FORGIVENESS IS A TWO-WAY STREET
Matthew 6:12, 14-15; Matthew 18:21-22
Rev. Paul Wrightman 12/11/22
ADVENT IS THE SEASON OF THE CHURCH YEAR
WHEN WE PREPARE TO CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
AND A GOOD WAY TO PREPARE FOR THE COMING OF JESUS
AT CHRISTMAS IS TO DIVE DEEPER INTO HIS MOST
IMPORTANT TEACHINGS, MANY OF WHICH ARE TO BE FOUND
IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT.
SO WE CONTINUE OUR STUDY OF THE LORD’S PRAYER,
LOCATED AT THE VERY CENTER, THE VERY HEART, OF THIS SERMON.
JAMES HEWITT WRITES:
“MY SIX-YEAR-OLD SON USED ONE OF THOSE
SUPER ADHESIVE GLUES ON AN AIRPLANE HE WAS BUILDING.
IN LESS THAN THREE MINUTES, HIS RIGHT INDEX FINGER
WAS BONDED TO A SHINY BLUE WING OF HIS DC-10.
HE TRIED TO FREE IT.
HE TUGGED IT, PULLED IT, WAVED IT FRANTICALLY;
BUT HE COULDN’T BUDGE HIS FINGER FREE.
SOON, WE LOCATED A SOLVENT THAT DID THE JOB
AND ENDED OUR LITTLE CRISIS.”
HEWITT CONTINUES:
“LAST NIGHT I REMEMBERED THAT SCENE WHEN I VISITED
A NEW FAMILY IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE FATHER OF THE FAMILY INTRODUCED HIS CHILDREN:
‘THIS IS PETE. HE’S THE CLUMSY ONE OF THE LOT.’
‘THAT’S KATHY COMING IN WITH MUD ON HER SHOES.
SHE’S THE SLOPPY ONE.’
‘AS ALWAYS, MIKE’S LAST.
HE’LL BE LATE TO HIS OWN FUNERAL, I PROMISE YOU.’
HEWITT CONCLUDES:
“THE DAD DID A THOROUGH JOB OF GLUING HIS CHILDREN
TO THEIR FAULTS AND MISTAKES.
PEOPLE DO IT TO US AND TO THOSE WE LOVE ALL THE TIME.
THEY REMIND US OF OUR FAILURES, OUR ERRORS,
OUR [AREAS OF BROKENNESS],
AND THEY WON’T LET US LIVE THEM DOWN.
LIKE MY SON TRYING FRANTICALLY TO FREE HIS FINGER
FROM THE PLANE, THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO TRY,
SOMETIMES DESPERATELY, TO FREE THEMSELVES
FROM THEIR PAST.
THEY WOULD LOVE A CHANCE TO BEGIN AGAIN.” (End Quote)
AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT THE PART OF THE LORD’S PRAYER
WE’RE LOOKING AT TODAY IS ALL ABOUT:
A CHANCE TO BEGIN AGAIN FOR OURSELVES,
AND AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO OFFER SOMEONE ELSE
THE CHANCE TO BEGIN AGAIN.
MOST OF US HAVE VISITED CHURCHES WHERE THEY PRAY
THE LORD’S PRAYER SLIGHTLY DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO:
THEY SAY “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS,”
INSTEAD OF THE MORE COMMON “FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES,
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.”
IN REALITY, “FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS”
IS ACTUALLY THE CORRECT TRANSLATION.
ONCE AGAIN, MANY ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS HAVE SUBSTITUTED
A MORE “SPIRITUAL” WORD, NAMELY “TRESPASSES,”
IN AN ATTEMPT TO AVOID THE EMBARRRASSING
ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE WORD “DEBTS.”
THESE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS FLOW FROM THE LONG BIBLICAL
TRADITION OF JUBILEE, FOUND IN THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES,
ACCORDING TO WHICH ALL MONETARY DEBTS
WERE TO BE FORGIVEN, OR CANCELLED, EVERY SEVEN YEARS,
AND ALL LAND RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL OWNERS
EVERY FORTY-NINE YEARS.
