If you read the four gospels, you will notice a
common theme. All of Christ's teachings and words pointed to one thing: The condition of
man's heart. In the book of John 8: 2 - 10 we find the story of the adulterous woman. The
Pharisees caught her in the act and brought her to Jesus. The Jewish law commanded that
she be stoned and they wanted to know what he would say. "But Jesus stooped down and
with His finger wrote on the ground. But when they persisted in asking Him, He
straightened up, and said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let him be the first
to throw a stone at her.’" You see, the woman, like the tax-gatherer, KNEW she
was a sinner. Christ told her to "Go and sin no more." On the other hand, the
Pharisees did not even recognize themselves as sinners. And yet Christ compared the
Pharisees, the most respected religious group in His society, to corpses who were wrapped
white on the outside but were rotting on the inside.
The words spoken by David thousands of years before Christ still
held true in Christ's time as they do now. "A broken and a contrite heart Oh God,
thou will not despise." Psalms 51:17 Man has set up religious systems on earth that
include hierarchy, power, prestige, popularity, possessions and status. While these things
are both the creation and natural result of man's institutions, their existence can not
change one person’s heart. No position, no religion or institution can change a
person’s heart. Only God changes hearts and our hearts are the only thing God wants.
Man builds crystal cathedrals and ornate churches as an offering to
God. Yet, if you think about it, it is the height of arrogance to think that we can
impress God with our creations. God Himself states this very thing in Isaiah: 66:1-2 when
He says: "Thus says the Lord, 'Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.
Where then is a house you could build for Me? And where is a place that I may rest? For My
hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,' declares the Lord.
'But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who
trembles at My word.’"
I believe that throughout history man has found it much easier to
build magnificent cathedrals than to surrender his heart to God.
