What does "hardness of heart" in Mark 10:5 teach about human nature? The Setting of Mark 10:5 • Jesus addresses Pharisees who were testing Him about divorce. • He says, “Moses wrote this commandment for you because your hearts were hard.” (Mark 10:5) • Christ links a civil concession (Deuteronomy 24:1–4) to an inner moral problem: hardness of heart. What “Hardness of Heart” Means • A spiritual callousness that resists God’s revealed will. • Not intellectual ignorance but moral obstinacy—knowing truth yet refusing it. • Comparable phrases: “stiff-necked” (Exodus 32:9) and “stubborn and rebellious heart” (Jeremiah 5:23). What It Reveals About Us • Sin is rooted in the heart, the core of human nature (Jeremiah 17:9). • Left to ourselves, we prefer self-will over God’s design, even in sacred areas like marriage. • Our natural state inclines toward hardness, requiring divine intervention (Ephesians 4:18). How Scripture Explains This Condition • Pharaoh’s repeated refusal—“Pharaoh’s heart was hardened” (Exodus 7:13)—illustrates deliberate resistance. • “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath” (Romans 2:5). • “Encourage one another… so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13). God’s Remedy for Hardened Hearts • New birth: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26). • Ongoing softening through the Word: “Is not My word like a hammer that smashes a rock?” (Jeremiah 23:29). • Tenderness produced by the Spirit: “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (Romans 5:5). Practical Takeaways • Hardened hearts distort God’s intent; soft hearts embrace it. • Examine attitudes where self-interest overrides clear Scripture. • Stay responsive: regular confession, Scripture intake, fellowship, and obedience keep the heart pliable. |
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