Finding Forgiveness – Part 3

DAILY BYTE

You will remember that yesterday we left the crowds of people absolutely seething at the conclusion of Jesus’ parable: That they would be thrown into torture chambers unless they learnt to forgive their neighbours from the heart. We left them quickly counting up all the people they had heard Jesus teach were their neighbours – Romans, tax collectors, Samaritans.
‘Forgive all of them?!’ we hear them raging, ‘otherwise we too will know the torture chambers?! What kind of God would ask that?!’

Perhaps some of them might have walked out on Jesus and his story at this stage, fuming at the injustice of it all. But maybe later that day, while they were in bed at night, still tossing and turning angrily over what Jesus had said, something else about this parable might have struck them. That this is not a parable about a mean God who will torture you if don’t do what he says. But that this parable about a loving God who warns us of the grave dangers of an unforgiving spirit that potentially can bring prison-like consequences into our lives.

This point is incredibly crucial for you to understand: The torture chamber, in the context of this story and its message of unforgiveness is entirely SELF-INFLICTED. It is spiritual not physical. Jesus is not speaking of a hell to come that God will send you to but a hell in the here and now that we create for ourselves. A lack of forgiveness will warp us, diminish us, embitter us, and yes - imprison us. Dale Carnegie once said that: “When we hate our enemies we give them a power over us – a power over our sleep, appetites, and happiness. Our hate is not hurting them at all, but it is turning our days and nights into turmoil.” Lewis Smedes puts it this way: “The first and only person to be healed by forgiveness is the person who does the forgiveness…When we genuinely forgive; we set a prisoner free & then discover that the prisoner we set free was us.”

This is why Jesus refused to pull any punches in this parable because forgiveness is absolutely central to the Christian faith. It is central to the very heart of God, and therefore it is central to life itself. It is also, you will remember, at the centre of THE prayer Jesus taught us to pray – ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’

The only person we punish (torture) through a lack of forgiveness is ourselves! Spend some time thinking more directly about the people you are struggling to forgive. Write their names down for use in the following prayer.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Lord, as difficult as it may be for us, we do desire to forgive. We understand how a lack of forgiveness imprisons us, twists us and diminishes our spirits. We pray that you would help us to forgive [NAME/S]. Help us to let go of all anger, hurt or bitterness directed towards that person for what they have done to us. In the name of the Great Forgiver - Jesus. Amen.

FOCUS READING

Read the whole Matthew 18:21-35 in your Bible.

(V35) "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."