Show Kindness

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 14th of June, 2026.  If all went well, a recording of the service may be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams for the older services or https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch3115/streams for later services.]

We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but then His parents took Him to Egypt to escape the killing of all male children under two years of age that Herod ordered.  When Herod died and they returned to Israel, they settled in Nazareth, in the region of Galilee.  There, the boy grew into a man, often teaching in the synagogues of the region.

In the 4^th chapter of his Gospel account, the Apostle Luke tells us that Jesus left Nazareth after the residents there attempted to put Him to death for His preaching, when He proclaimed that He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah regarding the Messiah.  He relocated to the city of Capernaum, along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.  It is there that He established and headquartered His ministry.

And when I say it was His headquarters, I mean it is where He and His disciples would return to from their many travels.  For during His ministry, Jesus and His disciples walked all over Israel, even into Samaria, Syria, and Tyre.  They walked everywhere.  Our bible doesn’t say it, but I bet they depended on the kindness of the people they interacted with for help with finances and meals.

 

Once, after one of their journeys of teaching and preaching and healing, they returned to Capernaum where some friends brought a crippled man to Jesus to be healed.  Jesus did this by telling the man his sins were forgiven, to the consternation of the Pharisees who witnessed it.  As Jesus and His disciples were walking back to their meeting house, they passed by a tax collector’s booth.  Please listen and follow along to what happened next, as recorded by the Apostle Matthew in verses 9 through 13 of the 9^th chapter of his Gospel account, and I’ll be reading from the Easy-to-Read Version of our Holy Bible again this morning…

9 When Jesus was leaving, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow Me.” So he got up and followed Jesus.

10 Jesus ate dinner at Matthew’s house. Many tax collectors and others with bad reputations came and ate with Him and His followers. 11 The Pharisees saw that Jesus was eating with these people. They asked His followers, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and other sinners?”

12 Jesus heard them say this. So He said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. 13 You need to go and learn what this Scripture means: ‘I don’t want animal sacrifices; I want you to show kindness to people.' I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

--Matthew 9:9-13 (ERV)

 

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for marshaling all the events in Jesus’ life and ministry to teach us how we should act and react in similar situations.  Jesus cared about the people and showed how much You care, too.  Father, You want us to be kind to other people, no matter how they might treat us.  But this is hard for us.  Too often our feelings get in the way, our pride gets the better of us.  When someone hurts us, we want to hurt them back.  So we thank You all the more, Father because You forgive us and keep loving us, giving us chance after chance to do better.  Please help us be more faithful in following Your word and showing Your love.  Remind us that it’s our job to love others, to show kindness toward them.  Help us be more like Your Son Jesus in our walk through this life.  This we pray in the beautiful name of our Lord Jesus.   Amen.

 

The little Bits and Pieces magazine once told that,  “Mamie Adams always went to a branch post office in her town because the postal employees there were friendly.  She went there to buy stamps just before Christmas one year and the lines were particularly long.  Someone pointed out that there was no need to wait in line because there was a stamp machine in the lobby.  ‘I know’, said Mamie, ‘but the machine won't ask me about my arthritis.’”

It costs little to show kindness to another, but can bring great reward.  Very often, showing a little kindness can go a long way in winning loyalty.

Today in the Word magazine reported that, “British statesman and financier Cecil Rhodes, whose fortune was used to endow the world-famous Rhodes Scholarships, was a stickler for correct dress - but apparently not at the expense of someone else's feelings.  A young man invited to dine with Rhodes arrived by train and had to go directly to Rhodes's home in his travel-stained clothes.  Once there he was appalled to find the other guests already assembled, wearing full evening dress.  After what seemed a long time Rhodes appeared, in a shabby old blue suit.  Later the young man learned that his host had been dressed in evening clothes, but put on the old suit when he heard of his young guest's dilemma.”

An act of kindness when none was really necessary.  A man in Rhodes' position could just as easily have ordered his young guest to go clean up and change.  Instead, he showed kindness by lowering his own image to more closely mirror that of his guest.  Humble kindness is a trait we all should adopt.

