-The word means, to yield upon. Being yielding towards others with regards to what they have (or haven’t) done and with whatever debt they may have incurred. Mild, yielding, indulgent, gentle, gracious. What Paul is talking about here is clemency, leniency - that which one might need from a ruler or from someone in charge (cf Acts 24.4). It is consideration for one another as opposed to strictness of legal right (Titus 3.2). Not being exactingly just but rather being satisfied with less than is perhaps due (1Peter 2.18). We saw this in Jesus, Who let go and went low (cf 2Corinthians 10.1). To be sure, there is an art to finding the balance between pursuing purity & justice and being gentle & gracious, being unwavering and yet being full of mercy (cf James 3.17) - it does indeed require great wisdom.
-But show this to all men, Paul says. So of course that means all men and women and children. Show this royal gentleness and leniency to your spouse. To your kids. To your coworkers. To those who share the road with you...! Most likely they will not expect this.
-A life that is full of joy regardless of circumstances as well as this wise and gentle mercy sounds exactly like what one might expect God to be like. Or not. Many no doubt imagine that He is more like some finger-pointing, joyless tyrant sitting on His throne and watching my every move, just waiting for me to mess up so He can throw a flag (some would tend to approach parenting that way). Most likely He is more like the former, more like the Father in the story of the prodigal son. Think about it - WHAT WORDS WOULD YOU USE TO DESCRIBE THAT FATHER? We see him being totally merciful and lenient with the younger prodigal on both sides of his waywardness, and well as with the dutiful-yet-resentful older son - who really could have been castigated quite severely for his attitude when his brother returned. We see the dad at the ready to celebrate, overflowing with joy that could not be contained at his son’s homecoming. He quite literally was a party waiting to happen. Both sons failed to see these things in their dad. They both expected justice rather than mercy, and both sons had forgotten or never even realized the joy that could have been found with their dad. Not to totally dispense with justice - but this does speak to me as far as how I relate to my heavenly Father (He is probably more compassionate than I expect and a far greater source of joy than I realize), as well as how I relate to my own kids (I wonder if they see me more as an exacting tyrant and less as a merciful party-waiting-to-happen...?). Again, we’re talking about striking the balance between being firm and fun/loving - it’s a both/and. I do have a long way to go...
-Now Paul also adds that the Lord is near. This noun (engys) and the associated verb (engizo) describe something that is approaching/coming close or has already done so, and it could be in time or in space or both. Outside of the gospels, this word is used almost exclusively to describe the second coming of Christ - Romans 13.11-12, Hebrews 10.25, James 5.8-9, 1Peter 4.7, Revelation 1.3, Revelation 22.10 (cf Matthew 24.32-33). And the collective emphasis is that He is close to showing up both in time and space. Paul is therefore probably not referring here to the immanence of God nor the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers, altho those are both encouraging realities which indeed make it easier to live lives of joy and harmony and perseverance even when life is hard (cf Matthew 28.20, Psalm 34.18, Psalm 145.18, John 14.16-17)(granted, some commentators do prefer this explanation). The repeated reminders of the close proximity of His return are intended to produce both perseverance as well as anticipation for those who have trusted Christ (He Himself gave us such a directive in Luke 12.42-48). To say that the day is near, this day when our Great Lord and Savior returns and gives salvation to all who are His and puts right all that is wrong, can really help those who are following Christ - esp. in the midst of hardship - stick it out until the very end. You can do this. We’re almost there. And at the same time, just like a child who is told that Christmas is near, there is a growing excitment and even a preoccupation with all things pertaining to the arrival of that day. The Lord is near! Get excited! And do hang in there, cuz He really is almost here!
-Now, it needs to be asked. Paul wrote this almost 2000 years ago - no doubt he expected this return during his lifetime. John said it was the last hour (1John 2.18). Truth is, we’re still waiting. How near is the Lord, really? This is perhaps why a few prefer to see this more of a statement of Christ’s constant presence and nearness to His followers. But to explain it thus does violence to the meaning of this text as well as to the numerous other passages. All these Scriptures were God-breathed, and He is trying to tell us something. Some would point out that in God’s eye, a thousand years are as a day. In any case, the oft-repeated mentions that Christ is engys are not so much about how long we have to wait, but about how we wait. The emphasis is not on a when or a where but rather on a Who. It is the Lord Jesus Christ Who in fact is near. Yes, it is HE Who is coming. He is coming soon indeed, this One Who makes everything else seem like so much manure. It could be today, or tomorrow, or in the next few years, or in my lifetime. Or not. And even if His return is not in our lifetime or not even for another 2000 years, we can still be eagerly awaiting that day with anticipation and perseverance. He is so amazingly breathtakingly good, He is so much better than anything this world has to offer, that I can and should be boiling over with joy in this wonderful truth that HE is near. Truth is, I am more like the prodigal son or his brother, trying to find joy and pleasure in other places or lost in a dull experience of dutiful obedience. Oh Lord, open my eyes to awe Who You are...
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