Jerod was miserable. The confinement was bad enough, not being free to go beyond the length of the chain he dragged around the yard. But even worse were the constant entanglements with Mark who was chained to the same stake. If it hadn’t been for Mark, he wouldn’t be there in the first place. Sharing a stake of bondage with the one who’d hurt him made his life a living hell.
Everyday Mark begged Jerod to set him free. “You hold the key to my freedom. How many times must I say I’m sorry?”
“You don’t deserve freedom, Mark! Why should I free you? I’m the one who deserves to be free.”
Yes, I agree. But please, have mercy on me! I’ll find a way to make it up to you, I promise.”
“So, I free you, remain in the bondage you caused for me, and wait for you to come back for my freedom? I don’t think so.” While Jerod hated that he was tied to Mark this way, the power he held over Mark was a small consolation, at least.
“You were given the key to my freedom, but I wasn’t given the key to yours,” Mark pleaded, “Rest assured, though, that, once I’m free, I won’t sleep until I convince the judge to set you free.”
Jerod still didn’t trust him. His smooth talking led them to where they were. He wasn’t about to be fooled again.
Mark was relentless in his quest for freedom, so day after day he begged Jerod, sometimes nearly with tears. “I’m truly sorry, my friend. If I could go back and undo it, I would. Won’t you please free me from this bondage? I promise I’ll do everything possible to get you freed.
Jerod had to admit, Mark was wearing him down. He found himself actually considering letting him off the hook. Or, literally, the chain. After all, they’d been friends forever. And isn’t that what friends do, forgive one another?
So, Jerod woke up one morning determined to forgive his friend; he would let Mark go free.
Jerod rose and walked over to the stake to which both men were chained, He took the key out of his pocket, put it into the lock and turned it.
When Jerod turned the key, something amazing happened. Mark’s chain came loose, of course; no surprise there. But so did Jerod’s!
Aghast with the surprise of his own freedom, Jerod ran and skipped and jumped and danced to the extents of the yard, far beyond where the chain had stopped him before. He looked around and saw Mark doing the same dance and realized he was so caught up in the joy of his own freedom, he hadn’t even thought about Mark. The two men, overjoyed, looked at each other and ran together for a hug that morphed into an arms-interlocking, knees-lifting duet jig, as the friends hop-danced in circles and laughed themselves silly.
Out of breath, Jerod hugged his old friend Mark and sat down to catch his breath over on the ground next to the stake. All this time, I had no idea that the same turn of the key to unlock Mark’s chain also unlocked mine. How much sooner I would have freed us both had I known this secret.
If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you.
(Matthew 6:14)