 

Jesus healed a man by forgiving his sins and the Pharisees got angry.  He had a meal with some tax collectors and others that were considered sinners, and the Pharisees got angry.  Pretty much anything and everything Jesus did angered the religious leaders.  And they weren’t at all kind in their anger.

We have no record of how the Pharisees reacted to their little scripture lesson that night, but I doubt they took it very well.  These were the leaders of the people in religious matters.  They should have been more than familiar with the scripture Jesus quoted.  By the way, that particular passage comes from the prophet Hosea in the 6^th chapter and 6^th verse of the book bearing his name.  I would think that being told what they should have been aware of and practicing would have embarrassed them and made them mad.  God wanted them to be kind, but they just couldn’t force themselves to do so.

 

The prophet Micah penned his book sometime after Hosea wrote his, and it’s possible that what Hosea spoke from God influenced Micah’s writings.  Please hear how Micah echoed and expanded on Hosea’s words, reminding us of the role of kindness in our everyday dealings, as he wrote in verses 6 through 8 of the 6^th chapter of his book of prophecy bearing his name…

6 What must I bring when I come to meet with the Lord?

What must I do when I bow down to God above?

Should I come to Him with burnt offerings

and a year-old calf?

7 Will the Lord be pleased with a thousand rams

or with ten thousand rivers of oil?

Should I offer Him my first child to pay for my wrongs?

Should I sacrifice my very own child for my sins?

8 Human, the Lord has told you what goodness is.

This is what He wants from you:

Be fair to other people.

Love kindness and loyalty,

and humbly obey your God.

--Micah 6:6-8 (ERV)

 

What is goodness?  What does God expect of us?  He expects us to be fair to other people, to love kindness and loyalty, and to humbly obey Him.  Isn’t this love?  Aren’t being fair and kind and loyal all signs of love?

 

Let’s look at one more way we can show kindness and love.  Please hear the instruction of wise King Solomon as he tells us how we should act in verses 8 & 9 of the 31^st chapter of his Book of Proverbs…

8 Speak up for people who cannot speak for themselves. Help people who are in trouble. 9 Stand up for what you know is right, and judge all people fairly. Protect the rights of the poor and those who need help.

--Proverbs 31:8-9 (ERV)

 

Speak for those who are given no voice.  Help those in trouble.  Stand up for what is right.  Judge fairly.  Protect the rights of the powerless.  Be fair and love kindness.

One translation of Micah’s words says we should do justly and love mercy.  This is what Solomon means.  And all of this is what Jesus commands when He tells us to love others.  Showing kindness is showing love.

Let’s go out there and be kind, be merciful, and be forgiving.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

 

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for loving us and forgiving us even when we disobey Your command.  We know what we’re supposed to do, but too often we just don’t.  You’ve set us apart to believe in and follow Your Son, but we just can’t seem to let go of the world and its ways.  Too often we look and act just like everyone else, with nothing to distinguish us from the non-believers.  Thank You, Father, for having mercy on us, even when we aren’t very merciful, for forgiving us when we are less than forgiving.  Father, we know we are guilty of sin.  We know we disobey You.  Please help us remember how Jesus treated people so that we can follow His example.  Remind us of what You expect of us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment so that each of us can speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your and our Lord’s commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, thank You for freeing us from our sin and offering us eternal life.  Thank You for seeing how thick-headed we are but loving us anyway.  And thank You for showing us how we should act and react with others in our daily walk.  We know we can be a stubborn people, refusing to show kindness when it would be easy to do so, hesitating to forgive someone who really needs forgiveness.  Please help us remember that none of us are perfect, that we all need to be shown kindness at some point or another.  Please help us love as You love: selflessly, unconditionally, sacrificially.  Help us show Your love and God’s love as we reach out to others, sharing Your words and Your works, telling them all about You.  Help us carry out the mission You gave us, seeking the lost sheep and leading them to You.

Holy Spirit, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  All this we pray in the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.