Good Morning All!
Matthew 5:7; “Blessed are the merciful, for they
shall receive mercy.”
Jesus once told a parable about a king who
was settling his accounts. He called a man before him who owed about 200,000 years’
worth of wages to the king. The man said he would pay the king back. The king
had mercy and forgave the debt. The man then went out joyful at his good
fortune. Until he met a friend who owed him about 3 months were of wages. When
the friend asked for time, the first man went into a rage and had his “friend”
thrown into prison until the debt was paid. When the king heard this story, he
called the first man in and asked him, “I showed you mercy, shouldn’t have
you?” Then he had the first man thrown into prison until his debt was paid.
One time I listened in a Bible study while
the leader of the study rationalized how unlikely this scenario was. This
person was so callous and out-of-touch that he must be almost psychotic. This
act so lacks sensitivity that it is almost off the charts. After all, what kind of a monster would put
anyone, let alone a friend, in prison over an insignificant sum of
money? There was a hearty round of agreement,
and everyone went away feeling good about themselves. As we left, I kept
thinking of the prayer of the Pharisee who said, “I thank you, my God, that I
am not a sinner like that man!”
Don’t we throw people into “prison” all
the time? Don’t we demand that all debts, no matter how small, get paid? Think
of your brothers or sisters, have you ever been mad at them for a couple of
days because the messed up your room?
Did you try to get even? What about your spouse? Do they ever do
something that leaves you with the feeling, maybe you even say it; “They knew I
was mad at them over this.” Not all
prisons have steel bars and locks. Some are made of our anger and our
judgmental attitude. Yet we leave church having received God’s forgiveness, but
we punish our children for making us be two minutes late for church.
We are that man. Our sinful nature does a
good job convincing us otherwise, but we are that man. We stand and gratefully receive God’s
forgiveness of our sins, yet we extract from our family and friends payment for
every sin, real or imagined, and we put them into our emotional prison until
they pay. If that, is you, and it probably is at one time or another, God is
speaking to you. Look at the debt that
we are forgiven. The amount that the first man owes in the parable is absurdly
high to make the point; we can never pay that debt only God can forgive it. Yet
someone messes up our room, causes us a little inconvenience, hurts our
feelings or some other small matter and we imprison them for days or weeks
until they pay.
If that, is you, listen to God’s Word of
forgiveness and heed his warning. Be merciful and you will receive mercy.
Dear Father, too often
we refuse to forgive others. We would rather keep them in our prisons. Forgive
us when we do this and give us the insight to see when we do this and give us
the strength and wisdom to do so. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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