Daily Bread

Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

Forgiveness meted and forgiveness received is at the heart of the gospel, and we pray, in the Jesus prayer, "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us."

I have spent a lot of time thinking about forgiveness, and I remember once, as a curate (that's an apprentice priest), preaching a sermon where I suggested that, through Christ, all humanity is forgiven. I got my knuckles rapped by my mentor for 'undermining the gospel' and he told me that we are only forgiven if we say sorry to God and accept God's forgiveness. Now, I took and still do take great issue with this. Is it true that God (metaphorically) stands stubbornly with folded arms, refusing to forgive us until we say sorry? I don't think so.

For my sermon I used, as my base text, 1 John 2:2 where John writes, "He (Jesus) is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." I also based my sermon on the fact that Jesus commands us to forgive, so wouldn't it be hypocritical for God to ask us to forgive if God does not?

I was talking this through with Rev Marie last week and she (being far wiser than me) reminded me that yes, we may be forgiven but that forgiveness and reconciliation are two different things — and she is right. We can forgive someone but not be reconciled with them, and in the same way, God forgives us, but we may not be reconciled with God. For reconciliation to take place, there needs to be repentance and an acceptance of that forgiveness.

The assertion that God has forgiven humanity through Christ makes what Jesus did far bigger and better than the position held by my old mentor. It also makes sense of the gospel where the message of the evangelist is, "You have been forgiven by God, therefore turn back to God and be reconciled!"

Jesus told us we must forgive seventy-seven times — an idiom for forgiving as many times as is required — and then went on to tell a story highlighting that we have been forgiven much by God, and that we should do the same.

Forgiveness is an act of our will and a choice we make. It is the antidote to bitterness and resentment. When we have been hurt by others in situations that have been out of our control, forgiveness it is not to condone their actions, nor to forget, but to place the power and control back in our hands. Being a choice, forgiveness is often something we have to do consciously over and over again, despite the emotions we feel and the thoughts we remember.

Today, think of someone who has hurt you. As the thought of them comes to mind, choose to forgive them. The feelings of hurt and betrayal may well still remain, and the memories may linger, but you will have done as Jesus asked you to do, and I for one say, "Well done!"

Holy God
Thank you for forgiving me
through the life, death,
and resurrection of your Son,
my Saviour, Jesus Christ.
May I continue to
choose to forgive others
as you have forgiven me.
Now and forever.

O Lord Your Tenderness,
Melting all my bitterness,
O Lord, I receive Your love.
O Lord, I receive Your love.

O Lord, Your loveliness,
Changing all my ugliness,
O Lord, I receive Your love.
O Lord, I receive Your love.

(Words by Graham Kendrick, 1986)