Eternity 130 - Forgiving Your Brother
Forgiveness is central to the gospel and to life in the Kingdom of Heaven. In fact forgiveness puts an end to the law of retaliation and the concept that "justice means that every wrong is noted and every offender appropriately punished". Such an unflinching and exact world of retributive justice and the "lex talonis" is harsh, grace-less, and unlovely. As someone once said "In a world where its an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, soon everyone is blind and toothless"..
(Matthew 18:21-35 NKJV) Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord,
how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven
times?" {22} Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven
times, but up to seventy times seven. {23} "Therefore the kingdom of
heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
{24} "And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to
him who owed him ten thousand talents. {25} "But as he was not able
to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children
and all that he had, and that payment be made. {26} "The servant therefore
fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will
pay you all.' {27} "Then the master of that servant was moved with
compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
{28} "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by
the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' {29} "So his fellow servant
fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and
I will pay you all.' {30} "And he would not, but went and threw him
into prison till he should pay the debt. {31} "So when his fellow servants
saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their
master all that had been done. {32} "Then his master, after he had
called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt
because you begged me. {33} 'Should you not also have had compassion on
your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' {34} "And his master
was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that
was due to him. {35} "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if
each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
James gives a one-line summary of the parable above: James 2:13 NKJV)
For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs
over judgment
Jesus has three well known sayings that reinforce this:
(Matthew 5:7 NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
(Matthew 9:13 NKJV) "But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy
and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners,
to repentance."
(Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV) "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your
heavenly Father will also forgive you. {15} "But if you do not forgive
men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
In the Kingdom of Heaven mercy and forgiveness are required virtues. Without
them we cannot enter for God will not be merciful to us if we in turn are
not merciful to others. And who can be saved apart from His mercy?
Christians should be looking about for someone to find fault with or to
punish, or to correct. Rather Christians should be looking about to find
someone that they show mercy to.
The ungrateful servant in the parable above had a perfect legal right to
do what he did. But it was still wrong. Legal rights do not necessarily
constitute heavenly approval. To say "You owe me a thousand dollars
now pay up or I will take you to court until you pay the last penny"
is simply not Christian. (see 1 Corinthians 6:1-8). We owe others and others
will owe us. If we don't owe others, we still owe God a debt we can never
repay.
Litigious Christians have lost the spirit of the gospel. So have Christians
who run to the pastor or to the board with every slight and every infringement
by a church member. Christians are not to do the work of the Accuser of
the brethren. But in the last days it seems that they will: "(Matthew
24:10 NKJV) "And then many will be offended, will betray one another,
and will hate one another." The last days will be a time of Christian
spitefulness, betrayal, litigation and back-stabbing. It will be a time
when forbearance,mercy and forgiveness have fled the earth.
How does this work out for you and I? We must forget about exact justice,
we must forgive old wounds, let go of old debts, release those in our power
and be prepared to lose a few thousand dollars in the process. The wicked
servant was not prepared to lose a hundred denarii - a hundred days wages
(maybe $10,000 in todays terms) - so he lost everything! Grace always costs
something, but ungraciousness costs everything!
[P.S.: For those who may be unfamiliar with it here is 1 Cor 6:1-8:
(1 Corinthians 6:1-8 NKJV) Dare any of you, having a matter against
another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? {2}
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will
be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? {3} Do
you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain
to this life? {4} If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining
to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church
to judge? {5} I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise
man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
{6} But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
{7} Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to
law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you
not rather let yourselves be cheated? {8} No, you yourselves do wrong and
cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!}