Ezekiel 36:26Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

After their return from exile, they had only three prophets—Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi—and afterward, they lost the gift of prophecy. However, following the Incarnation of God our Savior and His ascension to heaven, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles, imparting grace not solely to the Jews but also to all Gentiles who have come to believe. A stony heart symbolizes a heart that is obstinate and rebellious, whereas a pliable heart represents one that is humble and obedient, able to embrace the teachings of divine scripture.

And I will bestow upon you a new spirit. The new spirit refers to the revitalizing grace offered by the Holy Spirit. Humanity, through its own endeavors, cannot enact such a comprehensive change in thoughts, emotions, and desires. Evidence indicates that advancements in understanding or enhancements in external circumstances yield little success in this quest. Only the grace of God has the power to renew our hearts and spirits, rendering us pure and holy. The Lord declares, 'I will provide what you are unable to achieve on your own.'

I will remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh. The Lord consistently admonished the Jews for their hardness of heart, showcasing their persistent resistance to His divine will. This hardness is illustrated by the term heart of stone. In contrast to the heart of stone—rigid, cold, and unfeeling—God promises to give a heart of flesh, one that is soft and, according to Blessed Theodoret’s interpretation, 'a heart of good flesh.' Theodoret describes this as 'submissive and obedient, able to receive the impressions of Divine teachings.'

We can observe a partial fulfillment of this promise of moral transformation among the Jews following the Babylonian exile. They had largely distanced themselves from idolatry, and transgressions that had previously drawn the prophets' ire had diminished. However, remnants of their prior lifestyle persisted, as reflected in the accounts of the Jewish condition under Nehemiah (1 Ezra 9:14, 2 Ezra 5:8-9) and during the Maccabean period (2 Maccabees chapters IV and V). Ultimately, it was faith in Christ and the grace of the Holy Spirit—poured out abundantly on believers since the Spirit's descent upon the apostles—that enabled the monumental transformation described here. This change first impacted the apostles and subsequently spread to others who humbly accepted their message of Christ. Those who once possessed hearts of stone rejoiced within when they heard Peter's proclamation (Acts 2:37).