Crushed Grapes (Forgiveness)
Week Fifty
December 7, 2025
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
— Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)
There are times the Lord teaches us valuable lessons through the things we suffer – if we are willing to be taught. Suffering is a necessary tool in our training. Many of us have borne the double yoke of offense and unforgiveness. But what can we learn from our hurts? What could suffering patiently under our woundings possibly accomplish? Is it possible that our loss can become our gain?
Jesus was crushed so that we could be forgiven. We are not talking about minor offenses or a slight irritation suffered at the hands of others toward him; Jesus suffered outright hostility at the hand of his offenders. This “tender shoot” knew the pain of abuse and the loneliness of being misunderstood.¹ He knew the hurt that comes from being wrongly accused, yet he never became defensive. One thing we will come to understand from the injustices served us, if we are willing, is the tender heart of our Savior; for he was a suffering Savior and the forgiveness he purchased was for our sake, that we might know God as our Father.
He bore up under his yoke with a view to someone besides himself. His thoughts were on you, the joyful fruit of redemption, as he hung on that cross. “Father, forgive them!” he cried.² And the Father was not the only one who heard his cry, for a humble thief was listening to these words of amazing grace and was saved that day.³ Are we willing, by his grace and power, to do the same — to bear with and forgive for the sake of another?⁴
To be clear, forgiveness is nothing short of a supernatural act. We are commanded to forgive as Christ forgave us, but we are not left to our own resolve or resource to do so. The word of God instructs us in this miraculous act of forgiveness, bringing a freeing grace that enables us by the conviction and power of the Holy Spirit, to walk in the light obediently and experience the joyful flow of God’s forgiveness. Forgiving people are taught of God.
We are the forgiven now — dearly loved children purchased by Jesus’ blood and reconciled to our Father. But if you find yourself struggling to forgive, know that you are not alone. The Scriptures give a multitude of instructions on forgiveness from the heart not because we easily forgive, as if it were some natural, overflowing tendency in us, but rather because forgiveness challenges our sense of retribution, justice, and vengeance. We, the forgiven, need to be reminded to forgive.
This is the work of the Father — that you believe in the one sent from God, the one who bore and carried our sins upon his shoulders to the cross. Believing that Jesus has forgiven all of your sins, go now and do likewise. How can you not? Remember you too were forgiven a great debt.
Monday
December 8, 2025
See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, and that no root of bitterness springs up to cause trouble and defile many.
— Hebrews 12:15 (NIV)
You may have heard the quote by Lewis B. Smedes, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”⁵ Without a doubt, forgiveness brings freedom and release to the offended, but it also protects those connected to them. Bitterness tends to spread, at times slowly and barely noticeable, at times quickly and largely apparent, but always with the same desecrating result. Bitterness sours what is good and corrupts what is holy. It is poison to the body. Love, on the other hand, is not resentful; it does not keep a record of wrongs. When we harbor resentment or carry an embittered spirit within us, we are making no room for love. It is because of this that we do well to remember the grace of God in our lives — his kind disposition shown to us and how much we have been forgiven. Freely we have received, may we freely give.
Should we forgive those who don’t ask for forgiveness? When is it appropriate to release forgiveness to someone? Is it ever not appropriate?
What might the fruit of bitterness look like in a person’s life? How might the spread of that bitterness affect others?
Tuesday
December 9, 2025
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?
— Matthew 18:33 (NIV)
Some of us like lists. They help the administratively minded among us to get done what needs doing. But some lists are not good, especially the tallies our “sinfluenced” memories keep of wrongs done to us. But love keeps no record of wrongs. Will you try doing an exercise with me? Grab a pen, a piece of paper, and a red marker. At the top of the paper, write the name of a person who has caused you offense. Beneath that, create two columns, one called “Offense” the other “Cost - $”. Now fill in each line below with specific hurts or offenses you have felt from that person and assign a monetary cost to it. For example, “Unloving words” - “$5000”. Don’t hold back. Now, are you ready to forgive from the heart? With the help of the Holy Spirit, grab that red marker and across that list write the word “CANCELLED” in big bold letters and put a box around it and consider your offender debt free.⁶ Now watch the Lord’s forgiveness flow.
How did you feel after this exercise? Did this exercise bring any clarity to what Jesus did for you on the cross? Did you have any sense of a weight being lifted?
What will you do when memories of the hurt this person caused creep up? What will you do the next time you are hurt by the person on this list?
Wednesday
December 10, 2025
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
— Psalm 16:5 (NIV)
People disappoint. Friends, family, fellow believers all let us down — at times because of unfair expectations on our part, at times because of real failure on their part. If we rely upon people to meet all of our needs, especially our heart-needs, we will experience hurt. When you feel offended, you may want to ask yourself whether or not your offense is a misguided expectation. We want to be careful to avoid blame shifting as its tally sheet grows quickly. There may be times when we look to others in an unhealthy manner to supply our needs, holding them unreasonably accountable, instead of looking to the Lord who is our source of joy and our portion.⁷ This is not to negate the responsibility others have to us, but love is never self-seeking, irritable, or resentful. May the Lord be the first we voice our disappointments to.
What is your responsibility to your spouse, your siblings, your parents, others? Can we shirk our responsibility to one another because “the Lord should be their source”?
How do you typically handle the pain of disappointment? How do we wisely respond to someone who disappoints us?
Thursday
December 11, 2025
Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
— Luke 7:47 (NIV)
In our scripture for today, Jesus teaches us one aspect of the Kingdom dynamic by saying that forgiven people love people. The measure of mercy we show to others is often an indicator of how well we perceive and receive God’s forgiveness toward us. Praying, “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”8 is not implying that we can earn forgiveness. Rather, releasing forgiveness to others releases God’s mercy towards us, like unclogging a pipe, sending the refreshing flow of his unearned forgiveness rushing over us to revive our dry and graceless hearts. We are to forgive as Christ forgave us — lavishly, in spite of repeat failures, without holding grudges. Our hearts must come to grips with the truth that we have been forgiven a greater debt than we know. Freely we have received, freely may we give.
Do you think that the level of forgiveness we give is directly related to our awareness and acceptance of God’s forgiveness towards us? Why or why not?
What effect does knowing that God has completely forgiven you of all your sins have on you? When do you find yourself most loving towards others?
Friday
December 12, 2025
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus …
— Philippians 2:5 (NIV)
Jesus embodies what it means to imitate God. And we in turn are to imitate Christ. One way we do that is in the area of forgiveness, by forgiving others as he forgave us. Have you ever considered that the person you forgive today will likely offend you at some point in the future? As sure as you’re likely to sin against God again (you will), so others in your life will likely offend you again (they will). The words, “I’ll forgive this time, but it better not happen again”, should never leave our lips or find a place in our hearts. When Jesus forgave us, he forgave all our sins; past, present, and future — intensively and extensively. I hope this doesn’t need to be said, but this is not to soften our attitude towards our sin, but to give us grace to turn from it. Forgiveness opens the door for us to freely serve others, and being a servant is the mindset that Christ carried for us to imitate.
How many times did Jesus say we should forgive our brother or sister? Are there any limits that Jesus puts on forgiveness? Explain.
Why is forgiveness towards others so important in how we relate to each other? How does being forgiven allow us to freely serve others?