“Un-drained Grudge”

Scripture:

Mark 6:19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,

Observation:

Palestine was divided into four territories, each with a different ruler. Herod Antipas, called Herod in the Gospels, was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip ruled over Traconitis and Iturea. Philip's wife was Herodias, but she had left him to marry Herod Antipas. When John confronted the two for committing adultery, Herodias formulated a plot to kill him. Instead of trying to get rid of her sin, Herodias tried to get rid of the one who brought it to public attention. This is also exactly what the religious leaders were trying to do to Jesus.

Application:

Relationships in this world are tough! I sometimes wonder IF we ever get it right in this crazy thing called life. Round and round people go in the crazy circle of blame and resentment. Round and round people go, hurting and wounding, protecting their self worth against that of another. Is it any wonder that the Bible speaks a lot about relationships and the importance of getting things right with God and with each other?

In his book, "Everyday with Jesus" author Selwyn Hughes relates this story…

"A man I knew became enraged over something another Christian had done to him. I advised him to forgive and forget. He replied: "But every time I see him, he burns me up." I said: "That's because you want to burn him up and all you succeed in doing is burning yourself up." I told him about the sadistic farmer who tied a small stick of dynamite to a hawk, lit the fuse and turned him loose, expecting it to blow itself up in mid-air. Instead, the hawk flew into his barn and the explosion wrecked, not only the barn, but part of his house also!" This man listened to my story but I could see the words had not gone in. He could think and talk of nothing else but getting even with his fellow Christian. His wife told me that his breath became foul, his appetite left him, his digestion became bad, he suffered loss of sleep and, after a few months, he dropped dead! In case someone says, "But there could have been other reasons for his death", I can tell you that I talked to his doctor, a close personal friend of mine, and he told me that the man had died of an "undrained grudge." Of course, you can't put that on a death certificate, but many doctors know that "undrained grudges" play a major role in creating physical disorders."

In our text, Herodias developed an "undrained grudge" against John the Baptist, and she "nursed" it, in other words, she FED IT by dwelling on it constantly.

The Bible says in the Old Testament book of Leviticus…

"Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD." (Leviticus 19:18 NIV)

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, the author Solomon, one of the wisest people to walk on this planet writes…

"Don't say, "I'll pay you back for this wrong!" Wait for the LORD, and He will deliver you." (Proverbs 20:22 NIV)

You know, the fact is in this thing called LIFE, we cannot hurt another person without hurting ourselves! We cannot hold a grudge or resentment against another person without that grudge or resentment eventually hurting us!

As the old Chinese proverb states…

"He who spits against the wind spits in his own face!"

When we are out of relationship with someone in our lives as we make our way down the path before us, one of the things that happens to us spiritually is we wind up loosing our spiritual freshness and vitality. The TRUTH is we cannot maintain spiritual freshness in our relationship with God and each other while we are holding on to a grudge or resentment.

I think John put it best in the New Testament letter that bears his name…

"Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother or sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness, he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." (1 John 2:9-11 NIV)

You know, the reality is simply this, relationships are tough, and they bring much joy and sometimes many pains. However, we must be willing to release the pain and restore the joy to the best of our ability. We need to do our best to walk in the light and release the grudges and resentment that we can sometimes covet in our efforts to protect and wound!

Prayer:

"Lord, I thank You for the challenge from Your Word today. Forgive me for the times I have 'nursed' a grudge. When I dwell on how I was wronged, and can't get past thoughts of pay back, it is a sure sign that I need to spend time in Your presence and in Your Word. Today, I let go of any offenses against me. Because when I don't let them go, I offend You. In Jesus' name, amen!"