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Why reason ye in your hearts
Why reason ye in your hearts?
The Pharisees overheard Jesus say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” and asked among themselves, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies?” “And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22)
As Jesus went about doing good He perceived from time to time that someone would tune in to His mission or purpose and indeed start to realize who He was. This time, with the Pharisees, was different than the others. Usually when the scribes or Pharisees mumbled to themselves, Jesus blasted them for being treacherous to the Kingdom of God. But this time He was pleasant, as if He saw in them a glimmer of hope. For a moment they asked within themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” … They thought, “Maybe this is Messiah.”
Jesus perceived this and was willing to take them a little farther, and so to accomplish this, He showed them a miracle. The Mark 2 account records no negative reaction, but rather a response as “...insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”
Why reason ye in your hearts? Do you have an opinion about the motivations of Jesus? Was He a performing a true miracle? Was it just hypnotism? Was it fraud or deception? Why have you formed that opinion? You must never underestimate the power of the Scriptures on this regard. When these stories are read, they demand an opinion. Information creates an opinion. You must decide whether to believe or not. Jesus perceived they were approaching faith as they watched Him. He gave them more information to process as He asked, “What are you thinking?”
We must ask ourselves what are we thinking as we listen to Christ make assertions, such as, “I am the door… anyone climbing up some other way is a thief.” (John 10:1) When we hear Him plainly say that He is the ONLY way, what reason ye in your hearts? What about when He says, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) When Jesus makes Himself equal with God, what reason ye in your hearts? Do you search for or invent ways for His message to be different than it is written, or do you accept it as an accurate record? Why are you reasoning in your heart?
When our Lord makes demands like, “Take no thought for your life,” why reason you in your heart? What about when He says, “No man can serve two masters,” or “Judge not, that ye be not judged” or “…depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you” Consider to yourself what Christ asks, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
Listen closely as you study your Bible, or as you meditate, or as you listen in prayer, or as you listen to others minister the Word of God. Listen to what you reason in your heart. We may be dismissing God’s Word, His revelation, or His miracle by lack of sound reasoning. Is your reasoning carrying you toward Christ or away from Him? Is your inclination to believe and follow, or doubt and prove in order to hold to your own way? “What reason ye in your hearts?” “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
When demand is made on us by way of the Scriptures, ministry, or revelation, or even by life’s burdens, we may be prone to excuse our behavior. For some reason of incompatibility between the source of this demand and our “peculiar” circumstances we dismiss it as impertinent. We must be very careful with conviction. Our consciences are the ONLY natural sense that can keep us along the way and recover us when we falter. We must consider the care of our convictions and promptings as important or more so, than the care of our sight or hearing, knowing that when it's gone there is no second chance[1].
Sometimes in traumatic situations the human psyche has the ability to block out facts seen and heard, skew them into fantastic illusion and believe them. We have all disbelieved what we saw or heard in some painful or frightening situation.
Disregarding Our Consciences
We know it is possible to DISREGARD what we take into our five senses. We also know that a constant disregard can lead to a numbing or in some cases an atrophied condition of the senses that can cause a dangerous situation. So it is with our consciences. If we disregard or explain away our discomfort, we run a risk of losing the most valuable sense we have – the sense of right and wrong – the sense that our acts are hurting our God, thwarting His purposes, short-circuiting His plan, or breaking His Commandments.
The conscience is more than knowing. The word is a Latin cognate (com- + scire) that means exactly that – more than knowing. The Scripture mentions it, using the Greek word suneidesis {soon-i'-day-sis} to know within. I am convinced that it is “the light” John spoke of. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) It is the lamp to our path – the Word of God to our heart to lead us to Christ. John recognized it, Paul protected it, and Peter saw it as a guide toward righteousness.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)
And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. …And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 23:1 - Acts 24:16
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1 Timothy 1:19)
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (1 Peter 2:19)
Your conscience is protected by your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. You protect it by never grieving your guide (the Holy Spirit), by remaining pliable, willing, and subject to the subtlest movement of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the force by which you are sealed unto the day of redemption. To interfere with, frustrate, or grieve Him is a dangerous action.
