“You must forgive him”.
Luke 17:4
Forgiveness is something we all need. We daily fall short of perfection. We all speak when we should be silent. We offend with words and actions. We are just human.
Jesus, teaching his disciples in Luke Seventeen, begins to address offence. Verses one through ten give the context.
The admonition Jesus brings is to pay attention to yourselves! If someone sins against you, rebuke him and if he repents, forgive him. (And p.s. we don’t keep count - you must forgive him.)
The disciples, met with this new and living way, ask Jesus to increase their faith (I’m thinking because they know how hard it is to not be offended and how easy it is to not forgive). Jesus tells them it’s not really a matter of faith. Faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain. Then he tells a story about the servant and concludes with; you don’t get praised for obeying (my translation). You must forgive.
From Matthews gospel, we find our prayers for forgiveness are hinged on our forgiveness of others. Ephesian’s chapter four instructs believers to forgive as God, in Christ, has forgiven us. Jesus told his disciples; when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
Jesus bypasses thoughts and feelings and simply sets before us - You must forgive. As servants of our Lord, forgiveness is a duty. Lest we think no one has ever suffered the pain of injustice, may we pause to remember exactly what transpired for Jesus on the cross. His response as he is dying is a prayer for forgiveness for all who’ve unjustly accused and are now killing him. Jesus said, they know not what they do. I would submit most times we have no understanding of what we are creating with our accusations and refusals to forgive. It is just too too easy to justify our disobedience by justifying our feelings. We must forgive.
If we could hold the awareness of spiritual happenings in the moments we are tempted to hold offence, we could better process and see the accusations assaulting our minds. The lust of our flesh feeding on tasty morsels of hurt feelings verses the leading of the Holy Spirit who leads us into love and victory,
Jesus keeps setting this standard before us ~ ‘even as’. Love even as I have loved you. Forgive even as I have forgiven you. Where we feel justified in holding on to our offences, we deny the grace that could be ours to overcome.
We cannot deny the one single advantage we, as children of God, have been given: His supernatural ability at work within us. We are strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man so are enabled to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him. We are able to do all things by and through His strength. There is grace that abounds to the one who will come and find it. Grace is not hiding. It’s with God in the presence of His mercy. Mercy, because none of us deserve forgiveness; yet, it has been freely given to each of us. We did not work to get it. It was freely provided.
You and I cannot stand in the presence of God at His throne of grace and not come to terms with any unforgiveness that may lie in our hearts.
Please consider all aspects of unforgiveness ~
Ours toward God. He has failed me.
Ours directed at ourselves. I’m a failure
Ours directed at others. They’ve failed me.
As we position ourselves at this throne let us receive mercy and find the grace to help us forgive and love well. For we MUST forgive.