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Inferences and the Heart
Inferences and the Heart
Interpreting through inferences is a sticky subject, and some when addressing “necessary inferences” ask “Necessary to who?” This is especially true when when interpreting to find God’s authorization for our activities. Logically speaking an inference can’t be necessary unless it is necessarily implied.
When teaching on authority I often use the narrative of Jesus being accused of breaking the law when His disciples ate grain on the Sabbath (Matthew 12, Mark 2, Luke 6). This account contains inferences used both by Jesus and the Pharisees. The point is, some are proper and others are not.
As for inferences, consider every parable requires using this form of argument which is basically “logical conclusions.” If this is correct, we see Jesus saying the power to interpret inferences lay not in the intellect but rather in the heart – “having eyes to see, ears to hear” and yet Jesus keeps pointing to the heart.
In fact, I don’t think Jesus ever pointed out someone’s intellect as the source of the problem. The heart is a combination of mind, will, and emotion. Are we willing to hear?
As an application, I am not saying disfellowship any and all over differences due to intellect or heart. Jesus was patient, especially with the apostles who had heart problems. I am saying we all need to be aware of how our hearts deceive us. After all, the heart is what Jesus said was the source of the problem. I doubt any of us though apply that to ourselves as diligently as we should.
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