Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-22

Forgiveness

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.

Jesus was a hard man

Took no prisoners

Called a spade a spade

Didn't let folk waffle

Was highly sensitive to hypocrisy

And spoke some harsh truth

But when he spoke of forgiveness 

And then went on

to practice what he preached

he raised the bar

way beyond 

what most of us 

are capable of reaching.

And it's not just about ability

It's about the will to forgive.

Quite frankly

Id rather go on living with resentment

than roll over and forgive

I'd rather hold on to that edge of anger

than gather the energy

to have another go at building a bridge.

The work of forgiveness

demands too much energy.

It seems easier just to move on

and chalk it up to experience.

But Jesus was a hard man.

He didn't simply roll over.

He didn't simply smile sweetly

and allow others

to go on hurting 

to go on betraying

He lifted forgiveness up to God

in an agonising cry.

"Father forgive"

And, if we can do no other...

If the time for building bridges is past

If the time for enduring more hurt has expired

We call on God to do the work that we can't

And we move on

singed, perhaps a tiny bit broken

and certainly scarred.

And we find our healing

in the love and forgiveness of God.