Overflow Daily...ish: Forgiveness
21 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?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21–22
While at a stop light on my way home from church, I was rear ended. That’s right, no lead up, I am diving right into the story. I was rattled a bit and somewhat annoyed that I was going to have to deal with this and with insurance providers, but I stepped out calmly and checked on the other driver and our vehicles. We decided we would both pull into a nearby gas station and exchange information so that we were not blocking the flow of traffic. And as I turned into the gas station, the other driver put the pedal to the metal and drove off. I tried to catch him, but by the time I was able to pull out of the station and into the neighborhood he had turned into, he was long gone. I was angry. More than angry, I was furious! He had lied to my face and had no intention of doing the right thing.
That bitterness stayed with me for quite some time and I was held captive to my anger and disgust towards this unknown man. This happens sometimes though, doesn’t it? People will sin against us and wrong us in unimaginable ways and it is very easy for us to hold on to that resentment and let it affect our lives, our relationships, and even our worship. This passage in Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that we are to forgive. To what extent? Jesus says, to the uttermost. So much that you are not even able to keep score because truly you are not keeping score. We are able to extend mercy to all and not demand justice.
We can do this because, for those who are in Christ, we understand mercy. We understand what it means to have been forgiven an insurmountable debt. In the parable that follows, we read of a servant who owes his master an incalculable debt of 10,000 talents (One estimate for a single talent was equal to 25 years’ worth of wages). But he was forgiven the debt and he immediately became a recipient of grace. Upon receiving this grace, we read of how he throws a fellow servant into prison who had owed him only 100 denarii (one denarius being equivalent to a day’s wage). This was a person who did not understand the grace he had been given.
In the same way, we are able to forgive others because we understand the forgiveness we have received. We all have sinned against God, greatly. When person sins against us we are able to forgive them for we understand the impossible depth of our debt which God has forgiven us. If you are holding on to anger and bitterness against someone who has not sinned against you, then you are the one who is need of repentance. And you better settle that sooner than later. But, if you are holding on to anger or bitterness against a person because they have sinned against you, I encourage you to forgive them. To not let that anger control you, but to be Christ-like. How much should you forgive? As much as your Father has forgiven you.
Grace and Peace,
-Pastor Alex
That bitterness stayed with me for quite some time and I was held captive to my anger and disgust towards this unknown man. This happens sometimes though, doesn’t it? People will sin against us and wrong us in unimaginable ways and it is very easy for us to hold on to that resentment and let it affect our lives, our relationships, and even our worship. This passage in Matthew’s Gospel reminds us that we are to forgive. To what extent? Jesus says, to the uttermost. So much that you are not even able to keep score because truly you are not keeping score. We are able to extend mercy to all and not demand justice.
We can do this because, for those who are in Christ, we understand mercy. We understand what it means to have been forgiven an insurmountable debt. In the parable that follows, we read of a servant who owes his master an incalculable debt of 10,000 talents (One estimate for a single talent was equal to 25 years’ worth of wages). But he was forgiven the debt and he immediately became a recipient of grace. Upon receiving this grace, we read of how he throws a fellow servant into prison who had owed him only 100 denarii (one denarius being equivalent to a day’s wage). This was a person who did not understand the grace he had been given.
In the same way, we are able to forgive others because we understand the forgiveness we have received. We all have sinned against God, greatly. When person sins against us we are able to forgive them for we understand the impossible depth of our debt which God has forgiven us. If you are holding on to anger and bitterness against someone who has not sinned against you, then you are the one who is need of repentance. And you better settle that sooner than later. But, if you are holding on to anger or bitterness against a person because they have sinned against you, I encourage you to forgive them. To not let that anger control you, but to be Christ-like. How much should you forgive? As much as your Father has forgiven you.
Grace and Peace,
-Pastor Alex
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