By Pastor Greg
Coming home from work, a woman
stopped at the corner deli to buy a chicken for supper. The butcher reached
into a barrel, grabbed the last chicken he had, flung it on the scales behind
the counter, and told the woman its weight. She thought for a moment. "I
really need a bit more chicken than that," she said. "Do you have any
larger ones?" Without a word, the
butcher put the chicken back into the barrel, groped around as though finding
another, pulled the same chicken out, and placed it on the scales. "This
chicken weighs one pound more," he announced. The woman pondered her
options and then said, "Okay. I'll take them both."
Jesus reminds us that, “just as you can identify
a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions” (Matthew
7:26). I think we all know what kind of
person the butcher is, but what about the woman. If the story continued, we might be able to
tell what she is like based on her response. And how she responds to being wronged would
give us a pretty good idea what kind of heart she has.
You probably know that the Lord
speaks against lying and deception. We
like to hear the Lord condemn those types of people. However, what we may not like to hear is that
the Lord also condemns those who remain bitter; those who refuse to forgive
when they have been wronged. According
to the Lord, we must learn to forgive.
There are many places in the New
Testament where believers are called to act in ways far different from the
world. Jesus teaches us to turn the
other cheek when wronged, to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute
us (Matthew 5:39-44). These are actions
that identify us as a Christian – the fruit that shows what kind of tree we are
like. When we are hurt or wronged by
someone, Jesus tells us to speak to them face-to-face about what they have done. Instead of hanging on to bitterness, and
allowing anger to poison their life, Jesus says, “If another believer sins against you, go
privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses
it, you have won that person back” (Matthew 18:15). I could go on, filling several pages with
statements like “Love
your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). But the point is that Jesus expects those
called by His name (Christian) to conduct themselves in this world in ways that
are not of this world. He expects us to put on a new nature.
In Ephesians 4:17-32, Paul writes, 17 With the Lord’s
authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are
hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they
wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and
hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of
shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of
impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you
learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and
have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your
old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and
deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and
attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like
God—truly righteous and holy.
25 So stop telling lies.
Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And
“don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still
angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit
stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously
to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let
everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an
encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow
to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as
his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all
bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil
behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted,
forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Much of what Paul says here deals
with our Christian conduct toward other people, not just our personal
vices. That’s the real shocker for many
people. Paul insists that it is sinful
to harbor bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart. Paul insists that a true believer seriously
considers their interactions with other people and decides to change their
ways. They choose words that are helpful
and encouraging. They choose to be kind,
tenderhearted, and forgiving.
In anticipation of our Love Feast
and Feet Washing service, I want to focus on the last part Paul mentioned here;
the part about forgiving. The Lord has
said, “If you
forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But
if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins”
(Matthew 6:14-15). Forgiveness is an
essential “fruit” each Christian must bear in their life. However, forgiveness is a fruit that is difficult to grow, especially if we continue
to hold on to past hurts and wounds.
When we continue to dwell on a past “wrong”, we have not truly forgiven, and that “wrong” continues to
infect our lives as Christians and as a Church.
According to Paul, only a person hopelessly confused would continue to
harbor anger and bitterness over what has been done. Paul says that to refuse forgiveness is to
bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit. In
other words, if a Christian or a church wants to move on and move forward, they
will need to find a way to let go of that “wrong” and instead embrace
forgiveness.
This idea of forgiveness is the
background behind the lesson Jesus taught His Apostles in the Upper Room during
that final Passover celebration. A big
part of what He was teaching focused on letting go of hurt and embracing
forgiveness.
Before the events in the Upper
Room, two of His Apostles had tried to
gain positions of power. This “wrong”
began to infect the group, which is part of the reason Jesus washes everyone’s
feet (Read John 13:12-17).
More than simply a lesson on
serving others, Jesus is teaching us to be kind to each other, to be
tenderhearted, and to be forgiving. And
I can’t help but wonder if this is a lesson you and I need to learn as
well. I can’t help but wonder if we have
allowed a “wrong” to infect us.
No matter where we go or what
church we attend, someone will eventually say something or do something that offends
us. It even happens here. It has happened here. Something was said or done that caused hurt
and woundedness. However, if we take the
words of the Bible seriously, there needs to be forgiveness. Oh, we may be tempted to think that we have
indeed forgiven and moved on. However,
if this were true, then we would not continually drift back to that event and relive
what was said and done. Every time we
resurrect the pain, it’s a sure sign that we have not moved on; that we have
not been able to forgive.
Tell me, don’t you want others to
forgive you for the things you have said and done? Don’t you want others to be patient with
you? Don’t you want others to be
understanding and make allowance for your faults? Then maybe you need to remember what the Lord
taught us to do. He said, Do to others whatever you would like them to
do to you. This is the essence of all
that is taught in the law and the prophets”. Do to others as you would like them to do to you. It is time for us to let go of the bitterness
and anger over the things that were said and done. It is time for us to forgive and move
on. It is time to wash one another’s
feet.
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