Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Matthew 9:1-8

Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

What comes to your mind when I ask this question? What’s the first thing you think of? I’ve asked this question to several people in the past week and while this was not a scientific survey, sexual thoughts are the ones that most often come first to the mind. It is a bit interesting that when this was not the case, it was a woman who was responding, but gender differences is not the topic for today.

I went through the Scriptures looking up all the verses that talk about thoughts and it was a fascinating study. I began with the assumption that when the Bible talked about evil thoughts, it would be referring to sexual morality but was surprised to find that was not the case. In fact, not one use of evil thoughts focused on sexuality.

Let me unfold what I learned by starting with today’s text.

The passage today is a familiar one, partly because it paints such a dramatic picture. By reading the parallel account in Luke’s gospel, we know that the power to heal had come upon Jesus and the crowds were packing into the house where he was teaching. People wanted to see him and to seek healing.

Four friends were carrying a man paralyzed and in their determination to get their friend to Jesus, they climbed to the roof and tore a hole in it so they could lower him down to where Jesus was sitting.

So imagine the scene. Jesus is talking and healing in the midst of a crowd so packed there is no room to move. All eyes are focused on him when they begin to hear some noise on the roof. Then the noise increases and they hear banging and then bits of debris fall and float down and the eyes of the crowd move from Jesus to the roof. When the paralyzed man on his mat begins to be lowered, a hush falls on the crowd. There is silence. What will happen next?

The eyes of the crowd go from the man who is paralyzed to Jesus and back to the man who is paralyzed and then back to Jesus. What will Jesus say? What will he do?

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

This was not what was expected and the teachers of the law were disturbed. Only God had the power to forgive sins. Who did this teacher think he was? God? This was clearly a man who had lost perspective. How could he say such a thing?

It is these thoughts that Jesus addressed when he said to them, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?”

What was so evil about that thought? Wasn’t that a legitimate question to be asked? We read the text and fail to sympathize with the teachers of the law because we know Jesus was God in the flesh. It is so clear to us but it would not have been that clear if we had lived at that time.

We read the account knowing how it all ends up, they lived in the account not having a clue what would happen next.

So what was so evil about their thoughts?

Look with me at some of the verses that talk about thoughts and then see if what we learn will help us understand why it is Jesus said what he did to the teachers of the law.

In Genesis 6 when the writer is setting up the story of Noah, he says this:
The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.
Evil thoughts were worked out in wickedness which brought on the judgement of the flood.

Ezekiel 38
‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: On that day thoughts will come into your mind and you will devise an evil scheme.
Evil thoughts lead to a scheme and what are the consequences?
You will say, “I will invade a land of unwalled villages; I will attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people—all of them living without walls and without gates and bars.  12 I will plunder and loot and turn my hand against the resettled ruins and the people gathered from the nations, rich in livestock and goods, living at the center of the land.”

Evil thoughts lead to the abuse of others for the benefit of myself. I scheme to make myself richer or more powerful and others suffer at my expense. I take advantage of people who are naive, trusting and unaware without being concerned for what happens to them as long as I benefit in the process.

In Luke 1 we read Mary’s song of praise after she met Elizabeth and in verse 51 we find this:
He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

Pride is an evil thought.

Ephesians 2
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,  2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.

Evil thoughts are the consequence of gratifying our sinful nature. We have a lust for something or someone and work to satisfy that lust.

James 2
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.  3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”  4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Showing favoritism is one of the evil thoughts we have.

So evil thoughts involve scheming to use and abuse others for my own benefit, pride, seeking to gratify my sinful nature and showing favoritism – treating the rich better than the poor. We can agree that these things are not good. But how would you define evil thoughts other than give a list of examples?

I think it all comes together in Psalm 10
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
3 He boasts of the cravings of his heart;
he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
4 In his pride the wicked does not seek him;
in all his thoughts there is no room for God.

Evil thoughts push God out of the picture to make room for arrogance, boasting, greed and pride. I seek what I want, when I want it and disregard the needs or concerns of others. It is all about me so to make more room for me, I push out God and the things that concern him.

Evil thoughts are thoughts that work against the work of God. God loves us all equally, so when we show favoritism, we move against God and because God shows a special concern for the poor, we do so particularly when we favor the rich over the poor.

God is a God of justice so when we use and abuse others for our selfish gain, we work against God’s concerns.

