, or what happened to him afterwards. Since he chose to walk away from the answer at that moment. He didn’t even try to question or argue with Jesus. The only thing certain was he refused to change when told what he lacked. So the wholeness of heart he sought could not be found, since he refused to accept what the real problem was, misplaced hope. Like I said up front, healing cannot happen from a distance. Our flaws must be faced to overcome them.
A specific detail I noticed about this passage this time around is that when asked, what commandments should I follow, Jesus doesn’t say all of them; he gets specific. You may have heard that the Ten Commandments are divided into our relationship with God, and our relationships with one another. The six mentioned are all the commandments that deal with others, not God. It’s like Jesus is leading him to his ultimate answer. Letting us know that there is more to caring about others than mere commands. Even if we don’t break said commandments, it doesn’t automatically make us sincere. Do we also think of ourselves as more righteous than we really are similarly? Technically within the letter of the law, yet insincere in its application. Do we like the rich man only care about ourselves, not others? This insincerity points to the flaws within our hearts. Are you willing to face your areas of insincerity?
We see a very different response in John 4:13-26 & 39-42
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.”
“Which ones?” he inquired.
Jesus replied, “ ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“All these I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”
Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.”
In the original Greek the word translated perfect, can also mean complete. Which may fit better with the actual question of “What do I still lack?” A curious way to put it, but it indicates he knew something was missing and was looking for answers to fill his emptiness. Despite all his wealth, he still did not feel whole. We don’t know how he came to put all his hope into money, or what happened to him afterwards. Since he chose to walk away from the answer at that moment. He didn’t even try to question or argue with Jesus. The only thing certain was he refused to change when told what he lacked. So the wholeness of heart he sought could not be found, since he refused to accept what the real problem was, misplaced hope. Like I said up front, healing cannot happen from a distance. Our flaws must be faced to overcome them.
A specific detail I noticed about this passage this time around is that when asked, what commandments should I follow, Jesus doesn’t say all of them; he gets specific. You may have heard that the Ten Commandments are divided into our relationship with God, and our relationships with one another. The six mentioned are all the commandments that deal with others, not God. It’s like Jesus is leading him to his ultimate answer. Letting us know that there is more to caring about others than mere commands. Even if we don’t break said commandments, it doesn’t automatically make us sincere. Do we also think of ourselves as more righteous than we really are similarly? Technically within the letter of the law, yet insincere in its application. Do we like the rich man only care about ourselves, not others? This insincerity points to the flaws within our hearts. Are you willing to face your areas of insincerity?
We see a very different response in John 4:13-26 & 39-42
The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
“I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.””
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.””
Here there are no excuses, no denials, and no running away, but rather engagement. Jesus responds not with criticism or judgment, but by sharing great truths with her. Not about her errors though. Instead, he speaks of worship and salvation. Why is this? Could he be focused more on solutions because she had effectively owned her problem already? So he offers her an alternative, what she could be filling the void with. Instead of condemning the questionable things she was trying to fill the emptiness with. A solution Jesus himself wants to be a part of. What are we focused on with ourselves and others; the solution, or the problem? Not only that she shared her experience with others, and they engaged Jesus as well. She is already starting to experience the “set apart” life by touching the lives of others. This is critical for the full restoration of the heart.
Let me wrap up by repeating my opening statement. Wounds cause negative cycles, but it’s not enough to break cycles, we must replace them. Healing of said wounds cannot be achieved at a distance. What cycles do you need to replace? Are you trying to prune the proverbial weeds from a distance with no results? It's not enough to identify problems, we must deal with them. Otherwise, they just turn into excuses, a place to shift the blame from self.
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers. They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.””
Here there are no excuses, no denials, and no running away, but rather engagement. Jesus responds not with criticism or judgment, but by sharing great truths with her. Not about her errors though. Instead, he speaks of worship and salvation. Why is this? Could he be focused more on solutions because she had effectively owned her problem already? So he offers her an alternative, what she could be filling the void with. Instead of condemning the questionable things she was trying to fill the emptiness with. A solution Jesus himself wants to be a part of. What are we focused on with ourselves and others; the solution, or the problem? Not only that she shared her experience with others, and they engaged Jesus as well. She is already starting to experience the “set apart” life by touching the lives of others. This is critical for the full restoration of the heart.
Let me wrap up by repeating my opening statement. Wounds cause negative cycles, but it’s not enough to break cycles, we must replace them. Healing of said wounds cannot be achieved at a distance. What cycles do you need to replace? Are you trying to prune the proverbial weeds from a distance with no results? It's not enough to identify problems, we must deal with them. Otherwise, they just turn into excuses, a place to shift the blame from self.
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