WE KNOW THAT JESUS WAS COMMITTED NOT JUST
TO THE CONCEPT OF JUBILEE, BUT TO THE REALITY OF JUBILEE.
HIS UNDERSTANDING OF THE KINGDOM,
OR, BETTER, KIN-DOM, OF GOD ASSUMED THAT HIS DISCIPLES
WOULD DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO LIVE-OUT
AND BRING-ABOUT THE REALITY OF JUBILEE.
INDEED, THE REALIZATION OF JUBILEE – A STATE OF AFFAIRS
WHERE ECONOMICALLY THERE SIMPLY ARE NO MORE
“DEBTS” AND “DEBTORS” –
A SOCIETY IN WHICH NO ONE HAS TOO MUCH,
AND NO ONE HAS TOO LITTLE, IS A GOOD PART
OF THE CONTENT WE PRAY FOR WHEN WE PRAY
“THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.”
SO WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT THIS PETITION
OF THE LORD’S PRAYER, LIKE SO MANY OF ITS OTHER PETITIONS,
AND LIKE SO MANY OF THE BEATITUDES, STARTED OUT
WITH SOME VERY SPECIFIC ECONOMIC CONNOTATIONS.
WE SAW LAST WEEK HOW THE PETITION THAT IMMEDIATELY
COMES BEFORE THE PETITION WE’RE LOOKING AT TODAY,
“GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD,”
IS FIRST OF ALL, A PRAYER THAT ALL THE MATERIAL NEEDS
OF OUR PHYSICAL LIVES BE MET;
AND ONLY SECONDARILY A PRAYER FOR OUR SPIRITUAL NEEDS.
“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS”
IS CLOSELY CONNECTED TO “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.”
FIRST OF ALL, WE ARE PRAYING THAT EVERYONE WILL BE
FREE ENOUGH FROM ECONOMIC DEBT
TO BE ABLE TO BUY THE DAILY BREAD THEY NEED.
WE NEED ALWAYS TO REMEMBER THAT FOR JESUS –
THE KINGDOM, OR KIN-DOM, OF GOD IS ROOTED
IN CONCRETE PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC REALITIES.
ONLY AFTER PEOPLE’S PHYSICAL AND ECONOMIC NEEDS
HAVE BEEN MET DOES JESUS MOVE ON
TO PEOPLE’S SPIRITUAL NEEDS.
AND JESUS DOES MOVE ON.
ALMOST AS IF TO ADD A POSTSCRIPT, IMMEDIATELY AFTER
THE LORD’S PRAYER JESUS ADDS THE WORDS:
“FOR IF YOU FORGIVE OTHERS THEIR TRESPASSES,
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU;
BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS, NEITHER WILL
YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
HERE, THE MEANING IS “TRESPASSES” IN CONTRAST TO “DEBTS.”
THE WORD “TRESPASSES” REFERS SPECIFICALLY
TO RELATIONAL WRONGS WHICH NEED TO BE FORGIVEN.
SO WE MOVE FROM THE PRIMARILY ECONOMIC
“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS”
TO THE PRIMARILY RELATIONAL “FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US.”
THIS IS THE ONLY PETITION IN THE LORD’S PRAYER
WHICH SEEMS TO BE CONDITIONAL.
LITERALLY, WE ARE PRAYING “FORGIVE US OUR ECONOMIC DEBTS
AND RELATIONAL TRESPASSES IN PROPORTION AS WE FORGIVE
THE ECONOMIC DEBTS AND RELATIONAL TRESPASSES OF OTHERS.”
NOW, IF THIS ISN’T A SCARY WAY OF PRAYING,
I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS.
I’M SURE THAT I – OR WE – CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE
WORDED THIS PETITION IN THIS CONDITIONAL WAY,
“FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE,”
BUT WOULD HAVE SIMPLY LEFT IT AT
“FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AND OUR TRESPASSES.”
WHY DID JESUS CHOOSE TO MAKE OUR BEING FORGIVEN
CONTINGENT ON OUR FORGIVING OTHERS?
WHY?
--BECAUSE JESUS KNEW THAT IN ORDER FOR US
TO REALLY BE OPEN TO RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS,
WE FIRST HAD TO OPEN OURSELVES BY FORGIVING OTHERS.
