What is bitterness?
Bitterness is being offended at somebody for something. Being “offended” and being “bitter” can be used interchangeably.
“Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” 13 But He answered and said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.”
--Matthew 15:12-14 NKJV
Many of the seminarians, pastors, theologians, ministers, and religious leaders of Jesus’ day were offended when Jesus taught that negative emotions (sins) have an even greater effect in contributing to sickness of the soul and body than even the negligence of good and proper hygiene. Why were they bitter or offended by this? They were steeped in their traditions of good hygiene, which isn’t in itself a bad thing, for proper hand washing, nutrition, diet, and exercise do play an important role for maintaining good health. However, they so idolized good hygiene that they neglected other even more important factors that can determine the state of a person’s health--namely, the manifestation of love, compassion, mercy, and grace in a person’s relationships with God, others, and oneself. See Matthew 23:23ff. Thus they scoffed and ridiculed the idea that negative emotions (undealt-with sins like bitterness, envy, jealousy, rage, self-hatred, pride, unforgiveness, depression, fear, anxiety, worry, guilt, shame, performance, strife, sexual immorality, etc.) often compromise the immune system to cause sickness or defilement.
How did Jesus reply to his disciples after they told Jesus that the Pharisees were offended by his saying, “Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” (Matthew 15:11 NKJV)? Jesus started talking about plants that will be uprooted. What kind of plants will be uprooted? Every plant which His heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. What are the characteristics of those plants? He had already taught the disciples about plants that will one day be uprooted just two chapters prior in Matthew 13:
Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” 24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
--Matthew 13:22-30 NKJV
The heavenly Father did not plant the tares (or the weeds), but an enemy (Satan’s demonic kingdom) did. Bitterness, offendedness, and pride, is not from God, but is always from the devil; for God is Love, and love is not proud, easily angered or offended, and keeps no record of wrongs. See 1 Corinthians 13.
Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
--Matthew 13:36-43 NKJV
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord: 15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled; 16 lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. 17 For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
--Hebrews 12:14-17 NKJV
For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
--Hebrews 6:7-8 NKJV
What are thorns and briers? We can see a common thread throughout all these passages and many others about what weeds, thorns, briers, and tares represent--typically a proud spirit and/or an attitude of bitterness. A root of bitterness, according to Hebrews 12:15, causes many to become defiled. It caused the envious Pharisees to become defiled spiritually and also quite likely physically diseased as a byproduct in light of how negative emotions like bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, envy, etc. negatively affect the immune system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal system, central nervous system, musculo-skeletal system, etc. via primarily the hypothalamus gland (mind-body connection).
Again, bitterness is described as a root in Hebrews 12:15. The roots of a plant are typically unseen as they are beneath the surface of the ground. If bitterness is the root of a plant, then what will grow above the surface of the ground as the bitterness spreads its roots in the darkness under the earth? What stem, branches, leaves, and fruit will appear visibly for all to see as bitterness spreads its roots deeper into the soil of one’s heart (inner being)? The visible part of the plant that we can see above the surface is how the plant manifests its nature to the observer. The root of bitterness (woundedness from an offense) follows this seven-sin progression: unforgiveness (keeping a record of wrongs), resentment (holding a grudge), retaliation (getting even), anger (wrath, rage, hostile feelings of enmity), hatred (the inability to co-exist with another), violence (giving physical expression to one’s rage), murder (also includes gossip, slander, character assassination, and putting others down verbally--Matthew 5:21ff; 1 John 3:14-15; Proverbs 18:21). (1)
Now that we are presented with all that bad news about how bitterness destroys us, what is the good news? How can we uproot that root of bitterness? How then shall we respond? How do we rather get more deeply rooted and grounded in love, which keeps no record of wrongs? See Ephesians 3:14-18; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. We behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, including bitterness. See John 1:29; Revelation 5:6. Concerning anybody with whom we feel something off in our relationship, we enter into what Jesus did for us on the cross when he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” See Matthew 6:12-15; Mark 11:25-26; Luke 23:33-34; Ephesians 4:29-32.
In Jesus’ parable of the soils, thorns grew up and choked the word (the seed that was sown), so that it wouldn’t bear fruit. Jesus identified those thorns as the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things. Fear, worry, anxiety, envy and jealousy, lust, and the pride in possessions stifle one’s growth, preventing love for God, oneself, and others from manifesting in a person’s life. See Mark 4:14-20; 1 John 2:15-17.
In 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, that is exactly what the thorn in Paul’s flesh, a messenger (Greek: angelos) of Satan was assigned to do. It buffeted Paul with trials, temptations, and calamities in attempts to get Paul to give up the spiritual battle. Three times Paul pleaded with God to remove this demonic agent who gave him a hard time through the persecution, beatings, shipwrecks, trials, and temptations, but God replied that His all-sufficient grace would empower Paul to be more than a conqueror through his continual connection and fellowship with Jesus. Like Paul, we may struggle with principalities and powers like bitterness, pride, resentment, self-pity, unforgiveness, discouragement, strife, depression, etc., but our victory rests in Jesus alone. We overwhelmingly conquer through our union with Him. See Ephesians 6:12ff; Romans 8:28-39; John 15-17.
For a continued investigation on the topic of healing sickness, I recommend the post “‘Healed’ Twice” here.
To continue the discussion of what it looks like to begin (or restore) an intimate relationship with God, I suggest the post "What's the Good News?"
This seven-sin progression, according to the conclusions of both Dr. Henry W. Wright and Dr. Art Mathias, is described as the “armor” of the “principality” of bitterness. C.f. Luke 11:20-26.
Comentários