What Breaks the Heart of God?

Think about that question for a moment…what breaks the heart of God? What makes Him weep? What are the things that God wants more than anything else to be different? In order to answer that question, we need to look no further than the life that Jesus lived while He was on the earth. Jesus came to the earth to show us a physical manifestation of who the Father is and what He is like. He demonstrated the heart of the Father in everything He did while He lived in human form. He said in John 14:7-10, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.’ Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” So when you have seen the heart of Jesus, you have seen the heart of the Father. So let’s look at some examples of the things that broke Jesus’ heart, and then we will know how Father God feels also.

1.  Hypocrisy breaks the heart of God. - He said to the disciples, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:20) What did He mean by that statement?

In order for us to understand, we need to know who the scribes and Pharisees were. The scribes were the people whose job it was to copy and interpret the Torah, or the Law of God. A Scribe was a job title rather than a religious sect. They were teachers of the law, or could be compared to lawyers of today. They were very learned men, skilled in their work, and very meticulous in their definition of the law. The decisions of lead scribes became verbal law, or traditions. Being so meticulous in their definitions, had led to them determining and enforcing the “letter of the law” rather than the “spirit of the law”. Needless to say, Jesus condemned their influence over the people as hypocrisy.

Pharisees, on the other hand, were more of a religious or political sect of the day. In Jesus day, there were three main religious sects: the Pharisees, the Sadducees and the Essenes, but the most prominent and vocal of the three were the Pharisees. They loved to be seen in public and were known for their long prayers. They were often given seats of honor and highly revered among the people. Though the original intentions of the Pharisees were honorable, they became so caught up in legalism and self-exaltation, that they totally missed the Messiah when He came. So, along with the scribes, Jesus also condemned the practices of these religious leaders as hypocrisy.

Over and over Jesus told His disciples to be different that the Pharisees and the scribes (Matthew 5:20, Matthew 16:11-12, Matthew 23:2-9, Matthew 23:13, etc.), because it was their hypocrisy that broke His heart. And when we hold to our traditions and legalism over the spirit of God’s Word, the desires of God’s heart, and the souls of men, women and children, then we become like those that Jesus condemns. When we put our buildings or our programs before the needs of the people that Jesus gave His life for, He weeps over our misplaced priorities. 

2.  Lost-ness breaks the heart of God. - “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34) 

Jerusalem was so blind. They were like sheep wandering around with no shepherd, lost and hopeless. Jesus loved Jerusalem so much, but he also saw that they were being led by those who were only interested in their own reputation and the benefit they could derive from their positions. Jesus’ desire was to protect them, as He said, to “gather them as a hen gathers her brood under her wings”, but they would have no part of Him. He wanted to end their spiritual blindness, He wanted to heal their brokenness, He wanted to set them free, but they would not believe in Him. Still, He tried. He preached about the Kingdom of Heaven, He healed them from their physical infirmities, He met their physical needs and He taught them about how very much their Heavenly Father loved them. And He is still weeping over the lost-ness of our world today. Jesus said in John 4:35, “Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”

When I was a growing up, we used to go to Alabama to visit relatives during “cotton picking” season. My dad would tell me the stories about how when he was growing up there, he had to go out and spend all day picking cotton for a very small amount of money to help support his family. As I looked out the car window, I could see that the fields looked completely white, and it was easy to tell that the fields were ready for harvesting. Often, you would see lots of people out there in the fields, or in some of the bigger farms, you would see a big machine going through the fields picking the cotton. The farmer knew that if he didn’t harvest those crops pretty soon, the cotton would rot and the harvest time would be past and they would lose the precious “fruit” they had anticipated. That’s what I think of when I hear this scripture. I’ve seen fields that were white to harvest, they were ready to go, and if it wasn’t done soon, it would be too late. And that’s how Jesus felt about the people of Jerusalem when He looked out over the city.

When I look at the world in which I live, I see that the field is white to harvest…and if it isn’t done soon, it will be too late and the crops (souls) will be lost. I see hopelessness, lost-ness and despair everywhere. People are searching for something and they have no idea what. But I know what they are searching for, and so do you if you have been born-again. They are searching for an answer…the answer that we have. They are looking for eternal life, and hope and peace in this life. They are looking for Jesus. When I watch the news on T.V. everyday, I see a white harvest field. Did you notice in this scripture, Jesus said to “lift up your eyes and look at the fields”? Most of us go about our daily business and never even notice that the fields are white and ready to harvest. We don’t even take the time to see or hear what is on the hearts of those they come in contact with every day. Sometimes making a difference is as simple as walking up to an apple tree and picking the fruit. It’s so ripe it’s ready to fall of the tree. When we look at people around us, sometimes we can see how “ready” they are. A few well-placed words is all it would take to help them step right on into the Kingdom of God.

So what breaks the heart of God? We do…when we won’t even look up to see the needs of people around us, when we allow unimportant things to consume our time, energy and money. A lady said to me recently when we were talking about her church’s financial budget, “Sometimes I think all we are doing anymore is maintaining this building.” That’s a dangerous place for a church to be. It’s a dangerous place for Christians to be. The field is ripe, we need to be about the Father’s business, and get busy gathering the harvest.

