Forgive!

Forgive!
written by Chris Baker

Buried in our text today is the subject of forgiveness. Mark 11 begins our journey through Passion Week. We celebrated the Triumphal Entry yesterday. Today speaks of Jesus overthrowing the merchandise tables. I would like to pause here for a moment. 

I noticed something in the text today that I had previously overlooked. I always remember hearing Jesus’ famous words, “My house will be called a house of prayer” (Mark 11:17). However, I overlooked the last part of that text, “for all nations.” Dr. Middendorf, gives an interesting perspective on why  Jesus got upset. The part of the Temple reserved for Gentiles to pray was overtaken with greedy merchants. There was no place for the Gentiles to pray! The Jewish people were supposed to be a light to the nations, reflecting the image of God. However, they were not obedient to that purpose. They had become blinded to that mission, just as they were blind to the Messiah who was in their midst. 

Now this is a very interesting subject, but I want to draw our attention elsewhere. The next day, Jesus is having a conversation with His disciples and He brings up the subject of forgiveness. Jesus is speaking to His disciples about prayer. He says that we must have faith in God when we pray. Nothing will be impossible through prayer if it is accompanied by faith (in accordance with God’s will of course). Right after saying this, Jesus brings up the subject of forgiveness. 

Mark 11:25 says, “and when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (NIV). Take your time and slowly read those words. If you hold “anything” against “anyone” forgive! Do you know what that means? No matter the offense, no matter who it is, forgive. 

Pause! Forgiveness can be a process at times. Just because you forgive DOES NOT MEAN you dismiss what happened. People have done some vial things to one another as a result of sin. Scripture is clear that sin has consequences. However, this does not give us the option of not forgiving. How can I say that? Jesus did not say, “ if you hold anything against anyone forgive them, except  for A, B, and C.” He said, no matter who it is and no matter the offensive, we must must forgive. 

I know people who have spent years in counseling before coming to a place of forgiveness and that is ok! Forgiveness can be a process, depending on the severity of the offense. However, this does not give us an excuse when it comes to forgiving. 

Did you notice the last part of verse 25? “So that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Does that mean that God will not forgive us if we are not willing to forgive others? Think about your own sin for a moment. Pause, and dwell here for a moment. Remember all the Lord has forgiven you from. Remember the sin He has “cast as far as the East is from the West and no longer remembers” (Psalm 103:9). Imagine if the Lord still held that sin against you. What kind of forgiveness would that be? Therefore, if the Lord has mercy on us and forgives us of our sins, how can we stand in judgement and refuse to forgive one another? 

The life of a Christian is not easy. Many times we peruse right over a passage like this without thinking about the actual application of it. These words of Jesus are not a suggestion. He is asking us to do a very difficult and counter cultural thing. The life of discipleship is hard. This is, in part, what it looks like to pick up your cross and follow Jesus. If we truly want to reflect the image of the Risen Savior then we need to seriously consider what that image looks like. Christians are called to be Christ’s likeness. If we are called to be like Christ Jesus then we need to model the life of Jesus. This is impossible without His Spirit. 

Jesus fills us with His Holy Spirit which enables us to live the Christian life. We cannot do these things in our own power! If you have been trying to then STOP! You’re fighting a losing battle. Ask the Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit. Tell Him that you no longer wish to life this life without Him. Ask Him to help you come to a place of forgiveness. He will give you the same Holy Spirit that raised Him from the dead. I don’t know about you, but that seems pretty powerful to me! Powerful enough to accomplish anything you may ask for in prayer, even the power to forgive!