Kindness

In Matthew 18:21-35, a story is told of a servant whose debt was forgiven but failed to show the same kindness to his debtor. This story starts off by Peter asking Jesus how many times he must forgive his brother who sins against him. Jesus then replied, “…I do not say to you seven times but seventy-seven times” in verse 22. He then proceeds to talk about how the kingdom of God is comparable to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. One of them owed ten thousand talents (which is equivalent to hundreds of years of work). His master ordered for him and his family to be sold to clear the debt, but he pleaded for mercy and time to pay back, and the king had pity on him and forgave him the debt! This servant who had been forgiven his debt finds one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii (which is equivalent to just a hundred days of work); nothing significant compared to his forgiven debt.  He began to choke his fellow servant, insisting that he paid what he owed. His fellow servant pleaded with him, but he refused to show mercy and further proceeded to lock him up in prison until he should pay the debt (cf. Matthew 18:28-30).

Before I go on, I would like to highlight a few things.

First, the first servant, who was unforgiving, pleaded with his master to be able to clear his astronomical debt. He got more than he asked. He was shown mercy and forgiven all the debt! Take a pause! Do you realise this would have had economic implications on the economy of the king? So how did the king deal with this implication? In other words, I am only saying it cost the king a lot to show that kindness.

Secondly, this servant whose debt was forgiven was unwilling to even give more time to his debtor. Notice this was a fellow colleague. We see the heart of this unforgiving and unmerciful servant through his words and his actions. Did the Bible not say that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks? cf. Matthew 12:34. Other similar texts include Proverbs 4:23 & 10:11.

Finally, it is imperative to note that the heart of man who has not been regenerated and saved through the Holy Spirit by Jesus Christ is dead; dead in works and in all areas of their lives. In other words, nothing he does brings life because they do not proceed from a well of life in the spirit of the man as the Holy Spirit, who is the life-giving Spirit does not reside in their heart.

Can we say that this unforgiving servant also had pressures around him? Maybe. Maybe not. He probably owed a lot more people, I don’t know. Did he not consider how much he had been forgiven? How did that skip his mind ever so quickly? Such a debt that has been forgiven you?!

From the text we can also see how ungrateful he was. Why do I say this? His gratitude from that emancipation of debt should have caused him to overlook the debt of his fellow colleague. If he truly understood what weight had been lifted off him such that his generations wouldn’t be in debt even before they arrived on earth, he would have lived a life of gratitude. Instead, we see the manifestation of the typical depravity of the heart of fallen man because of the fall in Genesis 3. Isn’t this sad? I could go on and on but I will halt here (I know there are a lot of reflective questions going on in your mind right now. I think that is enough. Don’t you think?)

The Bible says in Titus 3:4,5 NKJV, “⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,“.

Just like this servant in Matthew 18 was forgiven of a debt which transcended generations, we too, who are now saved through the blood of Jesus, as a result of God’s demonstration of love through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, have been forgiven of a debt that transcended generations. We could never pay back the debt of sin. This proceeded from the loving-kindness of the Father. We see the far-reaching extent of forgiveness as a result of kindness. It cost Him His only begotten Son. Do you know the pain the Father went through? Unimaginable. To have a glimpse of that pain, consider how Jesus prayed till His sweat were like drops of blood (cf. Luke 22:44) due to the anguish of His soul. This pain the Father went through to save you and I, so that we can be extensions of His grace for His glory alone.

We owe it a responsibility to be kind to one-another as Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 4:32. He says, “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you“.
You may be asking what the extent to which you must be kind must be. The answer is found in the same verse 32 of Ephesians 4. It must be to the extent to which God forgave you in Christ. Now even in this, the Holy Spirit grants wisdom. If you lack wisdom, you just need to ask (cf. James 1:5) and you will be given it because we live in an age where kindness has been taken for granted. You can effectively be kind, even to unbelievers when you are led by the Holy Spirit. It is the reason why kindness is a part of the Fruit of the Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit to be kind. He gives the enablement to be kind. Be open to be led by the Holy Spirit.

What happens when we are kind? We are able to extend the goodness and mercy of God through the help offered to people who may not be deserving, according to our human judgment. Remember you are only a vessel who has the Holy Spirit, in this context. You must act as the extension of the hands and feet of Jesus. Be kind. Be tender-hearted.

Secondly, kindness is manifested through forgiveness. This doesn’t necessarily mean repaired trust. Trust may have to be rebuilt again although you have forgiven. Apply wisdom by the Holy Spirit and make the effort only as He leads.

How then shall we live?

Be kind. Forgive those who have wronged you so you can be free of the heartaches and frustration. Sometimes the people who have hurt us may never cross our paths again but we cannot continue living with the pain now, can we? How do you do this? Decide you will do it as an act of your will and ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Remember that kindness is a two-way affair; with God and with man. We ought to be kind because we have been shown kindness.

And now to those who do not know Jesus as Lord and personal saviour, you will need Him to be able to ask the Holy Spirit to help you journey with Him. There is no better thing to have in this day and age than to have Jesus living in your heart by His Spirit. Say this with all sincerity of heart, “Lord Jesus, I am sorry that all this while I have lived in rebellion. Please save me from sin. Cleanse me from all my sins. I choose to have you in my life as my Lord and personal saviour. Today I declare that I am yours and you are mine. Thank you for saving me. And now I ask that you baptise me with your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your loving-kindness, dear Jesus. Amen.”

Please reach out to me via the comments or find a Bible-believing church, tell them of your new found love in Christ and get baptised. Don’t forget to keep thanking Jesus for this. Welcome to the Kingdom of Light!

Shalom Shalom!