The apostle warns in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” It would behoove us to cultivate this sense, attempt to increase our sensitivity to that which displeases God so that our actions would be more in line with His will and way.
As this sensitivity improves, it starts to merge with our other physical senses and soon we can know good and evil by sight, by touch, and intuition. The writer of Hebrews claims this intuition is the mark of one who has come to full age in Christ. “… even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
The Pharisees in the story were on the verge of recognizing Messiah and possibly believing on Him and changing their entire destiny. They were playing games of rationalization, justification and in their own minds, they finally decided that if someone was wrong, they reasoned, it had to be this carpenter’s boy. Alas, they reasoned – they reasoned incorrectly. They toyed with their better judgment – their conscience. They ignored the truth that was becoming apparent to them. They turned from the light given them that day. They shunned their conscience and in doing so, they shunned the God of the whole earth. Maybe the Spirit would deal with them again, possibly once more, twice perhaps – who’s to say?
You must protect your conscience. It is your only defense against an insincere conformity to religious codes. It is your first defense against sin. It is your lifesaver when you stumble. Remember 1 Timothy 4:2, and the use of the phrase”… having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” A sinful man with no conscience is in a condition of little hope – a religious man without one is likely a hypocrite.
The Pharisees moved, slowly but surely, through this time of reasoning to final and total rejection of the Messiah. Although total apostasy may be remote for you, you may find yourself with severe gaps in theology, understanding, or comprehension of spiritual concepts and values.
When you encounter pricks in your conscience, don’t reason it away. When you feel leadings of the Spirit, convictions of displeasing behavior, you must be quick to respond.
When at the crossroads of decision, see clearly in your mind the Lord Jesus, perceiving the movement of the Spirit in you, looking your way, and asking, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Mentioned in this episode:
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By Don C. Harris (AP)Why reason ye in your hearts?
The Pharisees overheard Jesus say, “Thy sins be forgiven thee” and asked among themselves, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies?” “And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8, Luke 5:22)
As Jesus went about doing good He perceived from time to time that someone would tune in to His mission or purpose and indeed start to realize who He was. This time, with the Pharisees, was different than the others. Usually when the scribes or Pharisees mumbled to themselves, Jesus blasted them for being treacherous to the Kingdom of God. But this time He was pleasant, as if He saw in them a glimmer of hope. For a moment they asked within themselves, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” … They thought, “Maybe this is Messiah.”
Jesus perceived this and was willing to take them a little farther, and so to accomplish this, He showed them a miracle. The Mark 2 account records no negative reaction, but rather a response as “...insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.”
Why reason ye in your hearts? Do you have an opinion about the motivations of Jesus? Was He a performing a true miracle? Was it just hypnotism? Was it fraud or deception? Why have you formed that opinion? You must never underestimate the power of the Scriptures on this regard. When these stories are read, they demand an opinion. Information creates an opinion. You must decide whether to believe or not. Jesus perceived they were approaching faith as they watched Him. He gave them more information to process as He asked, “What are you thinking?”
We must ask ourselves what are we thinking as we listen to Christ make assertions, such as, “I am the door… anyone climbing up some other way is a thief.” (John 10:1) When we hear Him plainly say that He is the ONLY way, what reason ye in your hearts? What about when He says, “I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30) When Jesus makes Himself equal with God, what reason ye in your hearts? Do you search for or invent ways for His message to be different than it is written, or do you accept it as an accurate record? Why are you reasoning in your heart?
