Tuesday, June 27, 2006
CLEAR VISION INTO ONE'S HEART
V34b-35. How can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35. "The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil.
One of the most basic principles in scripture is that one’s mouth speaks out of that which fills his heart. People love to talk about what they are interested in; desires, hobbies, upcoming events, heroes, idols, or even dissention. That which we speak most often of is our favorite topic and we seek to align ourselves with those who have that common interest. We are told that whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31) but we typically pursue our goals for selfish reasons and personal glorification; our mouths will eventually reveal our motives. The religious leaders sought alliances with those who would agree with their assessment that Jesus operative power came from Satan.
That which fills is a single Greek noun – perisseuma – having a meaning of super abundance or fullness that overflows. One’s mouth is the external vent where the overflow of his heart is jettisoned overboard. The evidence of the material examined coming out of this port will expose the heart’s condition in due time. The mouth is the ultimate expression of the heart.
Jesus builds on this idea comparing the heart as one’s treasure – thesarous – as He gives the positive and negative connotations. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good. In this example the good treasure is representing the good heart or a heart that overflows, or brings forth out of his mouth a display of that which is good. In the negative sense the reverse is true: The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Calvin says, “The tongue is the index of the mind.” This is why it is so important to feed on the text of scripture. It is the only source of what is ultimately good, pure, and regenerative.
One of the most basic principles in scripture is that one’s mouth speaks out of that which fills his heart. People love to talk about what they are interested in; desires, hobbies, upcoming events, heroes, idols, or even dissention. That which we speak most often of is our favorite topic and we seek to align ourselves with those who have that common interest. We are told that whatever we do, do all to the glory of God (1Cor. 10:31) but we typically pursue our goals for selfish reasons and personal glorification; our mouths will eventually reveal our motives. The religious leaders sought alliances with those who would agree with their assessment that Jesus operative power came from Satan.
That which fills is a single Greek noun – perisseuma – having a meaning of super abundance or fullness that overflows. One’s mouth is the external vent where the overflow of his heart is jettisoned overboard. The evidence of the material examined coming out of this port will expose the heart’s condition in due time. The mouth is the ultimate expression of the heart.
Jesus builds on this idea comparing the heart as one’s treasure – thesarous – as He gives the positive and negative connotations. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth what is good. In this example the good treasure is representing the good heart or a heart that overflows, or brings forth out of his mouth a display of that which is good. In the negative sense the reverse is true: The evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth what is evil. Calvin says, “The tongue is the index of the mind.” This is why it is so important to feed on the text of scripture. It is the only source of what is ultimately good, pure, and regenerative.
# posted by Castusfumus : 4:12 PM
