“HOW TO REMOVE THE STING” by Karen A Roth
It’s the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Pharisees had come from all over Israel to observe Him work miracles and judge his doctrine. They thought He blasphemed when He told a paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus addressed their concern saying, “But that you may know that the son of man has power on earth to forgive sins—He said to the man who was paralyzed, I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your home.” LK 5:24 He wants them to understand or ‘see’ the miraculous power in forgiveness.
God’s given us power or ‘delegated authority’ to forgive. Forgive implies to ‘send it away’ or ‘let it go.’ The opposite of forgive would be to blame, judge and/or condemn.
“Sin” means ‘missing the mark.’ We’re not intentionally breaking the law; but may sometimes fall short of God’s grace. Our desire is to love like Jesus loved, but sometimes we ‘miss the target.’ To forgive our shortcomings or another’s becomes a means of liberation and opens our eyes to godly purpose.
= “FATHER FORGIVE THEM”
It’s the end of Jesus’ ministry. The Sanhedrin finally condemned Him for blasphemy. The scripture states a blasphemer deserves death. The Jews cannot stone Him because they’re under Roman jurisdiction. Therefore, the Sanhedrin delivered Jesus to Pilate to be crucified. Pilate found Him blameless. It’s his custom of goodwill towards the Jews to release one of their prisoners during their feasts. He offered to release either Barabbas or Jesus. The Jews pick Barabbas and claimed responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion, shouting, “Let His blood be on us and on our children.” Pilate symbolically washed his hands of the blood of an innocent man.
Roman soldiers carry out their orders to crucify Jesus. On the cross He prayed: “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” LK 23:34 He’s praying for the sins of mankind. He also wants future generations to no blame the Jews for what happened—they were ‘blinded.’ They unknowingly crucified their King because they never recognized Him in the role of a Servant.
John quoted Isaiah for why the Jews were blinded saying: “God has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that God should heal them.”
= FORGIVENESS REMOVES STINGERS
The patriarch Jacob sensed a feebleness of life and purpose compared to the long-blessed life of his grandfather Abraham. He said, “few and evil have been the days of the years of my life.” Jacob endured stingers—and often felt everything was against him. His brother Esau wanted to kill him, his father-in-law Laban tricked him when he wanted to marry Rachel …later Laban wanted him dead… he feared nations would attack him in retaliation for the violence of his sons…and worse of all—his sons plotted against their brother and sold his favorite son into slavery.
Throughout his life, Jacob was never at the mercy of his enemies or circumstances, but at the mercy of God. God worked every detail out to accomplish His plan for the Ages. All Jacob’s personal disappointments, losses, and affliction worked together for good. (RM 8:28)
After Jacob died, the brothers of Joseph asked him to ‘forgive’ them for their cruel deed. They feared he’d kill them. Joseph suffered from what they did to him, but the sting had long been removed by forgiveness. He understood how God was in what happened and said to his brothers: “…you meant it for evil against me, but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (GN 50:20)
God assigned purpose to each of us in the Body of Christ. That means our unique calling has significance in working out His overall plan of the Ages. Forgiveness is a means to remove ‘stingers’—and allows us to participate in the restoration of all things.
= MEASURE OF RULE
Peter had been given keys of the kingdom when he perceived Jesus as “The Christ, the son of the Living God.” He’d been delegated authority into the treasure-chambers—God’s war-chest in the Throne Room. He has authority to access the eternal archives of spiritual knowledge and utilize the realm of superpowers and giftings.
On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room and said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus then breathed upon them that they would receive His authority and the necessary gifting to function in their calling.
The finished work of Christ atoned for man’s sin. God forgives us by ‘sending it away’ or ‘letting it go’ because Jesus became our sacrifice for sins. But now, just as He prayed on the cross saying, “Father, forgive them they know not what they do,” He extends to us the secret of His power saying: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them.” His disciples are commissioned to walk in their measure of rule with the “power on earth to forgive sins”—it’s how we remove the sting to walk in miraculous superpowers.
= ‘SEND IT AWAY’
At his stoning, Stephen prayed, “Do not charge them with this sin.” He didn’t blame, condemn or judge those stoning him. He’s in pain, yet his prayer ‘sends it away’ by removing the stinger rather than hold their ignorance/blindness against them and condemn them.
Luke’s testimony of what transpired connects Stephen’s prayer to the prayer of Jesus on the cross, “Father, forgive them they know not what they do.” Another translation of Stephen prayer says, “Do not lay this sin at their feet.” It appears directed at Paul—witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul who had consented to his death.” Soon after, Paul’s literally ‘blinded’ on the road to Damascus and later scales fell from his eyes when Ananias prayed for him.
Sometimes things happen that can be disturbing or painful. I felt the hurt of a sting. But I couldn’t change anything—it is what it is. All I could do was ‘send it away’ by lifting my pain up to God in prayer—surrendering it to the only God who could remove the stinger deep in my heart and soul. Immediately the painful emotion left me.
It’s a memory—I’ll never forget what happened. But I also know it’ll never bother me or cause me to be upset or frustrated again. God removed the stinger. He’s given us the power to forgive sins—to remove the sting by ‘sending it away.’
= STINGER OF UNFORGIVENESS
…then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” ~ 1 COR 15:54-55
Sting can be defined as the hurtful nature of something spoken; the power to inflict mental or emotional discomfort; feeling upset, hurt, swindled, etc. A sting can be very painful. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God forgives and removes the sting.
The sting can cause distress and anguish. It’s similar to a bee sting—it’s painful and continues to fester unless we remove the source of poison. Remove the stinger and it no longer hurts us.
A bee can sting us. But if it’s stinger is removed; it remains a bee but without the ability to sting and inflict further pain. The same with us—the incident happened but no longer do we feel the sting or painful memory from it. We forgive ‘let it go’ and hold no judgment or resentment.
= CHRIST FORGIVES YOU
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you. ~ EPHESIANS 4:31-32
The Apostle Paul defined some of the destructive feelings that war against the body and soul in the above scripture. We can discern if our memories or thoughts carry unforgiveness by our feelings of bitterness, animosity, etc. Unforgiveness make us feel mad, hurt, angry, envious, jealous, hateful, humiliated, ashamed, rejected, not good enough, anxious, intimidated, abandoned, blaming, unforgiving, unloving, unkind, resentful, revengeful, resistant, frustrated, hopeless, etc.
Forgive removes any resentment against another. We ‘send it away…let it go.’ Forgive implies the ‘letting go’ not only of any claim to requital or retribution but also of any feelings of resentment, any desire for revenge or animosity towards another.
Paul then defined what a redeemed soul feels like—kind, tenderhearted and forgiving. We access a portal to heaven and can change the atmosphere around us by our forgiving attitude. We’ve been commissioned to “forgive one another as Christ forgave us.” Those who walk in forgiveness will experience the miraculous power of God in their ministry.
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Karen Roth is the wife of Dr. Roger Roth Sr., and a ministry son of Dr. Mark Hanby. They are the set ministry of a local church in Northeastern Wisconsin, and oversee the Bloodline Network Newsletter. They consider it an honor to work with Dr. Hanby for many years, helping to oversee the ministry of Papa Mark’s extended family—”The Father’s Heart.”
Any questions or comments please contact them at rogerandkaren@live.com
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