The lectionary Hebrew scriptures reading for next Sunday takes
us to the Prophet Jeremiah:
But this is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the
Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I
will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the
Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says
the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. (Jeremiah 31:33-34)
Jesus would have been familiar with these ancient words,
read in the synagogue, taught and studied.
And indeed, there is a certain maturity of faith in which “the
law” – we would be more inclined to say God’s Word, perhaps – becomes inscribed
on our hearts. Remember, a couple of
weeks ago, we were thinking about Jesus and compassion, and how the ancient
world assumed that our deepest thoughts and emotions are seated in the inner
parts, and they use the Hebrew words meaning bowel or heart… well, here it is
in Jeremiah: I will put my law within
them, and I will write it on their hearts.
Inscribed on our
hearts, however, does not mean that our minds are therefore closed. In Christian terms it means that the way of
Jesus has become the focal part of us, deeply affecting our choices and
decisions, and the ways we react to events.
Perhaps in computer terms it is our default position. It may be that we derive a deep inner
satisfaction (what the Bible sometimes calls joy) from our awareness that this
the way we choose, the path less travelled, with all its implications. But at the same time we are not afraid of
newness, of hearing or learning other things.
The way of Jesus opens our minds.
Truth is not fenced in to keep it safe and unsullied. We don’t have to protect God’s Word.
And moreover, we are not engaged in some nervous continuing
conflict with God. Jesus teaches and
shows a stable, confident relationship of love.
We do not live in fear, then, of offending God, having to ask, “Where
did we go wrong? why is God punishing us?”
Jesus frequently taught, “Don’t be afraid… why are you fearful…?” Jesus counsels living without fear of God, of
life, or of tomorrow.
The relationship is within.
We encourage each other, of course, and always should, but this inner
bond is at another level than discussion groups or trendy spirituality. The writer of the 1st Letter of
Peter counsels: Let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a
gentle and quiet spirit.[1]
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