Prerequisite for GIGO

Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit." But Peter said to him, "Explain this parable to us." Then he said, "Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile." [Mat.15:10-20]

Religious people are very much into behavioral-control and sin-management. Some how, we believe the GIGO rule: Garbage-In=Garbage-Out. It is true to a certain extent: without the bad inputs, the bad outputs certainly will be lowered. If you hang out with friends who curse all the time, chances are you would be more likely to curse.

But it is more than that. When Jesus said, "it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles" ; it is not really about offensive words. It is about actions from the heart: "what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander."

What Jesus is saying is that our internal engine is already geared to produce bad outputs. Even if you can guard the bad inputs from enter into the heart. Even if you can cut down the amount of bad outputs. The engine had already been malfunctioned, and therefore GIGO principle would not help redeeming the heart much.

Most of the time we try so hard to prevent GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out), but that would be useless if the heart was not changed first. Without the changing of the heart, all the religiousity would not lead anywhere at all. We will remain like the Pharisee who Jesus condemned: "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit."

The plant might be there, it might look just like the other plant which the Father planted. The actions of a religious person could be as righteous as a heart-changed person. But at the end they will be uprooted. The problem is that the distinguishness will only happened "at the end", for the mean time God "let them be". So how would I know that I myself is not a blind person, that I don't have an ungenerated heart, that I won't lead others down the pit? Wouldn't it be too late to find out "at the end"?

In the previous parable 2 chapters prior to this one about "The Weeds and The Wheats" [Mat.13:24-30] The owner of the field commanded his servants to "let them be" until the last day. It is because in God's economy, no one are slotted prematurely. Weeds can turn to wheats. And so, even if I might not have any confident that I am not blind like the Pharisee, I could count on the grace of God, even now, to change my heart toward Him, rather than confidently judging myself based on GIGO principle.

Change my heart O God, make it ever true...