Come into the open

Friends,

In our study of Mark, we have been learning how the Pharisees had placed unconscionable burdens on their followers. We are seeing how they broke their own Sabbath rules in order plot evil in their hearts. Time and again, our Lord hears not only what they say with their lips, but discerns the hatred and murderous intent of their hearts. These religious leaders, who were revered in the community as pillars of piety and morality, held a dark secret ...

Jeremiah 23:24
“Can anyone hide himself in secret places,
So I shall not see him?” says the LORD;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.

Psalm 10:8
He sits in the lurking places of the villages;
In the secret places he murders the innocent;
His eyes are secretly fixed on the helpless.
- NKJV

Both of these verses contain the phrase “secret places”. It is translated from the Hebrew word mictar (pronounced mis·tär’, and we should understand it to mean a place where someone lies in wait, preparing to perpetrate a crime. Does that not perfectly describe what Christ is seeing in the religious elite of that era? On the outside, the Pharisees were holy and wholesome, demonstrating great indignation when someone challenged their teachings and fully believing that they were right. Inside their hearts, though, they waited secretly to accuse Christ and put Him to death.

We know, of course, how those events unfolded. Jesus went to the cross at the hour appointed by the Father (not the Pharisees). The Pharisees, along with many others, were used as God's instrument in that drama. And therefore their hearts were revealed as evil.

Today would be a good day for each of us to examine our own hearts.
As believers, perhaps we are outwardly moral and upright, but inwardly we may be harboring unforgiveness, bitterness or malice towards another. It can happen with surprising ease. It only takes a momentary lapse of concentration and vigilance for the enemy to establish that foothold. Fortunately, we have the perfect remedy. We cry out to Jesus and plead for His mercy. We rely on Him to bring us to repentance. And the love of Christ will fill us anew.

Be encouraged, Jose

p.s. You can listen to the study of Mark any time - day or night - at Bible Study Audio.