From Pastor Tad
A Difficult Command
Every Christian who has tried to sincerely follow the Way of Jesus or live according to our Lord’s commands knows that doing so is difficult. This is one of our primary reasons for being thankful that we are not saved by our deeds. A chief delight in the Gospel is that we are saved by the grace of Jesus Christ alone, given freely as an unmerited gift and received into our hearts by faith. That said, we cannot have a legitimate faith without dedicating ourselves to living as Jesus teaches. Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
For most of us, the hardest commandments is that we forgive others when they are in the wrong. It is even harder for us to live by this commandment when they (in our eyes) are in the wrong repeatedly. Jesus challenges us with a commandment in Matthew 18:21-22, “Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if someone sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as SEVEN TIMES??’ [Eek!] Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but I tell you, SEVENTY-SEVEN times.’” If that is not hard enough, Jesus is playing on the sacred num-ber seven, the number of completion and wholeness, to mean that we are to never stop forgiving. Jesus goes even further with a parable in verses 23-35. A servant owes a crushing debt to the king, but the king merci-fully cancels the debt. That servant then goes to one who owes him a small debt, physically attacking them, demanding repayment immediately; and then taking legal action against them. When the king learns of this, he throws the wicked servant into prison to suffer a terrible fate. Jesus warns us, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat YOU unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Forgiveness is one of the most tangible and visible expressions of love we have as human beings. Constant forgiveness keeps relationships strong. Forgiveness is the most compelling evidence we have for the truth of the Gospel. Forgiveness changes lives. Forgiveness also sustains our lives, liberating us from the deadly weight of grudges and bitterness. As we age, the chief difference between elders who are delightful and elders who are cantankerous old goats is the willingness to forgive. As St Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 13:5, “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” Forgiving is tangible love.
Conversely, holding grudges, keeping tallies of slights, refusing to let minor things go, all tell the world that our faith is bogus. When God forgives you, but you refuse to forgive someone else, you become the wicked servant in Jesus’ parable and risk the wrath of the Almighty. “As you have judged so shall you be judged.” Matthew 7:2. Furthermore, when you withhold grace from another, you say to the world and the Church that Christ died for nothing. Forgiveness is a serious matter which cannot be swept aside.
But forgiving is hard to do. There are many reasons why; but they all lead us to, “How do I get better at forgiving?” A good beginning place is Gratitude. When we remember how thankful we are that our failures are forgiven, we can share our joy by forgiving failures in others. Let the grace Christ pours out on you flow through you into the people around you. Ask God’s to fill the gap between the needed love and the love you can give on your own.
Another starting place is Hopeful Humility. Forgive-ness can be difficult because it feels like we lost some-thing when someone sins against us, or that something was taken from us. We may fear that we cannot recoup the loss. In such times we must remember God’s promise to make us whole. Not only are we released from our debts now, but we will also be fully restored in the future. Our lost dignity will be reestablished. Our wounds will be healed. But God reserves for Himself alone the right and responsibility to accomplish this. Making everyone whole again is complicated beyond our imagination. Only God has the resources and capacity to heal every hurt and restore every legitimate loss. Part of our faith is trusting God to take care of what only God can.
This leads us back to thankfulness. When we remember to be thankful for all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ, it is easier to let go of that which is beyond our control. A heart full of joy is a heart able to let go of past slights and disappointments. We are called to be agents of healing. Forgiveness is the only medicine to heal broken relationships. “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy.”