THURSDAY: Mercy for Me, Justice for Everyone Else

BIG IDEA: Our own spiritual blind spots can stall out God’s mission for our lives.

Reading:

Matthew 18:21-35

“Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Jonah 4:1-4

“But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was angry. And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?””

Devotional:

After Nineveh repents and God relents from the disaster He had planned, Jonah is furious. He tells God he knew this would happen and that this is why he fled. He would rather die than see his enemies receive mercy. 

The parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew directly mirrors Jonah’s heart. He gladly received mercy from God but struggled to extend that same mercy to others. This passage in Jonah pulls back the curtain on Jonah's true motivation from the very beginning. He did not run because he was afraid of the Assyrians. He ran because he was afraid God would actually forgive them. Jonah wanted mercy for himself and justice for everyone who had hurt him or his people.

The sermon frames this as one of the most honest mirrors the book holds up to us. We celebrate grace on Sunday mornings and withhold it from the people who have wounded us by Monday afternoon. We pray for God to move in our own lives and secretly hope that the people we resent get what they deserve. This is not a small inconsistency. It is a fundamental contradiction at the center of the gospel.

Jesus did not die only for the people we like. He died for the Ninevites in our lives too. Receiving mercy and refusing to extend it are incompatible postures for a follower of Christ. As Matthew 18:21-35 illustrates through the parable of the unmerciful servant, those who have been forgiven an enormous debt and refuse to forgive a small one have misunderstood the nature of what they received.

Reflection:

• Who is the Nineveh in your life, the person or group you secretly hope does not receive God's grace?

• In what relationships are you seeking justice rather than restoration?

• How does your daily treatment of others reflect what you actually believe about the mercy you have received?

Practical Application:

Identify one person toward whom you have been withholding grace. You do not have to resolve the relationship today. Begin by praying for that person genuinely, asking God to move in their life as freely as He has moved in yours.

Song of the Day:

 Brandon Lake - GOD IS NOT AGAINST ME (Lyric Video)