1 Chronicles Chapter 19: Verse 2a (NIV)
David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.
Luke Chapter 7: Verses 44-47 (NIV)
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
1 Peter Chapter 3: Verse 9 (NLT)
Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing.
Recently in my daily readings, I was reminded of the kindness of God, and its impact on our lives. Today we read that David sought to be kind to the new King of the Ammonites, but his kindness was rebuffed, and David’s envoys were humiliated. I can understand David’s anger at the treatment of his representatives, but nevertheless, it’s a shame that this led to war. Perhaps Hanun should have ignored the advice of his leadership team. However, that got me thinking about how we should react if our kindness or good intentions are rebuffed. The Apostle Peter is very clear about how we as Ambassadors for Christ should react – and certainly not retaliate. At church this morning we looked at Simon the Pharisee’s reaction to the woman who came uninvited to his house. He didn’t voice his unkind opinion of her, but Jesus knew what he was thinking and called him out on it. He then pointed out how He himself had been treated by the woman and by Simon himself. Simon had neglected to be hospitable whilst the woman in her turn wanted to show her love for Jesus. She was treated with kindness and forgiveness by the Lord.
The preacher this morning then turned Jesus’ words around to us, specifically, “Do you see this woman?” He pointed out that she became an example of how to react. Just as we, as Jesus’ ambassadors are called to act differently. Not for our own sake, but so that people can look at us and see Jesus’ at work in us.
Sadly, we have seen this week what happens when people choose to pay back evil for evil, following the awful events in Southport, but also the judgemental attitude of some people, even Christians, following an Olympic boxing event. A Christian minister who I admire, admitted that he himself had had to seek God’s forgiveness for his initial thoughts on the event, and reminded us of the need for compassion as followers of Christ. That may be hard when our compassion and understanding are thrown back in our face. But after all, if it happened to Jesus Himself, why wouldn’t it happen to us too? After all, Jesus Himself prayed on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Dear Lord,
Help me to follow Your example and remember to pray for forgiveness on behalf of those who allow their emotions to influence their actions, especially when they are angry and hurting. They too may not fully understand the consequences to themselves in behaving that way. And Lord, may I allow the Holy Spirit to cultivate an abundance of the fruit of kindness in my heart. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.