‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ‘ Hebrews 13:8(NLT)
‘“But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, ‘ Matthew 25:26(NLT)
‘Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. ‘ Matthew 18:32(NLT)
‘Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.’ Ephesians 3:17-19(NLT)
I think it is important to cover Jesus’s reactions to the stories previously mentioned as it relates to those who withhold. Amazingly, through these stories of withholding, Jesus reacts exactly the same way. We know our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
In the story of the talents in Matthew 25, the master reacts to the givers in a very positive manner, but let’s look at how he responds to the withholder in the story. Remember, the withholder started by blaming the good master, who trusted him, for his withholding behavior. In verse 26, “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!” This is very interesting to me that the master calls withholding wicked and lazy.
When someone intentionally withholds love, they are actually engaging in a form of wickedness. As believers, this is something we must not do. When we pull away and put our heart in the proverbial hole, we change how we think, feel, and behave. This behavior can morph into what the scripture calls wicked.
Let’s look at the second parable we discussed earlier; the parable of the servant forgiving much.
In Matthew 18:32, “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.” Again, we see that Jesus used the same exact term, wickedness. Jesus rarely used this term. A withholder is participating in thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors contrary to God’s heart, which is to love each other as Christ loves us.
I have seen thousands of withholders heal, and begin to open their heart to their spouses, families, and also to God. God’s love is so vastly deep if we will simply receive it. Even Jesus was withheld love as he was tried in courts and crucified. Yet he chose to say, “Father, forgive them.” He decided not to withhold. By the grace of God, this is a decision we can all make to empower us to overcome any areas of sin that are in our hearts and lives.
from Sin of Withholding by Dr. Doug Weiss