“Temper Justice With Mercy!”

“Temper Justice With Mercy!”(Mt.18:21-35).
Heavenly Father, thank you for in your mercy you have given us a new day!
A robbery took place in the church house, and some valuables were stolen. Two weeks later, a man came to confession and admitted he was one of the thieves who broke into the church house. The confessor told him, “This is no longer a matter for God. It is for the police.”
We have watched and listened to confessions on tele-evangelism channels and wondered whether such conffesees did not deserve to be in the dragnets of the judiciary.
Does the teaching on forgiveness promote criminality? If I have to forgive my brother seventy-seven times, would there be any reason for judicial systems? Where can we draw the line?
There are so many Christians languishing in jail because their fellow Christians did not give them a second or third chance; talkless of seventy-seven times!
The Christian community should be the difference. The court should not even be the last option for Christians.
If justice is the plea, the court often possesses only a pale image of justice! Justice favours the high and mighty, the powerful and the rich, but evades the poor and the voiceless and robs them of their just right. Justice may be thy plea, but the Christian should temper justice with mercy.
The prayer, “Lord in your mercy…” or “Lord have mercy,” teaches us to be merciful. Life is “measure for measure.”
Let us soften our hearts enough to show mercy to each other. If you do not forgive your brother or sister ‘from your heart’, do not expect any such forgiveness from the heavenly Father.
Just as we should not continue to sin because grace abounds, you too should not continue to sin against your brother until seventy-six times!
Prayer: Holy Spirit, help me not to run out my brother’s patience by continuous offences. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.
20/11/2025.