Thursday 5 March 2026
Jeremiah 17:5-10. Happy are they who hope in the Lord – Ps 1:1-4, 6. Luke 16:19-31.
God searches our hearts
You don’t have to journey far in the wonderland of scripture to be confronted by a world turned upside down. Before long, we find that the gospel is often preached by those on the outer. An example is Lazarus, who sits outside the gate of a rich man called Dives. The gate is a powerful image and Lazarus, covered in sores, is on the wrong side of it. Even the dogs seem better off. Yet Lazarus, not Dives, is the one who understands the compassion of God. Dives is blinded by his status. During Lent, we are called to open our eyes and hearts to those who sit outside the gate in our own lives. The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that ‘the heart is more devious than any other thing’. It is easy to skate over this challenging line. God, says the prophet, searches to the heart. God often uses awkward and uncomfortable people to help in that search.
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