“For this is the one! – A God who sees the heart”

This is the common theme running through today’s scripture readings. As mentioned earlier, the passage from 1 Samuel tells us not to judge someone just by outward appearances but to look at their heart instead. In 2 Corinthians, it says we live by faith, not by sight, meaning we believe in things unseen. It says, ‘our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day.’

On my desk, I have a picture frame with a beautiful calligraphy of 3 John 1:2: ‘Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.’ This verse is profound to reflect on. It means that those whose souls are in right standing will be able to give thanks in all circumstances. When we give thanks, we take nothing for granted. When we say all is well, we don’t just mean worldly things. Those of us who want to live this kind of life know that we can’t do it alone, so we seek God’s help, and when we do, we experience the Spirit of God encouraging us.

This is called the help of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God dwells in us. To be ‘in the Spirit’ is to have Jesus dwell in us. It is also to experience closer intimacy with God. As 2 Corinthians tells us today, spiritual discipline enables us to live a life where, even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

Outer nature and inner nature

Saul, when he was anointed as Israel’s first king, initially seemed to lack nothing as the chosen ruler. However, he ultimately failed in the role assigned to him. Samuel’s heart is heavy as he must anoint a new king to replace Saul. Who should be chosen as Israel’s new king?

Prophet Samuel visited Jesse’s house to select one of his sons in accordance with God’s instructions, but he was unable to determine which son God had selected. Samuel even considered Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah, who appeared kingly in appearance. But not recognising the one whom God had chosen, Samuel received a word from God: “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him, for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

God tells Samuel that the Lord sees the heart of a person. The heart refers to one’s deepest thoughts, motivations, intentions, and character—parts of the soul that are not outwardly visible. For God to look into the heart means to see what is hidden by recognising the true nature and core underlying outward actions and appearances.

Unlike Samuel, God was not sizing up their physiques or presence. He was perceiving their hearts—their inner character, their motivations, and their fitness to embody the heart of a king after God’s own heart. In David, the unseen shepherd boy, God saw a heart devoted to Him, a heart of integrity and courage that could lead His people. While David’s brothers appeared outwardly qualified, their hearts fell short of God’s plumb line.

This is the way of our God—He sees not as we see. He is not impressed by outward credentials or swayed by appearances. For believers, the “heart” has a more profound meaning. Unlike the world that sees only outward appearances, Christians are called to discern the hidden workings of God, which operate unseen. Therefore, our faith ancestors confidently lived their lives, knowing that the power and glory of empires ruling the world would fade away like grass or flowers. Even when threatened and pushed to the edge by Rome, the early Christians did not betray God’s word. They were people who could see the ‘centre.’

Today’s Gospel reading, Mark 4:26–29, draws our attention to this ‘centre’: “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.”

What shall we say the Kingdom of God is like? With what can we compare it? Perhaps it is like this: The Kingdom of God is like a small ripple in a still pond. At first, the ripple seems insignificant and barely noticeable. But as it spreads, it touches and influences everything in its path. Gradually, the ripple grows larger, creating more ripples that extend further and further across the water. These ripples intersect with others, creating a beautiful, ever-expanding pattern. As more stones are gently tossed into the pond, the ripples multiply, continuously influencing and transforming the entire surface of the water.

Jesus explained that just as a seed sprouts, grows unnoticed, and eventually bears fruit, so does the Kingdom of God grow and flourish. The Kingdom of God is a place of growth and change. Anyone who has ever planted a seed knows that the process is often invisible and requires expectation and patience. The key difference is perspective: we see an empty field, but the farmer sees the potential for growth and fruit. The ability to see beyond the surface is a matter of faith. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is here and now, and faith enables us to see this reality. Being a believer means living with this awareness of the Kingdom of God as revealed through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

This is the One!

After Samuel, who had not seen the future king of Israel among Jesse’s sons, heard God’s voice saying, “This is the one!”, he anointed David. “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!”

Paul calls those who have the spiritual insight to see the ‘Kingdom of God’ that has already begun in Jesus Christ ‘a new creation.’ This is because they are people who daily grow anew together with the ‘Kingdom of God’ that is growing here and now, not being swayed by the outward appearance of the world.

We, who have become the ‘church,’ are the ones to whom the Lord cried out, “This is the one!” toward a world that has lost hope. Therefore, live now in a different way than before. Live with ‘faith’ and ‘insight’ that penetrates the inner reality, in a way different from the world swayed by outward appearances. Through this ‘faith,’ the ‘Kingdom of God’ will grow within us today as well.