Jesus and the Transformation of the Heart

Many expected Jesus to focus on rules. On behavior. On outward obedience. But Jesus went deeper.

Again and again, He shifted attention away from appearances and toward the heart. Religious leaders

were meticulous about external actions. They washed their hands. They observed traditions.

They followed visible laws. Yet Jesus said something shocking: “These people honor

Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” Jesus wasn’t dismissing obedience.

He was exposing the source. Behavior can be managed. The heart must be

transformed. Jesus taught that what defiles a person does not come from the outside,

but from within. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder,