The Balance of Grace and Truth

Anger and forgiveness seem opposites to me. Yet it’s amazing how frequently Jesus displayed both traits.

He ransacked the courtyard of the temple, overturning the tables of merchants and money changers. Yet in those same temple courts, he forgave a woman caught in adultery, a crime punishable by death.

Jesus railed against the religious leaders of his day, using language that would make John the Baptist blanch. Yet with his dying breath, he prayed for the forgiveness of these same people even though they had engineered his execution.

The remarkable thing about Jesus is that he as able to deal appropriately with every person and situation. He was angry but never short-tempered. He was gentle but not a pushover. He never said too much or too little. He never got embarrassed or had his feelings hurt.

Jesus' life was a perfect balance between grace and truth;  we usually sacrifice one for the other. Because we are too focused on ourselves we are unable to see people and situations objectively, as God sees them. As a result, we become become so eager for confrontation that we are unwilling to be tolerant--or else too fearful of confrontation that we allow injustice.

Why about you? What makes it difficult for you to be both kind and firm, both gracious and truthful?