March 22nd, 2006
Pardon Me
Matthew 6:5-15
5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 "The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27 The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29 "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30 "But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 "Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34 In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
This scripture really touches my heart. The reason is that it brings me back to a time where I had a hard time forgiving someone. My mother told me about this scripture and how it allowed her to forgive someone. And I still see that I have a hard time forgiving people. Forgiveness is a decision, as it has been told to me. My wife reminds me of that on a fairly consistent basis. It’s interesting that a decision can be defined as “the act of making up my mind about something.” Some people feel there are things that are unforgivable, like a person sleeping with their spouse (cheating) or overbearing arrogance. Society feels that multiple murder and abusive sex acts are unforgivable. John 20 says that if I forgive others of their sins, then my sins will be forgiven. If I don’t, though, then my very own sins will not be forgiven by God. But what about the attitudes toward forgiveness? I mean, if I put up a good face, present myself in front of everyone and hold my tongue, doesn’t that account for something? The kicker is that Jesus says “…unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” I mean, it isn’t enough to just be civil to one another, forgiveness has to go all the way down to the heart. I have to forgive in such a way as to not pass JUDGMENT on them, and then move on. Matthew 7 and again echoed in Luke 6, it says “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” I heard a sermon once that talked about measuring spoons. If I want a great deal of forgiveness, I should pick out the biggest spoon in the store. But if it is little forgiveness I want, then a spoon that actually measures out a “pinch” should suffice. The type of forgiveness I want to have, that I need to have, is that of a patulous forgiveness, or a forgiveness that spreads out and grows. And the only way to get it, I guess, would be the way of 1st Peter 4:8 which says: “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” It covers over my sins and those who sin against me. And that is a wonderful thing, for me, and those who sin against me. Johnny Out.
Forgive (verb):
- To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.
- To renounce anger or resentment against.
- To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).
- To accord forgiveness.
Forgiveness (noun):
- Compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive.
- The act of excusing a mistake or offense.
Accord (verb):
- To cause to conform or agree; bring into harmony.
- To grant, especially as being due or appropriate.
- To bestow upon.
- Allow to have.
Pardon (verb):
- To release (a person) from punishment; exempt from penalty.
- To let pass without punishment.
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