Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream
With less than four weeks left until the end of the spring semester, Noe Garcia, pastor of North Phoenix Baptist Church, reminded Grand Canyon University students it’s not too late to forgive and move on from those who have wronged them.
“Nothing else will drain you spiritually, emotionally and physically than the bondage of unforgiveness,” Garcia said at Chapel on Monday at Global Credit Union Arena. “Research shows when somebody holds onto unforgiveness, they begin to wrestle with anxiety, depression, bitterness, resentment, and they feel spiritually dry.”
It could be a lodging arrangement with a roommate that didn’t work out, or betrayal stemming from a failed romance.
In following the yearlong theme of the Sermon on the Mount, Garcia said Jesus shared a solution to this issue, which initially wasn't so popular.
Revenge isn’t the answer. This counters the Old Testament, which states that punishment should be equal to the harm caused, such as an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth.
Instead, “don’t feed the offense,” Garcia said. Furthermore, release them.
“If you don’t release them, you will be bonded to them,” Garcia said. “The person that hurt you will not be the person that heals you. Only Jesus can bring true healing to you. You have to be willing to release them and allow God to deal with them and allow God to deal with you.
“As you release them, you are breaking the chains that are bonded between you and them, and that bondage is called unforgiveness.”
Garcia explains the paradoxes that involve Jesus saying Christians shouldn’t respond to evil even though there is obvious evil. There should be justice, even though He is not saying there should be. And He’s not saying you cannot defend yourself.
“At this point, listeners were not enjoying this,” Garcia said, adding that they felt their anguish was falling on deaf ears.
Adding to their bewilderment was Matthew 5:40, in which “if anyone would sue you and take your tunic (shirt), let him have your cloak (coat) as well.”
This displays a willingness to go beyond the requirement in solving a conflict, rather than settle through revenge.
“This is the solution that will set you free,” Garcia said. “It will give you your breath, voice, spiritual oomph back.”
Going one step further, Matthew 5:41 states, “If anyone forces you to go 1 mile, go 2 miles. Give to the one who begs from you and not refuse the one who borrows from you.”
Simply, go the extra mile in giving more than the enemy can take. Garcia mentioned during this point in history that the Romans were in charge and had Jewish people carrying their bags, with the law allowing them to perform these duties up to 1 mile.
“Jesus says in order to prove you’re different, carry it for 2 miles,” Garcia said.
Garcia speaks from experience in describing Jesus’ way of forgiving those who have been wronged and have struggled for forgiveness.
As a pastor, his stature drew criticism from someone whom he said became fixated on him.
He read the criticism on social media and got “side-eyed” when he walked into restaurants.
Garcia felt “a lack of peace,” feeling betrayed and angry.
“The deeper the pain, more difficult it became to forgive,” Garcia said.
The anger grew to the point where a part of him was hoping the critic would experience the same pain he felt. This was the first time Garcia felt this close to his heart, tasting what hurt felt like, adding that it impacted everything he did for four years.
Garcia said he was finally ready to forgive, a process that took two years, by applying biblical principles.
“Forgiveness wasn’t one-night deposits,” Garcia said. “Every night I had to forgive and say a prayer for the person that has hurt me.”
In past Chapels, Garcia has been forthcoming about living a wild life in college until he and his wife took Christ into their lives.
His faith was put to the test many times while cleaning tables at a Mexican restaurant, with observers inviting him to parties. But Garcia opted to attend church on Friday nights.
His poise was pushed to an extreme when someone smashed tortilla chips at a station he already cleaned.
“I was angry and wanted to call him out,” Garcia said.
But he kept his composure, prompting the goader to ask why he didn’t respond in anger.
“I just thought,’ Let me tell you about Jesus,’" Garcia said. “When you operate in spirit, you see how God comes true and in life.”
The enemy will try to discourage you any way he can, even using other people to break you and try to discourage you. Jesus, however, wants to set you free from the pain somebody has caused you, or from pain that you’ve caused yourself.
As for the paradoxes, “When the Bible doesn’t make any sense, and you apply it to your life, you will experience great intimacy with Christ,” Garcia said.
Next Chapel speaker: Final Chapel, 11 a.m. April 7, Global Credit Union Arena.
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at Mark.Gonzales@gcu.edu.
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