Heart Condition

Mark 4:1-20

Since the heart is an internal organ, its health cannot be determined from outside the body.

Or can it?

There are many tell-tale signs which reveal the condition of the heart, even though the heart cannot be seen by the eye.

The color of the skin, the dilation of the eye, the pulse rate, the energy level, the blood pressure, they all reveal the present physical condition of the unseen heart.

In the same way, Jesus lets us know the condition of our Spiritual heart is also observable, even though the Spiritual heart itself remains unseen. This is more important for self-examination purposes than knowing the condition of our physical heart.

The first step is to allow the process, which is why Jesus speaks in parables. If you aren’t interested in knowing the condition of your Spiritual heart, just take the parables at face value. Think only of their physical meaning, and move along. They do have a physical meaning, and there is a degree of satisfaction in hearing about seeds and soils, especially in an agricultural society. “Yes, this is true teaching about seed and soil. But why is Jesus teaching about dirt?”

He isn’t. But only for those who are interested in the condition of their Spiritual heart for the purpose of knowing their eternal condition. We do know that God knows the condition of our heart. Even unbelievers sense that truth – if as much as they may hate to admit it. The question is: Are you interested? Or are you content to be willfully ignorant about your Spiritual heart – and therefore your eternal condition?

The “seed” Jesus speaks of is known to be good. Perfect, in fact. What could possibly keep it from growing? When we know the seed is good, if it doesn’t grow it’s because the soil is either hard, shallow, or corrupted by the presence of weeds. Will you allow that to speak to you about the present condition of your Spiritual heart?

-Pastor Bill