JESUS IS TEACHING US A SPIRITUAL LAW HERE.
THIS LAW IS JUST AS BINDING IN THE SPIRITUAL REALM
AS THE LAW OF GRAVITY IS BINDING IN THE PHYSICAL REALM.
THE SPIRITUAL LAW THAT JESUS IS TRYING TO TEACH US IS THIS:
IN ORDER FOR US TO BE OPEN TO RECEIVE GOD’S FORGIVENESS,
WE FIRST HAVE TO FORGIVE THOSE IN NEED OF FORGIVENESS
FROM US.
THE POINT OF THIS RECIPROCITY IS NOT THAT GOD
WILL ARBITRARILY REFUSE TO FORGIVE US
IF WE DON’T FORGIVE OTHERS.
ACCORDING TO GOD’S OWN SELF-REVELATION,
GOD CAN’T REFUSE TO FORGIVE BECAUSE FORGIVENESS
IS AT THE VERY HEART OF GOD’S JOB DESCRIPTION!
AS ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA PUTS IT:
“FORGIVENESS IS THE FOUNDATION OF GOD’S BEING.”
THE POINT OF THIS RECIPROCITY IS THAT WITHOUT IT
WE PUT UP A WALL FROM OUR SIDE WHICH EFFECTIVELY
KEEPS GOD’S FORGIVENESS ON THE OUTSIDE OF OUR LIVES.
USING A METAPHOR FROM “STAR TREK,” REFUSING TO
FORGIVE ANOTHER IS LIKE DEPLOYING A DEFLECTOR SHIELD
WHICH EFFECTIVELY KEEPS GOD’S FORGIVENESS
FROM EVER REACHING US.
GOD’S FORGIVENESS IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE,
ALWAYS RAINING DOWN, AS IT WERE, BUT WE CAN CHOOSE
TO RUN INSIDE THE FORTRESS OF OUR OWN HARD HEARTS
AND REFUSE TO LET IT ENTER.
WE CAN ACTUALLY WALL OURSELVES OFF
FROM GOD’S FORGIVENESS BY REFUSING TO FORGIVE OTHERS.
SO WHEN JESUS SAYS TO US AT THE END OF THE LORD’S PRAYER,
“FOR IF YOU FORGIVE OTHERS THEIR TRESPASSES,
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER WILL ALSO FORGIVE YOU;
BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS,
NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES,”
THIS IS NOT A THREAT.
IT IS SIMPLY A STATEMENT OF A SPIRITUAL LAW,
A REMINDER OF THE WAY THAT THINGS WORK –
OR DON’T WORK – IN THE REALM OF THE SPIRIT.
THE GREEK WORD FOR “WILL” CAN ALSO MEAN “CAN.”
FOR ME, A BETTER TRANSLATION WOULD BE:
“FOR IF YOU FORGIVE OTHERS THEIR TRESPASSES,
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER CAN ALSO FORGIVE YOU;
BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE OTHERS, NEITHER CAN
YOUR FATHER FORGIVE YOUR TRESPASSES.”
THE “FIRST NATIONS VERSION,” OR TRANSLATION,
PRINTED IN TODAY’S BULLETIN, GETS THIS RIGHT
WHEN IT READS: “BUT IF YOU FAIL TO RELEASE OTHERS,
THIS KEEPS YOUR FATHER, THE CREATOR, FROM RELEASING YOU.”
FORGIVENESS, IN OTHER WORDS, IS A TWO-WAY STREET;
IT ORIGINATES IN GOD, BUT FOR IT TO ACTUALLY
FIND A HOME IN OUR HEART,
OUR HEART MUST MAKE ROOM FOR GOD’S FORGIVENESS –
AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THIS
IS FOR US TO FIRST FORGIVE OTHERS.
OUR REFUSING TO FORGIVE OTHERS CLUTTERS UP OUR HEARTS
LIKE ONE OF THOSE RENTAL STORAGE UNITS
STUFFED TO THE GILL WITH JUNK.
