After traveling on Sunday, getting the Temples cleared on Monday, and teaching all day Tuesday, it is no surprise that we do not hear from Jesus on Wednesday. Jesus did a lot of teaching on Tuesday. Most of his most famous parables were taught on that day.
All of these stories had one underlying prophetic message - the Messiah they asked for has arrived, but because of the foolishness of God’s chosen people, who will reject him, they will be left out in the cold. These messages were pretty heavy and intense. Most “fire and brimstone” preaching comes straight from these scriptures. Jesus was essentially like a parent who warns a child about a particular course of action that they are determined to follow, and finally, after getting nowhere says, “you are the one who is going to hit that brick wall,” or “you make your bed hard and you will have to lay in it,” or my Granny’s favorite, “A hard head makes for a soft behind.”
However, instead of being open to wisdom, these warning messages caused the Jewish leaders to be livid. They were so mad that they spent all of Wednesday trying to figure out how to get rid of him without causing a riot. This brings me to the lesson of Holy Wednesday:
Don’t let your HEART get you into trouble.
So, what do you do when feedback or correction causes feelings of anger? First, get to the root of the problem. People who have a hard time being open to Godly wisdom have a “hard heart”.
…because they had not understood [the miracle of] the loaves [how it revealed the power and deity of Jesus]; but [in fact] their heart was hardened [being oblivious and indifferent to His amazing works]. Mark 6:52
People whose hearts have become hard have difficulty hearing from God. They can go to church and hear the message, and walk out untouched by and completely indifferent to the message. The Word of God cannot penetrate their hearts, so their ears can hear and their minds understand. They may even say I do not want to talk about God, or not want to listen to Christian music. They bristle and become agitated. Some may even stop attending church altogether.
'He said to them, “The mystery of the kingdom of God has been given to you [who have teachable hearts], but those who are outside [the unbelievers, the spiritually blind] get everything in parables, so that they will continually look but not see, and they will continually hear but not understand, otherwise they might turn [from their rejection of the truth] and be forgiven.” Mark 4:11-12
How do you soften someone’s heart? You can’t. This is personal work. No one can soften another’s heart. If Jesus was unable to soften the heart of the Jewish leaders (he is the Son of God after all), what makes us think we have more power than he? We can exert influence, love like Jesus, and be a light for those to see a way back, however, the choice is always theirs. David found his heart a mess once, and when he recognized the problem, he went to the only one who could fix it - God.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10
God responds to our sincere prayers.
And I will give them one heart [a new heart], and put a new spirit within them. I will take from them the heart of stone, and will give them a heart of flesh [that is responsive to My touch]. Ezekiel 11:19
So, if you or someone you know has a hardened heart, the answer to the issue is prayer.
Take that heart made of stone to the only one who can fix it. God promises to replace it with a newer, softer one that can hear and follow him.
🧠 Reflection Questions | Holy Wednesday
When was the last time someone offered you correction or feedback—and how did you respond?
Did your heart feel open, defensive, or somewhere in between?
Can you identify any signs of a hardened heart in your life right now?
(Examples: resistance to prayer, difficulty accepting truth, irritation with spiritual conversations)Who are you praying for that might be struggling with a hard heart?
How can you show them Christ-like love without trying to “fix” them?
Is there a situation or person you’ve been trying to change, but now realize only God can do the heart work?
How might releasing control bring you peace?