Weeding: The Hard Truth of Forgiveness
Ruth Ann Stites, Staff Writer
Last week we talked about repentance, righteousness, and weeds. Now let’s think about one of the best “weeding tools” we can employ to root out some of those persistent weeds in our hearts and minds: forgiveness.
Let’s face it, forgiveness for our sins is easy to receive but hard to offer when we have been deeply hurt. Yet the Lord Jesus is clear that we are called to forgive…even the big things. Consider some of his thoughts on the topic.
“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” Mark 11:24-25
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. [Jesus then tells the parable of the Ungrateful Servant and his punishment] … “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Matthew 18:21-22, 35 (For the entire parable see Matthew 18:21-35.)
Some important points I see in the Lord’s comments on forgiveness are that there is a vital element of reciprocity involved in it. He gives the example of impeded prayers in Mark 11. Then he points out that our level of forgiveness is matched by how we forgive (also Matthew 6 and Luke 6). A final point from the “Parable of the Ungrateful Servant” is that forgiveness is both unproportionate and proportionate. In his reply to Peter, he points out first, that keeping score is unimportant and that forgiveness keeps coming, it is unproportionate, Second, he says that the wicked servant ultimately got what he gave as his “reward,” it is proportionate.
It’s going to take us a while to unpack these ideas about forgiveness much less get our hands dirty in weeding our hearts and minds of the weeds we have accumulated through the years. Look for more on this topic in the weeks ahead.
(Photo credit: RA Stites, North Forest trail, Crystal Bridges grounds)
