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,

I'd 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.