This morning I am reflecting on some challenging verses from Luke 17:3-6 NIV:
[3] "So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. [4] Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them.”
[5] The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
[6] He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you."
I have reflected upon these verses previously, but this morning upon reading the whole chapter, these again were what my mind seemed drawn to. Sometimes discernment is simply following the light breath of the Holy Spirit, breathing on something, other times its very obvious. This morning it was a light breath...
These verses clearly are about forgiveness, and while that is a deep subject, this morning it seems the focus is on the judgments that we make about people who sin against us. Jesus' example of command to forgive the person who sins against you seven times in a single day, brings this judgment to light, for the apostles provide the insight. They cry out "increase our faith" recognizing that they, in that situation, wouldn't have felt the least bit like forgiving such a person.
The question is why? Why would we struggle to forgive such a sin-ridden person? I believe it has to do with a judgment in our heart about that person's repentance. First, it should be noted that they do repent, which is a changing of the mind which leads to a changing of action or behavior. When the person repents, our command is to forgive them. That seems easy enough to say and do, but Jesus doesn't qualify this sin by any level or type, so it could be the worst sin we can imagine, or the smallest sin. The command is the same, if they repent, forgive them.
The Greek word that is translated forgive is the word Aphiemi, and it is defined as follows:
1) to send away
a) to bid going away or depart
1) of a husband divorcing his wife
b) to send forth, yield up, to expire
c) to let go, let alone, let be
1) to disregard
2) to leave, not to discuss now, (a topic) 1c
2) of teachers, writers and speakers
a) to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit
b) to give up, keep no longer
There are other extended defining descriptions, but these suffice for communicating the meaning behind the word. The idea is of a permanent separation, a sending away and not revisiting again. We occasionally will hear someone say, 'I will forgive, but I won't forget', and unfortunately, that is not really the command of Jesus here, and it is why I think the apostles struggled with Jesus' statement.
Our natural tendency is to do exactly that if we do forgive someone, we forgive, but we don't forget. However, Jesus is calling them to go to a place where they don't keep score of the number of times they forgive someone. Each time a person asks forgiveness and repents, we are to forgive, like it is the first time. This is the hard part, for in remembering their previous sins, in keeping track, we then make a judgment about the person, for we are keeping score. The bigger the score, the more times they sin, the more convinced we are of their lack of repentance. However, we are not allowed to make that judgment, we are to extend forgiveness, according to Jesus.
This just doesn't sound wise, and I can think of multiple reasons why a person shouldn't extend forgiveness to a repeat offender. I find my mind going back to some of the repeat offenders that I have known, and remember the pain of continual betrayal, and pain, and think to myself, why would Jesus command us to do this? I find myself responding with the same cry of the apostles, "increase my faith!" for if this is the command, I know I would struggle with this in many cases.
However, just as I was going there in my mind, I heard the Lord whisper, "This is how I forgive you!"
Wow! Heart - punched!
That just stopped me dead in my tracks, and stopped my line of thinking completely. For my thinking was extending judgment about the condition of certain people's hearts, about their true intent, about their ability to hurt me repeatedly. All of that stopped, and I saw the true impact and truth behind Jesus' statement, this IS exactly how He treats me! He forgives me over and over and over again. He actually knows the true state of my heart, and yet He continues to choose to forgive me! Regardless of the depth of my betrayal of Him, of my extensive history of sin, He forgives me. He doesn't hold onto the historical records, He doesn't keep score, He forgives me, if I am willing to repent, over and over and over again.
His last statement, about the mustard seed of faith, and the casting of the tree into the sea, seems to me to be about those deep rooted judgments that we maintain in our hearts, towards people, or groups, or even God. Some people I know struggle greatly with unforgiveness, with laying down past hurts. They have extensive lists, and its obvious that the roots go deep because they will go back years in recounting certain things that were said, or things that were done, and these, while covered up with dirt (unseen on the surface) most of the time, become an absolute anchor that keeps them from healing and freedom.
In our lives, Jesus is encouraging us to have faith in Him and in His ways and words. He sets before us a command that will bring freedom to us, and to those that sin, and He desires us to learn to trust Him, to have faith in Him. Our faith can begin with one small seed, but ultimately, if entrust ourselves to Him, and have faith that His words and His commands are good and right and bring us life!
Oh Lord, I ask for Your help, for faith and a willingness to forgive all that have hurt me, every time. Help me to extend forgiveness regardless of any perceived repentance or not. For at the end of the day, the score of past wrongs I keep does more to tie me down, to anchor me and keep me from being free than anything else. Help me to entrust this all to You Jesus, knowing that You forgive me.
Amen!
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