The Evils Within Us
- December 12, 2018 | Matthew 12:15–37
Beginning around 1740, Europe and North America experienced a dramatic rise in cases of the disease then called “consumption.” Because residents of small towns were less likely to contract the disease, many physicians hypothesized that it was caused by urban life and thus prescribed relocation to rural areas. Such treatments did little to cure patients, however. In 1882, the world learned why, when Robert Koch discovered that the true cause of the disease, we now know as tuberculosis, was bacteria. Before that, insufficient diagnosis led to ineffective cures.
When it comes to the spiritual disease known as sin, many of us are tempted to insufficient diagnosis. The problem, we might conclude, is simply that we make bad choices. Why do we act in ways that are greedy, gluttonous, prideful, or cruel? Because in the moment we choose to do so rather than to behave in a righteous manner.
But such a diagnosis comes up short. Jesus suggests the true cause of sin lies deeper, for “an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him” (v. 35). Our sin does not simply result from a momentary bad decision but from the deep reservoirs of our souls. We have within us evil stored up that leads us to act in evil ways. On our own, there is no way to root out the cause.
While it can be discouraging to recognize the depth of our sin, it can also be healing. Much like physicians searching for a cure for tuberculosis, efforts to remedy the problem of sin are unlikely to succeed if we do not properly understand the problem. And yet, if the problem is not just a mistake or a slip here and there but is found in the core of our beings, how can we be cured? It will certainly not be by our own efforts. Rather, we must trust in the grace of Jesus the Great Physician.
Pray with Us
Today, would you join us as we pray for Moody Radio’s engineers, Mark Williames and Jesse Ruggles? They work behind the scenes, but their service is vital for radio programs. Ask for God’s reassuring guidance for them in this holiday season.