Genesis 40:1
“And it came to pass after these things, that the butler of the king of Egypt and his baker had offended their lord the king of Egypt.”
One of the most memorable hostage stories of my lifetime was when Ayatollah Khomeini held fifty-two United States embassy staff hostage for four hundred and forty days. President Jimmy Carter unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with this terrorists. President Ronald Reagan issued a promise to the Ayatollah that when he took office his first act would be to do everything in his power to release those hostages. The promise was taken seriously and the hostages were released on President Reagan’s inauguration day.
In the verse above, I find that Pharaoh had a hostage crisis of his own. No, he was not holding people from another country hostage, but he held a butler and a baker hostage because they offended him. How ridiculous! He was the leader of Egypt. Arguably, he was the most powerful political leader of his day. Yet, two of his staff offended him and he had them thrown into prison. Eventually he restored the chief butler to his position, but he had the baker killed.
This story about Pharaoh surely shows the pettiness of this leader. Yet, I find that people daily hold others hostage simply because they are offended. Christians hold preachers hostage because they were offended by another pastor. Christians hold fellow Christians hostage because they were offended by what someone did to them. Family members hold their own relatives hostage because they were offended by something that was said or done. No, they are not being physically held hostage, but they are being held hostage in the mind and heart of an individual. It is time that the hostages be released. It is time that people get over their pettiness and release those whom they hold hostage in their hearts.
Let me remind you that the person who offended you may not even know what offense they committed. I recall several years ago a friend who was offended by something I did. I tried to call this friend and find out what I had done so I could get it right. Though we have moved on from that situation, I was held hostage for something I knew nothing about. Just because you think a person knows how they offended you does not mean that they do. If you are not careful, you will strain many relationships because you hold people hostage for an offense that they don’t even know about.
Furthermore, stop being so petty. When I read the story about Pharaoh, I am amazed that a leader was so petty about a butler and a baker. Yet, because someone offended you, you are holding them hostage because your feelings were hurt. Friend, life is not about you. Stop carrying your feelings on your shoulders and holding people hostage every time they offend you.
Let me ask you, are you holding someone hostage because they offended you? Is there someone you stopped associating with because they offended you? It’s time to release your hostages. The only person you are truly hurting by holding people hostage is yourself. Don’t let your pettiness destroy your spirit. Move on! Let God take care of your situation. When you release your hostages, you will find that your life will be at more liberty to be a help to others.