What made Pinocchio a real boy?
He wasn’t truly transformed until he learned that love makes you truly human. It’s an awesome lesson to learn. Of course, that’s something we learn from the Bible. Maybe that’s why the Bible is the world’s most translated book and Pinocchio is the second.
The little Fairy with blue hair told Pinocchio: when boys have good hearts, even if they are scamps and have got bad habits, there is always something to hope for; that is, there is always hope that they will turn to better ways.
What if our noses grew every time we lied or spoke ill of someone else? What if your ears grew two times when you shared just a little bit of gossip! If you’re assuming you’ve have a really big nose and really big ears, it may clue you in to some of what’s in your heart. We all have some of that in there somewhere. Thankfully, Jesus forgives and transforms us as we learn to rediscover God’s image within us.
A group of religious leaders wanted to convince people the prince of demons had control of Jesus. How else could anyone explain what Jesus was doing? And what was he doing? In this chapter, he allowed his disciples to eat on the Sabbath. He healed a man with a shriveled hand, declaring people are more valuable than animals. He healed others who were ill and, finally, a man who was blind and mute.
Talk about transformation!
Jesus spent his life offering life to others. But there were many people who could not, would not accept that. It didn’t align with what they thought was more important. They surely wouldn’t do it. So, they used their words to condemn. Apparently, their unwillingness to see what God was doing was proof of what was in their heart. There was no changing for them and the fruit of their lives proved it.
Today’s passage helps us learn to recognize Godly fruit for what it is. Godly fruit will always center around God’s love. The text also allows us to examine what fruit we share as a result. Our hope is Jesus, and he helps us turn to God’s better ways. The good news is the Holy Spirit will give you faith to keep producing Godly fruit or show you the way to start so you can be truly human.
Stay blessed…john