God wants humble hearts who will seek him with all their heart, soul and mind. So when we are proud, we push God aside and put ourselves in his place.

When the teachers of the law challenged Jesus because he forgave the sins of the man who was paralyzed, they were blind to the evidence that Jesus was more than just a teacher. They saw Jesus and heard Jesus. They saw the miracles that were performed. They heard the authority of his teaching. They were in the presence of someone extraordinary and yet they chose to work against him.

They could have said, “Who is this man?” They could have said, “We need to spend more time with this man. There is something about him we have never seen before.” They could have said, “We are a bit confused. This goes against everything we have learned.” But they pushed God away because Jesus did not fit into the religious system they followed. Jesus healed and taught and they should have opened their hearts and minds to him. If they had done so, they would not have been so offended when he forgave the man his sins. They might still have had questions but they would have been with Jesus rather than opposed to him.

I think it is really that simple. Evil thoughts work against the purposes of God and good thoughts fit into the purposes of God.

So the first question for you this morning is this: Are the thoughts you entertain in your hearts good thoughts or evil thoughts? Are the thoughts you have working with God or against him?

How do you entertain in your hearts good thoughts?

You know how it is that sometimes a tune will stick in your mind and you find yourself singing it all day long? What we put into our mind stays with us. It lingers.

It is for this reason that Paul gave his advice in his letter to the Philippians
Philippians 4:1
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

And then there is also this advice of the writer of Hebrews
Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.

If you spend hours in front of your computer playing a computer game, the images of that game will come to your mind when you go to sleep, when you pray, when you are in school or at work. Are the images of that game images that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable? Or are the images of that game images of violence?

If you watch a movie or read a magazine or watch a video clip on the internet, are the images you see ones that will produce in you good thoughts or evil thoughts?

Feed your mind and imagination with things that will produce good thoughts not evil thoughts.

We should fill our minds with good thoughts but let’s go back to the question Jesus asked the teachers of the law: Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

Notice that Jesus did not say, Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts? It is not wrong to have thoughts. God created us with brains and he expects us to use them. He expects us to ask questions and explore.

It is not evil to ask if the reason there is so much evil in the world is because God is powerless to prevent it. It is not evil to wonder if God really exists when you are going through a difficult time and God does not seem to be responding. It is not evil to read about the miracles of Jesus and wonder if it is not like exaggerated tales that are told about someone after they die.

There are no heretical questions, only heretical conclusions. If I conclude that the reason there is so much evil in the world is that God is limited in his power, that is an evil conclusion because it works against the purposes of God. But asking the question or having the thought is not evil.

There is nothing evil about thinking that a woman is beautiful or that you would like to be in a relationship with a man you are attracted to. There is nothing evil about thinking that it would be good if you had a bit more money or a house and car.

Having thoughts is not the problem.

Jesus did not say Why do you have evil thoughts in your hearts? He said, Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?

In Jeremiah 4:14 there is this question raised in one of his prophecies:
O Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart and be saved.
How long will you harbor wicked thoughts?

What does it mean to entertain or harbor a thought? If I entertain a thought, I invite it in. I ask it to sit down and relax. I want it to feel comfortable and at home. I ask it, “Tell me more about your self. I’d like to get to know you better.” You prepare to spend time with the thought. You bake it cookies and brew tea or coffee. You spend time and energy to encourage the thought to stay with you. You say to your thought, “Don’t go so soon. We were just beginning to have a good time.”

When you harbor a thought, you bring it in to a safe place where it will be protected. You don’t want your thought to be damaged by the crashing waves. If a storm comes along, you want it to remain with you unaffected by the storm. You protect your thoughts so you won’t lose what is valuable to you.

This is where the evil comes from. Let’s say you see a woman and admire her. That’s not bad. But then you go home and bring her image to your mind and begin to think more about her. You wonder how it would be to have a date with her. You wonder what it would be like to kiss her. You wonder how it would be to be married to her. You think about her more and more. You fantasize about her and imagine that you are dating her. Life would be so wonderful if she were your girlfriend or wife. The problems that plague you now would disappear if you were married to her.

And all this time, she has not spoken more than a few words to you. The problem is that as you entertain thoughts about her, you move from reality to fantasy and even if she has no interest in dating you and even if she tells you she is not interested, the thoughts you have been entertaining are now so powerful they will not listen to the reality of the situation. You may even begin to live in this fantasy life. Because you are a Christian, you begin to fantasize how you will minister together. You will do such good things for God together and you begin to  justify your fantasy.

