‘Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you have such evil thoughts in your hearts?”‘ (Matthew 9:4 NLT).
When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man, some religious teachers who witnessed it said to themselves that he had committed blasphemy. For only God can forgive sin. Yet, Jesus “knew what they were thinking.” They must have been shocked to have Jesus turn to speak to them as they stood along the back of the crowd, whispering among themselves.
However, there is no record of their repentance. Their intellectual and religious pride prevented them from recognizing the Son of God. Their evil and darkened hearts wouldn’t allow them to see with their own eyes that Jesus is the Christ.
The apostle Paul described the state of those apart from God saying, “Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him” (Eph. 4:18).
Our thoughts come from our hearts and our hearts are affected by our thoughts. Who can give us new hearts and new minds? Jesus can. Yet we must surrender our thought life and will to Him.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we surrender our hearts, the seat of our will, to You, O Lord. We want to know and do what pleases You. Give us the peace of Christ to rule our minds and hearts. Help us to take every thought captive to bring them into obedience to Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen.