Snapshots Series: "Jesus Came to Forgive"

Questions for Community Groups
1. Do you have any broken relationships because of a lack of forgiveness?
2. Looking back at a time when you failed to forgive, do you see how it hurt you?
3. Have you ever been in a situation in which forgiveness given or taken made the relationship better?
4. Have you had a situation in which you did not want to forgive someone because of what other people would think?
5. Is there anyone in your life that you need to forgive? Why don’t you forgive them?
6. What is the reason that the Bible gives us to forgive others?

Chapter 1 shows Jesus meeting needs and we see a rising popularity and in Chapters 2 & 3 we see a rising opposition against His mission and teaching (Nelson Study notes)
One of the main points of His mission was that “He came to forgive”

People generally do not like forgiveness unless it is coming their way. People generally want to make others pay.

Joke: Like the husband that asked his wife how she keeps calm during their fights. Her reply was “I just work it off by cleaning the toilet.” The husband asked “how does that help?” her reply was “I use your toothbrush”.

There is actually a new TV series out now that is called “Revenge” and the premise of the show is a women returning to hometown and getting revenge on the people that wronged her family 20 plus years earlier. Obviously this makes for a better tv drama then a women coming back to her hometown to forgive all the people that wronged her, but what is Biblical?

In Mark 2:1-17 we see two snapshots that illustrate how Jesus forgives or is willing to. John Mark is very aware of the power of forgiveness because he left Paul as kind of as a failure so forgiveness would be something that he valued. Acts 15:38 & 13:13 & 2 Tim 4:11)

Forgiveness heals: Verses 1-12 The men that lowered the paralytic man down believed that his physical need is great but Jesus’ response is that this man had a deeper spiritual need of forgiveness. Then in order to prove to the doubting Scribes He then meets the physical need.
These men cared enough about their friend to help him get to Jesus. We realize the Lord offers forgiveness so shouldn’t we care enough about the people around us to lead them to Him and His forgiveness.

If forgiveness brings spiritual healing we then have to ask ourselves…are there people in my life that I need to forgive in order to bring healing to our relationship?

Maybe you have someone that hurt you and you are holding onto that, maybe they are sorry and you are still holding this against them, maybe they are not sorry but you are broken everyday because you will not let go of what was done to you.

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. ~Lewis B. Smedes

Forgiveness breaks down barriers: Verses 13-17 Levi was a tax collector (also called Matthew Mt 9:9 &10:3) Tax collectors were people that no one liked because the sinned against everyone.

Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees because He is eating with sinners and Jesus communicates His mission is to call sinners v17.

Interestingly enough the Scribes and Pharisees were concerned about their reputations “what would people say if they saw us with these people?” Jesus was not concerned with His reputation.

How often do we find ourselves not willing to forgive because we are afraid what people may think of us. “I can’t believe he or she allowed that to happen with no consequence”…”what a doormat” “what a fool”

Like Levi who realized Jesus was someone special and I should listen to Him. We should realize what Jesus has done for us (forgave our sin) and because of that we should listen to and follow Him.


In order to forgive we need to realize…
-we need to be humble. Vrs 17 Not that there are people who are righteous, Jesus is basically saying that He is not here for people who will not humble themselves and realize that they are sinners in need of forgiveness. He came for those who are willing to admit that they are sinners. GOSPEL

-sin is a sickness that everyone has. Forgiveness becomes difficult because people are sick and messed up so our natural response to that is making them pay, take revenge or hold it against them. The Scribes and Pharisees saw how messed up the tax collectors were and they had no interest in even being around them.

Doesn’t that happen with us, someone wrongs us or does wrong things and we are disgusted with them and don’t want to be around them.

But as a believer we need to realize that sin is a sickness and they need prayer and they need forgiveness modeled to them.

-no one is worthy, that is why it is called grace. Another reason why forgiveness can be difficult is because we think people are not worthy of it.
The Scribes and Pharisees whose hearts are hard and they feel that the people Jesus is with are not worthy enough to be with.

The cost of forgiveness can be heart wrenching, look at what Jesus went through to forgive us John 1 “He came to that which was His own”

Forgiveness is the final form of love. --Reinhold Niebuhr


There are benefits…Mayo Clinic Article: Forgiving can lead to…
• Healthier relationships
• Spiritual and psychological well being
• Less stress and hostility
• Lower blood pressure
• Fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety and chronic pain
• Lower risk of alcohol and substance abuse

We really have no other option other then to forgive…
Robert Frost Said… If one by one we counted people out for the least sin, it wouldn't take us long to get to a place that we had no one left to live with. For to be social is to be forgiving.
If we do not learn how to practice forgiveness we will live a lonely existence and we would fail to understand the fact that Jesus came to forgive.