IN A HEART FILLED WITH UNFORGIVENESS THERE IS SIMPLY
NO ROOM FOR GOD TO MOVE IN, OR TO MANEUVER IN.
WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT FORGIVING AND FORGETTING,
MAKING IT SOUND LIKE IF WE HAVEN’T FORGOTTEN,
WE HAVEN’T REALLY BEEN FORGIVEN.
WE DON’T NEED TO PUT THIS EXTRA BURDEN ON OURSELVES.
FORGETTING IS PART OF GOD’S JOB DESCRIPTION, NOT OURS.
FORGIVING MEANS TO LET GO OF THE HURT
AND TO RELATE TO THE PERSON WHO HAS INJURED US
IN SPITE OF WHAT HAPPENED.
FORGETTING IS ANOTHER MATTER ALTOGETHER.
IN MANY CASES, IT IS NOT ONLY EMOTIONALLY IMPOSSIBLE,
BUT MORALLY IRRESPONSIBLE TO FORGET.
SO LET US STICK TO FORGIVING,
AND LET GOD DO THE FORGIVING AND FORGETTING.
AND LET US BE THANKFUL THAT GOD DOES FORGET,
FOR WHO OF US DOES NOT NEED TO RECEIVE
FROM THE VERY GROUND OF OUR BEING
AN ABSOLUTELY CLEAN SLATE AT TIMES?
KNOWING THAT GOD FORGIVES AND FORGETS GIVES US
THE COURAGE TO BEGIN AGAIN WHEN WE HAVE FAILED.
AND I SUSPECT THAT MORE OFTEN THAN NOT BEGINNING AGAIN
INVOLVES, FIRST OF ALL, FORGIVING OURSELVES,
AND LETTING GO OF THE MANY WAYS
IN WHICH WE JUDGE OURSELVES TO BE LACKING.
AFTER ALL, THE SECOND PART OF JESUS’ GREAT COMMANDMENT
ADMONISHES US TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS OURSELVES.
THERE IS A QUOTE BY THE FAMOUS SWISS PSYCHIATRIST
CARL JUNG WHICH HAS TO DO WITH THE IMPORTANCE
OF LOVING ONESELF.
AFTER CONSIDERING JESUS’ CHALLENGE TO LOVE OUR ENEMIES,
FEED THE HUNGRY, AND WELCOME THE STRANGER,
JUNG REMARKS:
“THE ACCEPTANCE OF ONESELF IS THE ESSENCE
OF THE WHOLE MORAL PROBLEM AND THE EPITOME
OF A WHOLE OUTLOOK ON LIFE.
THAT I FEED THE HUNGRY, THAT I FORGIVE AN INSULT,
THAT I LOVE MY ENEMY IN THE NAME OF CHRIST –
ALL THESE ARE UNDOUBTEDLY GREAT VIRTUES.
WHAT I DO UNTO THE LEAST OF MY BRETHREN
THAT I DO UNTO CHRIST.”
AND NOW COMES JUNG’S PUNCH LINE:
“BUT WHAT IF I SHOULD DISCOVER THAT THE LEAST
AMONGST THEM ALL, THE POOREST OF ALL THE BEGGARS,
THE MOST IMPUDENT OF ALL THE OFFENDERS,
THE VERY ENEMY HIMSELF –
THAT THESE ARE WITHIN ME, AND THAT I MYSELF
STAND IN NEED OF THE ALMS OF MY OWN KINDNESS –
THAT I MYSELF AM THE ENEMY WHO MUST BE LOVED –
WHAT THEN?” (End Quote)
RATHER THAN CONCLUDE THIS SERMON WITH AN ILLUSTRATION
ABOUT LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR, WHICH YOU’VE HEARD FROM ME
QUITE OFTEN, TODAY I’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU AN ILLUSTRATION
ABOUT LOVING, FORGIVING, AND ACCEPTING OURSELVES.
THIS ILLUSTRATION COMES FROM INDIA, AUTHOR UNKNOWN.
“A WATER-BEARER HAD TWO LARGE POTS. EACH HUNG ON
OPPOSITE ENDS OF A POLE THAT HE CARRIED ACROSS HIS NECK.
