There are moments when the silence after an apology is louder than the apology itself. When the words “I’m sorry” are uttered into a microphone, but never make their way to the person who deserved to hear them. When something public is treated as a performance, not a reckoning.
When a leader offends someone in front of a crowd, and then apologizes only to the crowd, not the one they disrespected, you start to wonder: was this about healing, or just saving face?
Can I slap someone in front of a hundred people, then apologize to the crowd, but not to the person I slapped? Would that make any sense? Would it heal the pain I caused? Or is it just an act to protect my reputation, while the one I hurt is left alone with the sting?
None of us can preach peace if we embody violence. Not in our words. Not in our posture. Not in our silence.
In this tension, the Bible speaks loudly: God never asks us to choose between forgiveness and justice. He calls us to carry both.
At the cross, we see it most clearly. The weight of sin wasn’t brushed aside. It was absorbed. Jesus didn’t say, “It’s fine.” He said, “It is finished.” There was blood, there was pain, there was cost. And yet, forgiveness stood at the center, arms stretched wide.
Justice, in God’s eyes, is never about humiliation. It’s about restoration. And forgiveness is not a dismissal of pain, it’s a path to freedom. To forgive is not to forget what happened. It is to decide that pain will not be the final ruler of your heart.
Leadership, too, is part of this divine equation.
Simon Sinek once said, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” That care is not abstract. It’s not something you say after a backlash. It’s how you show up when you’re confronted with your own failure.
“The cost of leadership is self-interest.” That means laying aside ego. Owning harm, even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially when it’s uncomfortable. Because public service is not about managing perception, it’s about modeling humility.
A true leader doesn’t hide behind carefully worded statements. A true leader steps down low, as Christ did, writing in the dust beside the condemned. Standing between the accuser and the accused. Then lifting the broken with both grace and truth: “Go, and sin no more.”
That’s justice. That’s mercy. That’s God. And it’s what we desperately need more of, not just from those who hold office, but from ourselves.
When we speak of leadership, we must speak of accountability. Of the quiet courage it takes to admit when we’ve done wrong, and the dignity of looking someone in the eye and saying: “I wronged you.” Not for applause. But for healing.
“Integrity is when our words and deeds are consistent with our intentions.” When a leader’s apology skips the person most hurt, what does it embody? It reveals the intention was never restoration, but reputation.
But here’s the hope: God does not cancel us. He corrects us. And when we let Him, we become capable of deeper empathy, stronger leadership, and more honest love.
Forgiveness is not weakness. It is warfare against the poison of resentment. And justice is not revenge, it is a holy cry for what is right, without hate.
I pray for both of them. The one who gave the apology, and the one who deserved to receive it directly. May they find healing in truth, and courage in grace.
And may we, too, be brave enough to lead like Christ: strong enough to be just, humble enough to be wrong, and loving enough to make it right.
