Texts: Exodus 14: 19-31,
Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35
"Please Have Mercy On
Me"
The 22-year-old houseboy who
allegedly killed his madam has been arrested by police in Kumasi and he's pleading for mercy.
This young man who was
employed barely two weeks ago by the businesswoman to help her keep her house
ended up taking the life of his employer. What a world we live in. Hmmmmmm.
After killing her with a
knife, he bolted with her cars but fortunately his actions was caught on phone
as the madam was on call with a friend when he attacked her.
Following his arrest, he’s
begged the police for mercy. Hmmmmmmm.
My brothers and sisters in the
Lord, today, we gather under the grace of the Almighty to delve into the
profound message of forgiveness, as revealed in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter
18, verses 21-35. Our theme is "Forgive," a concept central to our
Christian faith. Let us open our hearts and minds to the Word of God as we
explore this timeless teaching.
Forgive means to stop feeling
anger, resentment, or the desire for revenge toward someone who has wronged
you. It involves letting go of negative emotions and granting pardon for their
actions. It can be a process of healing and reconciliation.
Our Lord Jesus Christ deals
with a deeply important subject, - the forgiveness of injuries. We live in a
wicked world, and it is vain to expect that we can escape ill-treatment,
however carefully we may behave. To know how to conduct ourselves, when we are
ill- treated, is of great moment to our souls.
Let's be aware that in the
first place, the Lord Jesus lays it down as a general rule, that we ought to
forgive others to the outermost.
In the quest to understand this, Peter came to
Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or
sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I
tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
Brothers and Sisters, we need
to interpret this rule with sober-mind. Jesus is not saying that, offences
against the law of the land and the good order of society, the constitution of
the Nation and the Church, code of ethics at our work places etc are to be
passed over in silence; He does not mean that, we are to allow poeple to commit
thefts, manslaughter, and assaults with impunity: all that He means is, that we are to study a
general spirit of mercy and forgiveness towards our neighbours.
We are to bear much, and to
put up with much, rather than quarrel, strife, we are to lay aside everything
like malice, strife, revenge, and retaliation. Such feelings are only fit for
heathens: they are utterly unworthy of a disciple of Christ . Let us resolve to
return good for evil, and blessings for cursing and so to melt down enmity and
change our foes into friends. Romans 12:20.
To further answer the question
well, Jesus gave the following illustration.
Therefore, the kingdom of
heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he
began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought
to him. Since he was not able to pay at the
time of reckoning, the master ordered that he and his wife and his
children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
At this, the servant fell on
his knees before him. "Be patient with me," he begged, "and I
will pay back everything." The servant's master took pity on him, canceled
the debt, and let him go.
But when that servant went
out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.
He grabbed him and began to choke him. "Pay back what you owe me!" he
demanded.
His fellow servant fell to his
knees and begged him, "Be patient with me, and I will pay it back."
But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until
he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw
what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything
that had happened. Then the master called the servant in. "You wicked
servant," he said, "I canceled all that debt of yours because you
begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had
on you?" In anger, his master handed him over to the jailers to be
tortured until he should pay back all he owed.
According to Jesus, this is how God will treat each of
us unless we forgive our brothers or sisters from our heart.
In this powerful parable,
Jesus illuminates the depth and breadth of forgiveness.
We all need forgiveness at
God's hands ourselves. We sin all the time, we pray everyday and ask for
forgiveness of sin : sins of ommission, commission and erro etc. Jesus died on
our behalf and for us on the Cross and we are forgiven and saved. 1 John 1:8,9
Our neighbours offences
against us are mere trifles, compared with our offences against God.
The day of judgement is
coming. We shall all stand one by one to be judged by God. There will be no
forgiveness in that day for unforgiven poeple. It is very sad to see how much
bitterness, unmercifullness, spite, hardness, and unkindness etc there among us
in the Church. God is coming very soon. Do you want to be at peace with God?
Do you want your cloths to be
washed in the Blood of Jesus Christ? Do you want to be called the child of God?
Then let us forgive and be merciful.
Here are some supporting texts to reinforce
this teaching:
- Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) -
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as
in Christ God forgave you."
- Colossians 3:13 (NIV) -
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a
grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you."
- Luke 6:37 (NIV) - "Do
not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be
condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven."
As followers of Christ,
forgiveness is not optional; it is a divine mandate. Let us learn from the
merciful king who canceled an insurmountable debt and the unmerciful servant
who refused to forgive a small one. The Lord's forgiveness towards us should inspire
us to extend that same grace to others.
Let's remember, forgiveness is
not weakness; it is a manifestation of God's strength working within us. When
we forgive, we release the burden of anger, resentment, and bitterness,
allowing healing and reconciliation to flourish.
In conclusion, my dear
brothers and sisters, let us heed the words of Jesus, who tells us that
forgiveness is not limited by numbers but should flow endlessly from our
hearts. May we be a people known for our forgiveness, a living testament to
God's boundless love and grace. Amen.
By: Rev. Sylvanus Kpodonu || EPCG || Tanyigbe District || Tel: +233242238736
