Every Christian’s mind twirls with excitement when we read this red letter promise:
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.”
Mark 11:22-24
Oh yes!! Amen and amen! It’s just this kind of gospel that makes me wonder why everyone doesn’t sign-up. Even all of the imaginations of Marvel Comics hasn’t come up with a super hero that speaks AND MOVES mountains. This is serious power. And I believe Him who declared this truth. Jesus was not subject to hyperbole or evangelistic exaggeration. He meant that with enough faith in God mountains will get up and dance their way into the nearest sea. I can’t read it any other way.
He said this in response to the amazement of His disciples when they noticed the full leafed fig tree He had cursed the day before was already dead and withered. It was as if he was saying, “This is no big deal. Why, if you would just have faith in God, you can pray for anything – even to move mountains.”
Though I love the mountains and head to them whenever I get the chance, there are none in my way here in the Texas Gulf Coast area. A freeway overpass is just about as high as any of us get around here. But before we dismiss this scripture as a promise for another land, another time period or another people, let Jesus instruct us a little further.
But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.
Mark 11: 25
Then Jesus Shifts Gears
Whoa. Who stuck that in there? We were moving mountains and praying about anything and receiving it. Now we’re talking about grudges? Forgiveness of sins? That’s no fun.
No, grudges are not fun. As a matter of fact, they often smother a good time. Ever avoided a family get together because so-and-so will be there? Maybe you’ve dropped attending a small group at church because a grudge against someone there ruins the mood. Grudges and unforgiveness sour just about everything in our life.
Honesty check…. Did someone not respond the right way this Christmas to a gift you gave? I mean you thought it through, purchased it, wrapped it, carried it, and nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a real, ‘thank you’. A tinge of grudge has now colored the holiday. Next year, you might just send a card…or nothing.
Even more likely, there is something much more serious. A broken marriage vow may have caused unforgiveness to set up camp in your soul. Maybe you have been betrayed by a “bestie” or deeply wounded by your own child or parent. Those are painful and a grudge often feels like the only “control” you have over the situation. It says something along the lines of, “They won’t ever do that to me again. This wall is so high and impenetrable; its mortar is the glue of bitterness. No one will ever get that close to me. I’ve got to protect me.”
On the other hand, forgiveness seems like a reward to the offender. It seems as if they just walk away scot free. We think there is no justice just letting go of those ugly offenses. How will we control the situation? How will they ever learn their lesson? Somebody has to pay.
First Things First
Yet…Jesus says, when you are praying (as a mighty Christian does), FIRST forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against. Why? “so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Notice the total absence of loopholes here. There are no qualifiers like forgive only those who ask sincerely, or forgive those whom you equally offended. You are also not exempt from those most horrible, unspoken offenses or the ones that happen and happen again.
Does the word impossible enter your thinking? Does it seem too much? You can’t just say, “Poof. Everything is forgiven.” Or can you? Could it possibly be that easy? Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen’. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.”
Yes, massive boulders and dirt and immeasurable tons of rock lifting up and rolling into the sea is awesome, but boulders of hurt, the festering dirty wounds of life, and rocks stacked in protection against any further pain coming down so quickly is a miracle. You can speak to that mountain.
Speak to it. Believe what God says. Tell the grudges and unforgiveness to find a new home in the bottom of the ocean. You will no longer carry them or imagine yourself protected by their crowded walls. Jesus said to do it FIRST. No dilly-dallying. Speak to the mountain, trust God, and see what happens. That’s taking control of the situation.
I know that some have had traumatic events that require counseling . By all means, get good counsel. Walk through those events with the scriptures in hand and allow God to minister to your soul. But today, speak to the mountain.
Even if it is nothing more than a molehill, speak to it. It is important that you tell it to go. Those little mounds of unforgiveness have tripped up more people and broke more ankles than many mountains.
Forgiveness is a Gift to You
You are not rewarding the offender. They still must deal with their sin. Their patterns will continue until they are corrected. Not your problem. That is completely the work of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness is a gift to you. Thus, Jesus ends this teaching with the reminder that forgiveness on our part actually opens the door for our own sins to be forgiven. Honesty check #2. How bad do you need this? Probably as bad as I do.
The old year has left us. What did it leave us? Maybe a few large painful boulders or a pile of rocks, each pebble an ugly word from someone you love. Maybe it was just another layer of rock on top of years of previous mountains. Whatever it may be, I’m sorry. Life stinks sometimes. But God gives hope and it’s found in the promise to “Say to this mountain….”
