Remorse

Matthew 26: 26

Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.

We can all tell when someone is genuinely sorry for their actions. Our capacity for truly heartfelt remorse is usually held in inverse proportion to our level of pride.

It's true that there are certain situations and certain people we would rather drop dead in front of than to show a crack in our defenses. That may be due to fear of being trampled on and I don't want to minimize this. I've felt this way before and it can be very legitimate.  But generally speaking, we just plain old don't want to show any kind of softness. Pride makes us tough and tough is cool--especially for men (but increasingly true for women as well). The problem with "toughness" is that sooner or later we wake up with a heart of stone.

Let's think about it. Who was more macho than Peter? He was the outspoken leader of the disciples. He was the sword wielding ear chopper in the garden. He was the brave one who stepped out of the boat. He was the one who refused the foot washing. He stood up before thousands of people and courageously preached the gospel. But, though we could call him a "man's man," Peter's heart remained soft. I have come to believe that remorse is one of the most reliable indicators of two things: 1. humility, and 2. a soft, fleshy heart. A heart of flesh is a heart that can feel empathy, remorse, and compassion. It is also true that hearts of stone cannot really love.

One of the promises God made to Israel in the Old Testament is found in the book of Ezekiel. He tells them there will come a day when, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Have you a heart of flesh? Your ability to show remorse is a telltale sign.

The Possibilities are Endless

Matthew 19:26

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Easter isn't too far off so why not start thinking about it? Bunnies and other silly nonsense aside, there's an interesting tidbit to chew on if we take a moment. The resurrection is, of course, the main focus for Christians and what a wonderful thing it is! But, not everyone believes in the resurrection. Some don't believe such a thing is possible because they don't believe God exists. Now, if I didn't believe in God I wouldn't believe in things like resurrections or prayer either. But there are such convincing clues pointing to the existence of God that only willful blindness could drive me down the path of unbelief. 

The resurrection, to me, is a small step once belief in God is established. Incredible? Yes--and wonderful too. I believe in the resurrection, in part, because all things are possible with God. 

Peter's Eggs

Psalm 119:97-100

Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for the are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your [word]. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. 

I made eggs for Peter this morning and what a time we had. I crafted them with the greatest of care and presented them to him on our finest pea green plastic saucer. To my chagrin he turned his nose up at them when I tried to fork them into his mouth. Monster! I determined to remain calm and tried again. My persistence paid of to the extent I got them into his mouth for approximately "2 Mississippi." Out they came again!

Then he smiled at me with sparkling eyes and clapped. He enthusiastically yelled, "DA DA!" And then proceeded to pick them up off his tray and eat them all by himself. I sighed, shrugged and started forking the eggs onto his tray instead. He devoured them by the fistful. It seems Peter loves to feed himself, thank you very much.

How about you? Are you a self-feeder when it comes to the Word of God? Howard Hendricks wrote Living by the Book, a very good guide to learning how to study the Bible for yourself. In it he says that the first hurdle anyone has to overcome in self feeding is learning how to read. Really. He asserts we don't read well enough and we should practice as much as we can. Reading, like so many things may come more naturally to some than to others, but nowhere do we read in Scripture that only the "readers" are to read. So how's your self-feeding going?



Note: Those of you with keen eyes will notice that eggs aren't blue. Yes, this pic is of blueberry pancakes, but I think you get the idea.

The Impossible Sermon

Have you ever read Jesus "Sermon on the Mount" and finished with a sense of despair? I challenge you to read Matthew 5-7 now if you have the time and then finish reading this entry. But, if you don't have time here are a few impossible morsels:

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad..." vs 5:11-12a
"Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven," vs19
"Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven." vs 20
"Anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgement." vs22
"Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery..." vs28
"If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away..." vs30
"If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also." vs39

This is just a sampling. Yikes!

The question is, "Why would Jesus preach this way?" Did he not know he was asking the impossible? The people already held the pharisees in high regard for their extreme dedication to following every conceivable law and religious regulation. Now they are being told that the pharisees have missed the mark too? Who then can be saved? Despair!

In Fyodor Dostoevsky's classic novel The Brothers Karamazov the description is given of a reclusive ascetic monk named Father Farapont. All the monks at the monastery and all in the town lived in awe of him. He ate nothing but crusty bread and drank nothing but water. He fasted for days and always wore a belt of extremely heavy weights to keep himself "humble" through self-mortification. None was more perfect in holiness, yet he harbored a secret hatred for Father Zosima who lived joyfully by the simple principles of grace from God and mercy to others. The contrast between these two friars is striking and we must not miss the point: We are saved only by grace.

Jesus did know he was preaching the impossible and he did it on purpose. The reason is that he knew that unless people sense their utter lostness and inability to meet God's standards they will not really understand grace. The point of the Sermon on the Mount, in my mind, and Dostoevsky's point as well, is to knock out of us any ridiculous pharisaical notion that we can somehow earn God's favor by being good or righteous. If we miss this point we are likely to turn into holy monsters.

Jesus came to die on a cross so I might come and die there too. He died physically so that my death might be of a different kind. All who seek salvation and the favor of God must die to the lie that Father Farapont believed, namely, that God will love me most if I suffer most. The crushing weight of the law, works, good deeds and holiness cannot save any soul. Remember, Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

So, the next time you read the "Sermon on the Mount" remember grace and be glad! Amen.