THE YARDSTICK OF FORGIVENESS

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

Luke 23:34

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today is Good Friday and as we come to our sixth devotion in the Passion Week series, I want to touch on an important aspect of the cross, one I believe that gets lost sometimes in all our thinking about Jesus and His suffering as He paid the penalty for our sins.

You see, we need only look to the cross of Calvary and the outstretched arms of Jesus nailed to it to find our yardstick with which to measure the forgiveness we are to extend to others.

Who do you know in your life that needs your forgiveness?

We all have someone, perhaps a family member or a friend or a co-worker. Maybe it’s even a stranger who has done us or someone we know harm. Everyone at some time or another in life will have to face the matter of forgiving another. And it’s not always easy. Sometimes, we fail to forgive at all and continue to harbor ill will against the one who has wronged us. In the midst of our refusal to pardon the wrongs someone has done to us or someone we know, we lose sight of one very important truth:

We all have wronged the Lord, and we’ve done it over and over and over again.

He blesses us so very much and we show our gratitude by disobeying and disregarding Him in the way we live. Our response to His call to righteousness is too often wickedness. Frankly, it’s amazing that all of us haven’t just been wiped off the face of the earth. It would be something we would fully deserve.

But that’s not what happens, does it? The Lord doesn’t strike us down when we wrong Him. Instead, He grants us His forgiveness and grace and love. I don’t know about you but I would have trouble counting the number of times He has pardoned me and accepted my cries for mercy born from prayers of repentance.

So if the Lord can be so gracious and compassionate and merciful, then what’s our problem? Why aren’t we willing to release a grudge we are holding against another and instead show the same clemency that He has shown us?

After all, didn’t the very words of Jesus command us to do so. Look at the direction He gave Peter and us on the matter of forgiving:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

“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 talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

"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 denarii. 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 you 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 greatly distressed 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 turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

Matthew 18:21-35

Indeed, we are to forgive as the Master forgives us. And if you need any more convincing, let me offer one last point to seal this message…for the yardstick by which we should measure forgiveness is found on the cross as our Savior hangs crucified when He spoke these words:

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Luke 23:34

In the midst of more suffering than any of us will ever know, Jesus forgave.

In the presence of the mocking and ridicule from the Roman soldiers and the crowds who gathered to watch Him die, Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God, chose to not condemn and instead forgave.

As His life dwindled away, Jesus, the Savior who did nothing but love and teach and heal during his short life on earth, did not harbor a grudge against those who wronged Him but instead forgave.

Jesus, God’s one and only Son, knowing He was soon to die while bearing all the sin of mankind, did not pass blame onto those who were killing Him. No, He forgave.

And this man Jesus, who could have commanded a legion of angels to come and kill everyone who had done Him wrong, instead chose to forgive for anyone who would crucify and kill Him surely could not possibly know what they were doing.

Friends, the Lord is speaking loudly to us on this holy Good Friday. For if Jesus could forgive in the midst of His circumstance, then so can we in any and all situations we have faced, are facing, and are yet to face.

My prayer today is that you will commit yourself to forgive as Jesus did from the cross and let go of any ill will you have carried against another, an ill will that does nothing but poison you from the inside out, an ill will that pulls you away from living and loving and showing the mercy of Jesus to others, a grudge that you have no right to carry.

In the end translation, God’s word is clear. We are to forgive as Jesus forgave us.

How well are you measuring up on His yardstick of forgiveness?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
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A NEW WAY TO SEE PASSOVER

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”

Luke 22:7-20

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

It was Thursday, the day before Jesus would be crucified, a day He knew would be His last in physical ministry on earth.

So what did Jesus do on this day? How did He spend His final day of human life?

Well, as we see in today’s scripture passage, He chose to share one final meal with His disciples and in doing so, provide them with a new way of seeing Passover. Look again at these verses from the Gospel of Luke:

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

“Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

They left and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

After taking the cup, He gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”  Luke 22:7-20

It wasn’t just any ordinary Thursday on the Jewish calendar. For the scriptures tell us that it was the “day of Unleavened Day”, the day the “Passover lamb had to be sacrificed”. And so Jesus, the obedient Jew that He was, sent two of His disciples, Peter and John, to prepare the Passover meal, giving the two men specific instructions as to where the meal was to be made.

We read where Peter and John went and did what Jesus said, finding a man carrying a jar of water as they entered the city and allowing him to lead them to a furnished, upper guest room where they prepared the Passover. Jesus and the rest of the apostles joined Peter and John later, all of the, reclining at the table where Jesus made this statement:

“I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

Prior to this crucifixion eve, Jesus had told His followers that He was going to suffer and die on more than one occasion. Now, on the brink of those assertions becoming reality, He reminds them of His coming suffering and adds that the Passover meal they would share would be His last for a long time, adding that He would not eat of it again until it would find “fulfillment in the kingdom of God”, until “the kingdom of God would come”.

And with that, He shared the bread and the wine with the apostles who had been with Him along the way during His ministry. Of course, none of them would be able to fully understand what Jesus meant as He made the first of two statements until they witnessed the suffering He endured:

He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”

As Jesus broke the bread in His hands, He must have envisioned the brokenness that awaited His body in the hours ahead as He surrendered Himself to horrendous and horrific beatings and torture, beatings and torture that would fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah when he wrote this about Jesus, the suffering Servant:

There were many who were appalled at Him—His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness. Isaiah 52:14

You see, Jesus knew He wasn’t going to just be merely fractured. He knew that He was going to be completely broken, physically and emotionally, to where He would be unrecognizable. That’s how brutal His abuse would be and the broken bread was to serve as a reminder of how much Jesus suffered, not just for His beloved twelve but for all disciples from that point forward. We’re still reminded of the severity of Jesus’ brokenness every time we partake of the sacrament of communion today.

