SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 28:23-31
After arranging a day with him, many cam e to him at his lodging. From dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them about persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe. Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave after Paul made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors thought the prophet Isaiah when he said, Go to these people and say: You will always be listening, but never understanding; and you will always be looking, but never perceiving. For the hearts of these people have grown callous, their ears are hard of hearing, and they have shut their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them. Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”
Nowhere in the Star Wars universe will you finds someone that fits a better description of a calloused heart better than Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi. He is bitter and frightened after failing to train in his nephew, Ben Solo in the ways of the Jedi and then to see him turn to the Dark Side and destroy the Jedi Academy. Skywalker then heads to the island of Achc-To where instead of seeking healing and rest, he instead chose to wither up and die, secluding himself from everyone he knew and loved and separating himself from the force all together.
Because he shut himself off from the force, he was saying that he would rather die a hermit than help fight alongside his friends and family. Also, had he not shut himself off from the force, he would have felt the very moment that his best friend, Han Solo died. (Spoiler alert)
Paul dealt with hard-hearted people as well. He tried and tried to explain the Scriptures to them so that they could understand who Jesus was and what His mission on earth had been. He was speaking to those that should have been very open to hearing the message, since they were religious leaders and people that had been studying these prophecies and looking for the coming of the Messiah.
Instead, because it wasn’t in their way and in their time, they shut their ears and wouldn’t listen. They wouldn’t let the word get into their hearts because then they might have to change, they might have to relinquish what they had and start over in humility. That’s a hard thing for anyone to do, much less those that have a lot to lose.
Do we start to form calluses over our heart? Are there times where God is trying to tell us which way to go or what sort of thing to do and we just kinda ignore the prompting? Would we rather yell at the other side or feel superior to people that disagree with us rather than engaging them in love the way Jesus would? Do we get set in our ways and find that preferable to God’s way?
If you find that sort of callus forming, may you be reminded of Kind David when he said in Psalms 139:23-24, “Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.” A calloused heart leads us away from having a worshipful and joyous heart. Jesus Christ didn’t come and die on the cross just so that you could go though life with a calloused heart. He came and died on that cross for our sins, so that we may have life everlasting. Don’t let your calloused heart ruin what Christ has started in you, it’s simply not worth it.
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