Hard as a Rock

Acts 28:23-31

Scripture speaks often about hardened hearts and spiritual blindness. Either of these terms describes someone who refuses to acknowledge spiritual truth. They have heard, but they have rejected. It doesn’t usually happen overnight. Maybe it is a little like freezing on a mountain top. First the extremities go and then little by little other parts get cold and freeze until the whole body is frozen. Many mountain climbers are not even aware that they have lost fingers or toes. I believe that at some point in life everyone has been exposed to some glimmer of the light of truth. Some receive it and seek more; others either ignore or reject it. For those who accept and live in the light they have been given, more becomes evident. This is a promise that Jesus made to his disciples. For those who reject the light of truth (for whatever reasons) a light layer of resistance forms around their heart (or spirit) and the next time the truth is a little easier to ignore or reject. The ears are filled with a little wax and the eyes gain a little film and sight and hearing are impeded. The process continues until one is spiritually deaf and blind. There is nothing that stirs the heart. Psalm 95 says “Today if you hear the Lord, harden not your heart.” If our hearts are hardened, it is not because the Lord stops trying to communicate, it is because we stop hearing/seeing/responding.

Those who came to see Paul, under house arrest in Rome, had heard about the troublesome sect called people of the way. They were curious. They had one of the most knowledgeable leaders available to teach, dialogue, and demonstrate what it means to be a follower of Christ. For two years Paul had an open door policy. They could “know Christ and the power of his resurrection” but they hardened their hearts to the truth. Paul becomes frustrated with them and bluntly tells them that if they refuse to hear there will be others (the gentiles) who will open their hearts. Christ will have disciples, they just won’t be the Jews who were privileged to hear the good news first.

In this day and age we are continually bombarded with words. (In the middle ages only the few had the written words of scripture. Stained glass windows were not only for ornamentation, but were to tell the stories of Jesus without words.) It is easy for the important words to get lost in the midst of repetitious advertising, continual music, constant texting, etc. But more importantly it is easy for us set aside those words to attend the urgent but unimportant.

Lest we get hung up on thinking that truth is only presented in words, I remind you that truth also comes by seeing, by being aware and observant of what is around us. Too often we look without seeing. We don’t take the time to ask ourselves what is the meaning in what we are seeing. We look at gray hair and make an appointment with the hairdresser. Instead of seeing that time is passing and there are things to be accomplished before time on this earth is no more. We see pollution in the air and remind ourselves to get the car serviced rather than think about what our passion for gas-guzzling trucks SUVs, and motor homes do to the environment.

It is an awesome thought that if we ignore truth of the moment that there will come a time when we are no longer able to detect truth at all. God does not refuse to communicate. The world is filled with his truth. It is we who no longer have any sensitivity left. As Paul told his visitors, God is not dependent on you or me. If we refuse to hear, Jesus said that even the stones could ring out in praise. It is we who need the life-saving truth of Jesus Christ. Today if we hear the voice of God, if we are given sight to see let us not harden our hearts. Amen.