Rend Your Hearts

“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:28-31

             

It is a repeated message of Jesus that we should not live in fear.  In several places, he uses the phrase, “Do not fear, only believe.”  Easier said than done, Jesus.  And we might ask, can one both believe and still be afraid?  Here Jesus says that we should fear the one who can destroy the soul and the body.  The message of Ash Wednesday is still fresh in my mind and in particular a passage from Joel 2 that is used for this day each year.  “…return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing.”  I haven’t done the theological thinking or splicing to try to understand the differences between the term “heart” and the term “soul”, but I think they must be connected.  Jesus seems interested in our inward transformation.  So if one were to somehow destroy the heart, this may be a greater loss than anything that could happen to the body.

There are many ugly things taking place in the world today.  Many of these are much closer to our lives than we would like to admit.  There is a huge problem with sexual predation, with child pornography, with human trafficking, with the associated mental illness that often accompanies these areas of what can only be described as evil.  What is more disturbing is that many who perpetrate these behaviors have perfectly logical rationale for doing so.  This, to me, is the destruction or absence of the heart.  The conscience seems completely gone.  Someone or something has taken away the soul of those who would otherwise be doing some good in the world.  Much of it is secret and hidden, but as we start to see more attention given to this kind of crime in the world, some of it is starting to come to light.

I believe, according to this passage, that God can redeem even the deepest and darkest parts of the world—and even the deepest, darkest parts of the lives of those who are stuck in such horrors as these.  But without the Light, the darkness continues.  How is it that we are called to shine Light into these places?  How is it that God can use us to help bring about this inner transformation?  During this season of Lent, we have much to reflect upon as we think about the transforming love of Jesus—and the often repeated instruction he gives us—do not fear; only believe.  I think this must be the focus of our prayer as well as we look forward to the day of resurrection.  Peace be with each of you. . .