A New Spirit Is Needed

Jesus had pointed out that the heart attitude was the determining factor in whether a person was good or evil, because it governed what the person said and did naturally.  These are the things people will be judged on, not the things they do when they are making a special effort to be good or put on good show.

Matthew 12:38 tells us the Scribes and Pharisees decided to change the subject.  “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.”   Jesus had just cast out a demon and healed a man who was deaf and dumb, demonstrating his power, and then shown that it was illogical to believe the power came from anywhere but God.  They insisted they wanted more evidence. 

“But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.  The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.” (Matthew 12:39-42)

Jesus described people who are constantly looking for signs as evil and adulterous, like a wife who is constantly threatening to leave her husband if he doesn’t prove his love again by giving her what she wants.  They refuse to commit themselves, and will not hesitate to follow someone or something that seems more attractive.   As Jesus pointed out, the people of Nineveh believed Jonah and committed themselves to God just on Jonah’s statement.   The Queen of Sheba believed in God just because she had seen how he had blessed Solomon.  The Jews had records of God’s love and power for nearly two thousand years, including hundreds of miracles in their own day, yet they refused to make a commitment to him, constantly looking for more proof.  Their lack of commitment will be highlighted by the faith of the Queen of Sheba and the people of Nineveh.    

The problem was that the Jews were focused on their own abilities, beliefs, and desires, rather than simply trusting God. In Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus made it very clear that changes in behavior as a result of human effort are little value.  “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.  Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.  Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.”  

Drug and alcohol programs, anger management classes, behavior modification, counselling, and moral or religious training can change a person’s outward behavior, making it more socially acceptable, but it does not completely replace the old wicked heart attitude.  Because they have gained a victory over drugs or other problems they may well become arrogant and proud, thinking themselves smarter or better than others.  They become greedy, dominating and abusive to get their own way, and refuse to consider any other view but their own, and will not admit they are ever wrong.  The more effective the programs are, the less likely the person is to realize he is a sinner and turn to Christ. 

When God changes a person, he does not simply refurbish him, but makes him a new person, giving him a completely new spirit or attitude, as we see in II Corinthians 5:17-18.  “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;”  The focus becomes on God rather than ourselves, and we are more interested in working things out with others or doing what is right than in getting our way. 

Sadly, far too often, like the Jews, Christians are far more concerned with changing the outward behavior or impressing others than with letting God change the heart attitude.