From Human Condemnation to Divine CompassionSample
Matthew chapter 18 presents a Jesus emphasizing caring for fellowship among brothers and sisters and fostering an environment of restoration. Relate to others and God from the edge of the heart and not from that of power. The edge of the heart sets you free, but the other keeps you tied to a position or assumptions that make you condemn or always ask "Who is more?."
Jesus exposes the dangers of comparing ourselves to others, which can lead our hearts astray. We refer to the mindset that dehumanizes others when we speak of human condemnation. On the other hand, compassion is about connecting with the heart. Compassion is almost the opposite of pity because those who feel pity often don't fully commit to helping others.
I would like us to see the story of the two debtors as one of the powers of compassion: to help us realize that communion with others helps us to live the reality of divine Grace. Jesus, to walk with us, is willing to forgive us to reconnect us with his heart; he walks the path of mercy and compassion so that we may enjoy his company, and his company is the best representation of divine grace.
Now, from the shore of human condemnation, the same things look different when we feel that we are owed or that they do not give us enough, motivated by anxiety, ignorance or pressures of a culture of looking for "who is more," we go after the "disgrace" of longing for our toys so much that we forget what is essential,God's embrace, his companionship, his forgiveness, and restoration.
We have two paths in the times of empty rooms, when I feel that the toys that gave me a sense of security are taken away from me. The path of the one who feels so hurt and anguished that as soon as he has his toy of turn or satisfaction supplied, he will not want to lose it and will do whatever it takes to maintain it even if it is at the expense of others. On the other hand, there is the path of the one who learns that the company of God was always the most important thing and that as a child, he will have everything his Father knows he needs. Divine compassion leads us down this second path.
Remember: When God has on one hand all the debts and failures of the world that you committed against him, and on the other hand the possibility of reconnecting with you, he will always choose to embrace.
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About this Plan
Three stories are repeated in three Gospels, each with two different views and interpretations leading to opposite results. Let us learn from Jesus' gaze to avoid falling into the clutches of bitterness.
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