When our Lord makes demands like, “Take no thought for your life,” why reason you in your heart? What about when He says, “No man can serve two masters,” or “Judge not, that ye be not judged” or “…depart from me, ye that work iniquity, I never knew you” Consider to yourself what Christ asks, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
Listen closely as you study your Bible, or as you meditate, or as you listen in prayer, or as you listen to others minister the Word of God. Listen to what you reason in your heart. We may be dismissing God’s Word, His revelation, or His miracle by lack of sound reasoning. Is your reasoning carrying you toward Christ or away from Him? Is your inclination to believe and follow, or doubt and prove in order to hold to your own way? “What reason ye in your hearts?” “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
When demand is made on us by way of the Scriptures, ministry, or revelation, or even by life’s burdens, we may be prone to excuse our behavior. For some reason of incompatibility between the source of this demand and our “peculiar” circumstances we dismiss it as impertinent. We must be very careful with conviction. Our consciences are the ONLY natural sense that can keep us along the way and recover us when we falter. We must consider the care of our convictions and promptings as important or more so, than the care of our sight or hearing, knowing that when it's gone there is no second chance[1].
Sometimes in traumatic situations the human psyche has the ability to block out facts seen and heard, skew them into fantastic illusion and believe them. We have all disbelieved what we saw or heard in some painful or frightening situation.
Disregarding Our Consciences
We know it is possible to DISREGARD what we take into our five senses. We also know that a constant disregard can lead to a numbing or in some cases an atrophied condition of the senses that can cause a dangerous situation. So it is with our consciences. If we disregard or explain away our discomfort, we run a risk of losing the most valuable sense we have – the sense of right and wrong – the sense that our acts are hurting our God, thwarting His purposes, short-circuiting His plan, or breaking His Commandments.
The conscience is more than knowing. The word is a Latin cognate (com- + scire) that means exactly that – more than knowing. The Scripture mentions it, using the Greek word suneidesis {soon-i'-day-sis} to know within. I am convinced that it is “the light” John spoke of. “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” (John 1:9) It is the lamp to our path – the Word of God to our heart to lead us to Christ. John recognized it, Paul protected it, and Peter saw it as a guide toward righteousness.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)
And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. …And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Acts 23:1 - Acts 24:16
Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: (1 Timothy 1:19)
For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. (1 Peter 2:19)
Your conscience is protected by your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. You protect it by never grieving your guide (the Holy Spirit), by remaining pliable, willing, and subject to the subtlest movement of the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is the force by which you are sealed unto the day of redemption. To interfere with, frustrate, or grieve Him is a dangerous action.
The apostle warns in Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” It would behoove us to cultivate this sense, attempt to increase our sensitivity to that which displeases God so that our actions would be more in line with His will and way.
As this sensitivity improves, it starts to merge with our other physical senses and soon we can know good and evil by sight, by touch, and intuition. The writer of Hebrews claims this intuition is the mark of one who has come to full age in Christ. “… even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)
The Pharisees in the story were on the verge of recognizing Messiah and possibly believing on Him and changing their entire destiny. They were playing games of rationalization, justification and in their own minds, they finally decided that if someone was wrong, they reasoned, it had to be this carpenter’s boy. Alas, they reasoned – they reasoned incorrectly. They toyed with their better judgment – their conscience. They ignored the truth that was becoming apparent to them. They turned from the light given them that day. They shunned their conscience and in doing so, they shunned the God of the whole earth. Maybe the Spirit would deal with them again, possibly once more, twice perhaps – who’s to say?
You must protect your conscience. It is your only defense against an insincere conformity to religious codes. It is your first defense against sin. It is your lifesaver when you stumble. Remember 1 Timothy 4:2, and the use of the phrase”… having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” A sinful man with no conscience is in a condition of little hope – a religious man without one is likely a hypocrite.
The Pharisees moved, slowly but surely, through this time of reasoning to final and total rejection of the Messiah. Although total apostasy may be remote for you, you may find yourself with severe gaps in theology, understanding, or comprehension of spiritual concepts and values.
When you encounter pricks in your conscience, don’t reason it away. When you feel leadings of the Spirit, convictions of displeasing behavior, you must be quick to respond.
When at the crossroads of decision, see clearly in your mind the Lord Jesus, perceiving the movement of the Spirit in you, looking your way, and asking, “Why reason ye in your hearts?”
Ephesians 4:30, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Mentioned in this episode:
TRI Radio App