3.  Injustice breaks the heart of God. - “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?” (Isaiah 58:6-7) So often, we think we have served God because we went to church, or read our Bible, or spent a few minutes in prayer. We get up a little early or stay up a little later in order to spend time with God, and these are all good things. We are careful to pay our tithe and teach a Sunday School class, and again, these are all good things to do. Jesus was very explicit in Matthew 23:23 about that, for in speaking to the leaders of the religious systems, He had this to say…“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” Then He gave us an example to follow when He told the story of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37)

So how do we handle the injustice in the world? Do we close our eyes to the plight of those around us who are suffering? I think we would be safe to say that God hates injustice…you might even say, it breaks the heart of God. I wonder then, why is it that for so many Christians, they have no heart to reach beyond their church walls to meet the needs of people. Why is it then, that so many Christians can sit week after week in their comfy pews listening to and learning the Word of God, and then do nothing to relieve the needs of those around them, much less around the world. If we know that injustice breaks the heart of God, why does it not break our hearts also?

4.  Mediocrity breaks the heart of God. - “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, ‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: ‘I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.’” (Revelation 16:14-16) In the King James Version, the word vomit is translated, “spew”. If you have ever been very sick that you could hold no food, I am sure you get the picture that Jesus was trying to get across in this scripture. I am very convinced that God hates mediocrity. When He looks at many churches today and the lives of the people who attend them, I am sure that His heart is broken. Why do I think that? Because it breaks my heart. When I hear the priorities of many Christians and I see where most of the efforts and finances of many churches is spent, it’s sad. Even worse, when I see all the good that Christians could and should be doing in the world, I wonder how my Father must feel. 

What breaks the heart of God? I am sure when He sees church services where there is no room for the Holy Spirit, or when people are being judged by the clothes they are wearing, or when all the attention is placed on what God can do for “me”. God hates mediocrity! 

Jesus, quoting the prophet Isaiah in Matthew 15:8-9 said, “Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men…” Is that what we have done? Have we removed our hearts from God, and have we instead upheld the commandment of men? Have we forgotten that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom? Have we become lukewarm? Let me ask you a question….does it also break your heart?

5.  Sin breaks the heart of God. - “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” (Romans 6:12) Before you were born-again, you sinned. It’s just that simple. You had no choice in the matter. Your thoughts and actions were contrary to the heart of God, and you were in disobedience every day. But when a person is still bound by sin, then we expect him or her to sin. That’s not only what they do, it is also who they are…they are sinners. And the truth is that, no matter how hard they may try not to, they have no power to overcome sin. 

But when a person experiences a spiritual new birth by admitting to God that they are a sinner, repenting (turning away from) of their sins, and receives Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, things begin to change on the inside. The Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God) moves in and begins to teach the person the difference between right and wrong. They don’t necessarily feel any different, but within a short period time, they should start to think differently and maybe they will start to feel compassion where they have never felt it before. The Holy Spirit gives them power over sin, so that they no longer are bound to sin…they have a choice. Now, to be sure, we all choose to do things our own way instead of God’s way from time to time, but we should begin to have power to refuse to continue in sin, and the more we learn about the heart of God, the more we turn away from our way, and choose to live His way.

But the truth is that many people never stop sinning, and they spend their lives rejecting God’s goodness. Many people never hear about the good news that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for their sins, and therefore, they never receive Him as their Savior and Lord. And many times, if someone had just told them, they would have gladly received His Truth. But, because nobody told them, they continually break the heart of God by their sin, and Christians continually break the heart of God, because they refuse to obey the last command that Jesus gave before He ascended into Heaven. In Mark 16:15, Jesus spoke very clearly, “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. How can we continue to break the heart of God by not sharing the good news that He gave to all the world?

So, when I think about what breaks the heart of God, I have to examine my own heart. Am I broken when I think about “Sunday Morning Christians”, those who claim to know the King of Kings, but come Monday morning, you couldn’t tell them from the rest of the world? God has called us to be different. That means that when people see our lives, they should realize that there’s something different, something sort of pure about our lifestyles. That doesn’t mean that we should act like nuts. But we should be more compassionate, we should be more caring, more peaceful, and gentler in our dealings with others. We should be Christians, not in name only, but in everything we do. Our character should make people feel that they can trust us and our compassion should make them want to turn to us when they have needs, knowing they will receive comfort and prayer, not criticism and judgment. We should be more like Jesus. 

And what about people who don’t know Him at all…am I compelled to share His love with those around me? And what about you…have you thought about how you would share the gospel if the opportunity presented itself? Or do you try to find ways to create opportunities with those you meet? Does your heart ache when you think about the eternal destination of the many people around you? What about when you see someone who is hungry and needs a helping hand? And how do you feel when you see the priorities of churches out of order? When we should be concentrating on how we can reach out to our communities and be a resource for Christian workers in other countries, but instead we are planning another dinner or buying more and more stuff for our comfort and convenience? How does it all make you feel? Let me ask you this…do the things that breaks the heart of God break your heart also?