ONE OF THE POTS HAD A CRACK IN IT,
WHILE THE OTHER WAS PERFECT.
THE PERFECT POT ALWAYS DELIVERED A FULL PORTION OF WATER
AT THE END OF THE LONG WALK FROM THE STREAM
TO THE MASTER’S HOUSE.
THE CRACKED POT ARRIVED ONLY HALF-FULL.
EVERY DAY FOR A FULL TWO YEARS, THE WATER-BEARER
DELIVERED ONLY ONE-AND-A-HALF POTS OF WATER.
THE PERFECT POT WAS PROUD OF ITS ACCOMPLISHMENTS,
BECAUSE IT FULFILLED MAGNIFICENTLY THE PURPOSE
FOR WHICH IT HAD BEEN MADE.
BUT THE POOR CRACKED POT WAS ASHAMED OF ITS IMPERFECTION,
MISERABLE THAT IT WAS ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH
ONLY HALF OF WHAT IT HAD BEEN MADE TO DO.
AFTER THE SECOND YEAR OF WHAT IT PERCEIVED TO BE
A BITTER FAILURE, THE UNHAPPY POT SPOKE TO THE WATER-BEARER
ONE DAY BY THE STREAM.
‘I AM ASHAMED OF MYSELF, AND I WANT TO APOLOGIZE TO YOU,’
THE POT SAID.
‘WHY?’ ASKED THE BEARER. ‘WHAT ARE YOU ASHAMED OF?’
‘I HAVE BEEN ABLE, FOR THESE PAST TWO YEARS, TO DELIVER
ONLY HALF MY LOAD, BECAUSE THIS CRACK IN MY SIDE
CAUSES WATER TO LEAK OUT ALL THE WAY BACK
TO YOUR MASTER’S HOUSE.
BECAUSE OF MY FLAWS, YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THIS WORK
AND YOU DON’T GET FULL VALUE FROM YOUR EFFORTS,’
THE POT SAID.
THE WATER-BEARER FELT SORRY FOR THE OLD CRACKED POT,
AND IN HIS COMPASSION, HE SAID,
‘AS WE RETURN TO THE MASTER’S HOUSE,
I WANT YOU TO NOTICE THE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS ALONG THE PATH.’
INDEED, AS THEY WENT UP THE HILL, THE CRACKED POT TOOK NOTICE
OF THE BEAUTIFUL WILDFLOWERS ON THE SIDE OF THE PATH,
BRIGHT IN THE SUN’S GLOW, AND THE SIGHT CHEERED IT UP A BIT.
BUT AT THE END OF THE TRAIL, IT STILL FELT BAD THAT IT HAD
LEAKED OUT HALF ITS LOAD, AND SO AGAIN IT APOLOGIZED
TO THE BEARER FOR ITS FAILURE.
THE BEARER SAID TO THE POT,
‘DID YOU NOTICE THAT THERE WERE FLOWERS ONLY ON
YOUR SIDE OF THE PATH, NOT ON THE OTHER POT’S SIDE?
THAT IS BECAUSE I HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN ABOUT YOUR FLAW,
AND I HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF IT.
I PLANTED FLOWER SEEDS ON YOUR SIDE OF THE PATH,
AND EVERY DAY, AS WE HAVE WALKED BACK FROM THE STREAM,
YOU HAVE WATERED THEM.
FOR TWO YEARS I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PICK
THESE BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS TO DECORATE MY MASTER’S TABLE.
WITHOUT YOU BEING JUST THE WAY YOU ARE,
HE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS BEAUTY TO GRACE HIS HOUSE.’”
(End of story)
THIS MORNING WE’VE DISCOVERED AN INTIMATE CONNECTION
BETWEEN THE LINE IN THE LORD’S PRAYER ABOUT FORGIVENESS:
“FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES
AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US,”
AND THE SECOND COMMANDMENT:
“LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”
HOPEFULLY BY LEARNING TO BETTER
LOVE, FORGIVE, AND ACCEPT OURSELVES,
WE ARE LEARNING AT THE SAME TIME HOW BETTER
TO LOVE, FORGIVE, AND ACCEPT OUR NEIGHBORS.
AMEN.