A Heart of Unbelief

Illustration:

In one of the “Big Three” conferences during World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill were trying to get Stalin to agree with some proposed strategy. When Stalin gave his reason or excuse for not agreeing with them, they said, “That is no reason for your refusal!” Stalin replied with a story of two Arabs.

One Arab asked the other to lend him his rope. The latter replied, “I can’t. I need it to tie my camel.” The first Arab reminded his companion that he didn’t own a camel. To which the companion replied, “I know that. But when you don’t want to lend your rope, one excuse is as good as any other.”

Excuses offered to God are in the same category. They reveal that we simply do not want to do what He tells us to do.

(Herschel H. Hobbs, My Favorite Illustrations (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1990), 262.)

Key Question: How could anyone who had seen and heard Jesus the miracles and teachings of Jesus so thoroughly reject Him?

The Fact of Their Unbelief (v.37)

A Dramatic Change

From the Triumphal Entry

To the Statement of Unbelief

A Subtle Explanation

What happened between the Triumphal Entry and verse 37?

Jesus told them that He came not to conquer but to die as a sacrifice for sin. That is what verses 20 to 36 is all about.

They praised Jesus at the Triumphal Entry because they thought He was coming as conquering King but when they learned He was really coming as a sacrificial Lamb the wholly rejected Him.

Even the miracles they witnessed were not enough to convince them.

This is the external explanation. However, verses 38 - 43 give us the internal explanation for their unbelief. In other words these verses tell us what was going on in their hearts.

The Cause of Their Unbelief (v. 38-43)

It was a part of God’s plan (v. 38)

Israel’s rejection of Christ did not surprise God. It was not outside of God’s plan or purposes.

Quite the contrary, Israel’s rejection of Christ was a part of God’s plan that would become the vehicle for the necessary sacrifice of Christ.

This is proven by the fact of O.T. prophecies that predict and confirm Israel’s rejection of Christ.

John quotes from Isaiah 53

“Lord who has believed our report?” - The answer is very few

The number of people who genuinely believed even with the arm of the Lord, Jesus Christ, right in front of them was painfully few.

Isaiah knew it would turn out this way because God had revealed to him, and here in the Gospels we see certain confirmation of Isaiah’s prophecy.

The sovereignty of God is displayed even in Israel’s rejection.

Romans 11:11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.

God’s plans are never disrupted or defeated by the actions of men.

God had blinded their eyes (v. 39, 40a)

Key Question 1: Is it just for God to spiritually blind and harden the heart of any individual?

First we need to make sure that we are not coming to this question with preconceived notions.

We must reject the notion that God is somehow building a wall around Himself against certain individuals. There has never been nor will there ever be an individual who wants to accept Christ that is reject by God.

Second we need to make sure that our understanding of these truths do not contradict God’s character. Whether we understand it or not if God does in fact interact with people in this way He must be just in doing so for God is always perfectly just. His justice is not determined by our understanding.

Third, we must remember that these individuals are not inherently deserving of God’s mercy.

So in short was it just for God to blind their eyes and harden their hearts? Yes

Key Question 2: Why would God spiritually blind or harden the heart of any individual?

The short answer is that it is a form of judgment.

The most famous example of this is of course Pharaoh of the book of Exodus when he refused to free the people of Israel.

In fact God’s interaction with Pharaoh gives us some greater understanding of God’s purposes in hardening peoples hearts.

It is important to note that God only hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Pharaoh had already hardened his own heart. The book of Exodus clearly states that it happened both ways.

Pharaoh wanted a hard heart and blind eyes

Their hard hearts and blind eyes are the result of years and years of rebellion against God and rejection of His plan.

I have said it often and I will say it again that one of God’s most effective forms of judgement is when He gives man the desires of their heart.

Important Note: There is no record in Scripture of God ever doing this to a genuine believer.

The State of Being Spiritually Blind

Being spiritually blind is the primary result of being spiritually dead.

Being spiritually blind means having all the revealed evidence of who God is before both in His Word and creation and still denying either His existence or know-ability.

Paul describes this person as the “natural man” because that is the state into which we are born. 1 Cor. 2:14 But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

Spiritual blindness indicates a lack of spiritual understanding. As Paul describes in 1 Cor. 1:18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Jesus in the book of Matthew described the Pharisees this way Matt. 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

Paul makes the cause of spiritual blindness clear in 2 Cor. 4:4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - So it would appear that God does not directly do the blinding as much as He allows Satan the prerogative of blinding those who reject Christ.

God had hardened their hearts (v. 40b)

Where spiritual blindness speaks to a lack of spiritual understanding a hard heart speaks to a will that is opposed to the things of God.

To understand what the Bible means by a hardened heart we need to understand the broader meaning of what the Bible means when it refers to the “heart”.

gotquestions.org - The Bible considers the heart to be the hub of human personality, producing the things we would ordinarily ascribe to the “mind.” For example, Scripture informs us that grief; desires; joy; understanding; thoughts and reasoning; and, most importantly, faith and belief are all products of the heart. Also, Jesus tells us that the heart is a repository for good and evil and that what comes out of our mouth – good or bad – begins in the heart.

Ryrie - The center and seat of life, both physical and psychical, including intellectual, emotional, volitional and spiritual life.

What causes a hard heart?

Pain/Suffering that results in bitterness and bitterness is one of the great symptoms of a hard heart.

Sin - anytime a heart is hard it is because of sin.

Sometimes it is a sinful reaction to a wrong we have received.

Sometimes it is simply our prideful and selfish hearts hardening overtime because of a lack of conviction and spiritual growth.

Can genuine believers have hard hearts?

Consider the words of Jesus to His disciples in Mark 8:17-19 And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see or understand? Do you have a hardened heart? “HAVING EYES, DO YOU NOT SEE? AND HAVING EARS, DO YOU NOT HEAR? And do you not remember, when I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?” They said to Him, “Twelve.”

Yes, a genuine believer may have a hard heart, but as I said before I do not think it is because God is judicially hardening their heart. When a believers heart it is hard it is because they have allowed sin into their heart.

Can a hard heart be cured?

As far as we are concerned the answer is a definite yes.

How?

Admit - recognizing the problem

Repent - making a tangible change

Repentance is more than being determined to change

Repentance is making the change.

In other words you are not truly repentant until you start walking in the new direction you have turned toward.

Maintain - Psalm 119:9-11 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

They didn’t understand their depravity (v. 41)

Unlike Isaiah they had never been floored by the glory of God. Isaiah 6 :1-8 In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

What was Isaiah’s response to seeing a glimpse of God’s glory? WOE IS ME, I AM UNDONE! When coming face to face with God’s glory Isaiah understood how sinful he really was.

Israel didn’t understand the depth of their depravity, and neither do many people today.

They loved the praise of men (v. 42, 43)

There were apparently a handful of Pharisees who couldn’t deny the evidence before them. They believed if only in an intellectual way.

Their belief wasn’t strong enough to overcome their desire to be liked, well regarded or accepted by their piers.

In other words the oldest, wisest and most authoritative scholars and intellectuals in all of Israel succumbed to pier pressure.

Application

God is sovereign

Recognize your propensity to blind your eyes and harden your heart.

Recognize the depths of your depravity and praise God for His mercy.

Seek the approval of God rather than the praise of men.