Mark 11:25-26 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
The teachings of Jesus stand very clear in this passage of Scripture. Jesus is speaking what He heard the Father say. It does not matter who you are and it doesn’t matter what someone has done against you: God by His Word requires that for you to be forgiven by Him, it you have ought against anyone, you must forgive them.
We like to place conditions on this command. We only want to forgive if they deserve it. We only want to forgive if they accept it and are sorry. Does God honor that exception? No, He does not. The Roman soldiers who crucified Jesus did not deserve forgiveness but Jesus forgave them anyway.
The High Priest, Judas, Peter, the Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod or any others who were in any way responsible for what Jesus suffered did not deserve forgiveness but Jesus did what He heard the Father say. Jesus said in Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Forgiveness does not absolve the person or persons who have caused you hurt or harm but it does free you from the bondage that the offender would place on you. Until you forgive, the weight and memory of the pain stays with you. Hear their name, drive past their home or see them on the street and there is a recurrence of what happened. Jesus wants you free of it. It is up to Him to deal with the person who has hurt you. Not only that, but as we read earlier, God will not forgive you if you do not forgive the person who has hurt you.
I don’t know about you, but when I need forgiveness from God I don’t want anything to stand in the way. I want to be forgiven. I want the blood of Jesus to wash away my sinfulness. I want to be clean before God. The person who has done me wrong may not deserve to be forgiven in my opinion but I am not forgiving them for their sakes, I am practicing forgiveness for me. God doesn’t change and His Word remains His standard today. I must choose which way I will go. So must you.
Maranatha!
