What's in our heart?

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

WHAT’S IN OUR HEART?

Luke 19:28-36

28 After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29 As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, 30 "Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks you, 'Why are you untying it?' tell him, 'The Lord needs it.'"  32 Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. 33 As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, "Why are you untying the colt?" 34 They replied, "The Lord needs it." 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

NIV

Again a very familiar story about the triumphal entrance into Jerusalem. We have read this story in other gospels and this is the beginning of the end of his earthly time, when he completes our salvation. But what can we learn here that is within this portion of the narrative? Surely the fact that the colt has never been ridden before seems to have some meaning and fits with his being laid to rest in a tomb that had never been used before, but that is all about Jesus being who he is. The lesson we should note here is about his knowledge of the existence of and the location of the colt and the response those who owned it would have to his disciples finding it and untying it. We do not know if the owner of this colt or young donkey were also disciples of Jesus, or if they were not. Other gospels record they untied both the mother donkey and her young colt. Neither of these facts are relevant to what we should see here about Jesus. We know he is the Lord, he is the Son of God, and he is one of the three in one God. He knows the future, he knows what is ahead, but he also knew the response of those who owned the colt. He knows the hearts of men. He knew the heart of Nicodemus before he actually asked the question. He knew the heart of Zacchaeus before he climbed up in the tree. He knew the heart of the blind man before he asked what he wanted from Jesus. He knows our heart. He knows our heart better than we know our own heart. He see beyond all our exterior, all our façade, he sees our heart, our true desires, our true thoughts, our true faith, or lack of it. He knows what drives our decisions, what motivates our choices in life.  He knows our very being and still with all our faults and failures he loves us enough to have died for us and pay our debt, our penalty for sin. With this kind of knowledge about us, and still doing what he did for us should motivate us to have the same kind of attitude toward others, even those who would do us some form of harm, either physical, emotional or spiritual. Even if we know about someone’s sin, knowing they are involved in some form of sin, instead of judging or condemning their behavior, we need to love them as Christ does. He knows their hearts as well as ours, and he died for them as well as us. Who are we, but sinners saved by grace, just as everyone else is who is saved. Let us always be aware that Jesus knows our heart. How would he like it to be? Is our heart pleasing to him, or more pleasing to us? The world asks, “What’s in your wallet?” What we should be asking ourselves is “What’s in our heart?”