An initial attraction, which was not evil becomes transformed into an obsession and when you develop an obsession, God gets pushed out of the way.

Last week I was not as clear as I could have been in talking about Jesus being in the boat with us. I said last week that we need to be sure we are walking obediently with Jesus if we want to have the confidence and assurance he is in the boat with us and we are therefore safe with him. So let me be more clear this morning.

Some of you have entertained the thought that your problems will be solved if you can get to Spain. In your home country, people around you talked about how easy it would be if you made the journey to Spain. It would be easy to get a job and make a lot of money. You heard someone talk about this and began to think about it. You brought this thought into your mind and entertained it.

The thought became more and more powerful and so one day you quit your job, gathered money for the journey and set off for Morocco. You suffered during your journey, crossing the Sahara Desert, being harassed by bandits and thieves, having to pay bribes and you ended up in Rabat.

And now that thought is so powerful that you are willing to do anything and suffer anything to get across the sea to Spain. You are willing to break the law and use deceit to gather the money you need. You are willing to break the law by paying a smuggler to get you illegally into Spain. You are willing to disobey God in order to get where you are going. Nothing will get in your way. Nothing will stop you and all because you invited a thought into your mind and chose to entertain it, harbor it.

Your thought has become an obsession and God is no longer your focus. Spain is your focus. God has been kicked off his throne at the center of your life and replaced by Spain. God has become a means to an end rather than the end in itself. “If I pray hard enough and read my Bible often enough and praise God loud enough, then He will help me get to Spain, the Promised Land where all my problems will be solved.”

God has been pushed into a secondary position to make room for your obsession.

Let me give you another example. Someone makes a remark after church that hurts you. When you go home that afternoon, you invite that thought back and you begin to entertain it. You hear the remark over and over again in your mind and you begin to get angry. You think about all the other things this person has ever done and you see them now in a new light. As the week goes by, you keep the thought active, feeding it cookies and tea. The next Sunday, the person does something that further irritates you.

You begin to talk about this person with some friends and pretty soon you begin thinking of how you could get back at this person. You begin to plot acts of revenge.

A simple remark, that may well have been misinterpreted or was perhaps the result of that person having a difficult day, has escalated into a war because you choose to entertain this thought.

God wants his church to be united and you are now harboring evil thoughts working against the purposes of God.

Do you see that this matter of thoughts is really a matter of choices? You choose what it is you will fill your mind with.

You choose to take a thought and push it away or invite it in and entertain it.

When I was in the process of selling my company in the US, there was a long period of time of secrecy. I wasn’t able to tell anyone that the sale of the company was being negotiated.

About a year before the sale, one of our chemists died. This was a man who had started the company with my father and he had transferred his stock into a loan that we were repaying over a long period of time. About six months before the sale went through, his widow and daughter asked if we would pay off the loan completely and said they would be willing to reduce the amount we owed by 25%.

The thought entered my mind that to do so would be a benefit to me. I would end up, in just six months, with more money in my pocket. Having that thought in itself wasn’t evil. But if I had invited that thought in and entertained it, building the thought and encouraging that thought, it might have led to my taking advantage of his widow and daughter. Instead, I had the thought, chose to dismiss it as an unethical thought and told them to be patient because I thought I might be able to pay them sooner that they expected.

We choose to entertain thoughts or dismiss them. We choose to push God out or make room for him in our thoughts.

And we can choose to entertain good thoughts. Desire for your spouse is a good thought to entertain. Holding on to that thought and letting it build is a good thing.

A longing for justice is a good thought to harbor. A world in which people will consider each other’s interests as more important than their own is a good image to hold on to.

Imagining how it would be if a broken relationship was restored is a good thought. Invite that thought in and entertain it. As the thought grows, let it lead to reconciliation and forgiveness.

I encourage you to think. Have rich deep thoughts. But don’t push God out to make room for thoughts that are evil. Invite in good thoughts. Fantasize about how it will look when revival comes to this land. Fantasize about how you can better love your spouse, how you can better care for a friend, how you can care for the people in this country who are disabled, abandoned or discarded. Fantasize about God can use the talents and gifts he has given you.

Fix your thoughts on Jesus and let your thoughts bring life. Let God shape and mold you through what you think about.