Well, such a battering and the subsequent brokenness, coupled with having His hands and feet being nailed to a cross, left Jesus bleeding from multiple parts of His body. And as we see from Jesus’ second statement to His disciples, there was special power in the blood He would shed:

In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.”

The time for the new covenant had arrived and it would be sealed by the blood shed by Jesus on Calvary’s cross, the blood of the Lamb of God who indeed had come to take away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

All the world, Jews and Gentiles alike.

It was a new way to see Passover, the meal that commemorated the day when the Israelites were spared from an angel of death who was sent upon Egypt to strike down the firstborn of people and animals (Exodus 12:24-27).

So what protected those Old Testament Israelites from the judgment God sent?

It was the blood of a slain lamb which was applied to the sides and the top of the doorposts where the Israelites were housed. When judgment came, the angel of death “passed over” the houses where the blood was present (Exodus 12:7, 12-13).

Fast forward to Jesus and you’ll see how there would now be a new way to look at Passover, a way that still endures today and will so forever.

You see, death is as certain for all mankind as the fact that all people are sinners. No one is going to live forever and everyone stands deserving of God’s harshest punishment. That is, unless something is put in place so death might “pass over” someone facing the threat of judgment and save them from punishment and damnation.

Enter in to this scene the blood of Jesus, the blood of the Lamb that not only washes every sinner white as snow but serves as the covering which shields every disciple of Christ from death, helping usher them into God’s promise of eternal life through His Son (John 3:16). This is what we are to remember when we drink from the cup of communion, giving thanks for the cleansing power of the blood of Jesus, the unblemished lamb of God, the sacrificed Passover lamb of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 5:7) who brought atonement for all, once and for all.  

Tomorrow, we look at the sacrifice.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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THE GREATEST BETRAYAL EVER

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com.
In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.  Matthew 26:14-16

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Mark 14:10-11

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Luke 22:1-6

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Betrayal has been a part of the human experience for as long as sin has been around as people over and over again have violated the trust of another.

Maybe it comes in a marriage when one partner learns that their partner has been unfaithful.

Maybe it happens when someone promises you something only to break that promise.

Possibly it could come when you tell someone something in confidence and they fail to keep it a secret.

Or as we see in today’s devotion, a person could be betrayed by someone who was considered a friend and confidant. For in looking at these three scripture passages from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we find that even Jesus suffered betrayal, one that was the greatest ever.

Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.  Matthew 26:14-16

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over. Mark 14:10-11

Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present. Luke 22:1-6

This Wednesday of Passion Week is often referred to as Spy Wednesday because of the illicit actions of Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. Think about that for a moment. One of Jesus’ closest followers, one who had traveled with Jesus through thick and thin, one who was trusted so much that he was given the responsibility of being treasurer or the “keeper of the money bag” (John 12:6).

Given this, how ironic is it that Judas would betray his Master over 30 silver coins?

So what happened to Judas? What led him down the road of wickedness and into the annals of history as being the greatest betrayer ever?

Well, if we turn to the scriptures we find the answers for in the passage from Luke, we learn this:

Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

We don’t think as much about evil spirits influencing our hearts and minds as we do the Holy Spirit but it’s clear here that Satan entered into Judas and from that point on, we know nothing good happened. All three Gospels are in agreement on what happened next because Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard (mentioned in Luke only) to discuss how he might go about betraying Jesus. There was complete intent in Judas’ actions and he his inquiry must have been welcome words to the chief priests as well as the teachers of the law who had been looking for some way to get rid of Jesus. In fact, Mark’s account tells us that they were “delighted” to hear what Judas was saying.

Well, we get a feeling from these passages that both parties, Judas and the chief priests, were in agreement about getting rid of Jesus. There was only the matter of how much the chief priests were willing to pay and in Matthew, we find Judas asking:

“What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?”

The offer to Judas was thirty pieces of silver paid up front. All Judas had to do was make good on his part of the bargain and find an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the Jewish religious authorities. Luke tells us that Judas was careful not to pick a time and place where there would be a crowd of people as the Jewish leaders did not want to incite a riot in Jerusalem.

And so the stage was set for Jesus’ arrest, the first step on the road to His trial, conviction, and crucifixion. Judas would prove himself unfaithful to the very Lord who had been nothing but faithful to him and do so for a mere 30 silver coins.

What I find interesting about all this is that it beckons back to Jesus’ first formal teaching during the Sermon on the Mount. You may recall Jesus saying these words:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:19-21, 24

A lot of people like to try and look at the amount Judas took to betray Jesus and put a price on what he did but I think that misses the mark on what was really happening here. Obviously, Judas’ heart wasn’t centered on Jesus as His treasure but rather money in general. He obviously had a passion for currency and that was why he was the treasurer but can we see where danger can enter in when we start to place too much of our attention on the treasures of earth. Those treasures become the most important thing to us and accordingly our hearts get tethered to them.

Judas had a choice, just like every person does. He had a choice between two masters: God and money. He made the mistake to choose and serve money, and as soon as he did, he opened the door for Satan to come in and influence his heart and actions, actions that resulted in the greatest betrayal ever.

Given all this, I’ll close with a few questions:

Where does your loyalty lie?

Are you worshiping and serving God or money?

What is your treasure in life?

If we’re going to avoid failing and falling as Judas did, we simply must give our fullest devotion to Jesus, worship and serve God and God alone with all our heart and soul and mind, and make Jesus our one and only treasure so that our heart might be fully in Him.

When we do that, when we completely dedicate ourselves to Jesus, then we can be assured that we will always do the right and righteous thing, always faithful to the One who saved us while avoiding the mistake of Judas who allowed his love of money to lead him down the road of betraying His Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
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