In today’s reading, Jesus does the unimaginable, forgiving the very people that were crucifying Him. Even more He asks God to let them off the hook!!!!
If we think this is because He is divine, that He could do this, remember that Stephen (the first christian martyr), also forgave his murderers [Acts 7:59-60].
This kind of forgiveness is hard – very hard – yet it seems to be something that we are called to do; what is more, our own experience of being forgiven is tied to it [Matthew 6:12-15].
Lets discuss together what forgiveness means, why its important, and why our own experience of forgiveness hinges on our forgiving others.
One thought that comes to mind is that our not forgiving others reveals that we do not realize enough how guilty we are of sinning against, and hurting, God and others. If we knew how much we need to be forgiven, then we would realize that others need it as much as us, and we need it as much as them.
Someone (?) once said: ‘Whoever refuses to forgive others burns the bridge that they themselves need to cross’.
Having said this, my guess is that a big part of the struggle with forgiveness is the emotional agaony that their wrong caused us. Some people won’t refuse (a conscious choice), but others can’t; that is, emotionally, they can’t get over the pain and anger of someone elses’ sin. They may intellectually acknowledge the need to forgive, but emotionally they cannot feel it.
This requires healing, amazing grace, Holy Spirit help, and patience. Thankfully the Lord excels in each of these areas. Jesus knows the struggle, the hurt, the sin, etc., and He also died for those struggles and sins.
What are your thoughts about forgiveness? Have you struggled with it, or have you experienced God’s help in getting to the point of forgiveness?
Hi Cindy
thanks for telling me that.
I agree with knowing forgiving will benefit me helps me to choose forgiveness, I have that too….
I am glad that you are getting free..Isn’t it great!?
Thank you Jill for sharing, and I’m glad you’re passionate about doing so. It is encouraging for me, and others who are on the same path, to keep on it, it’s not an easy road to walk much of the time. I know it’s selfish but sometimes knowing that choosing forgiveness benefits me has helped – somewhere along the way I also realized I didn’t want the job of “Ruling the Universe” with the task of having to pass judgement on the rest of mankind.
And it is good to be free.
yes I agree we should not critize or judge those who cannot forgive …because that it unhelpful and wrong of us.
There are many reasons why people don’t/can’t forgive. We should pray for them to be able to understand about forgiveness, for the Holy Spirit to teach their heart.
Well not exactly…
You can intellectually make the choice to forgive and you can say the words and know that this is the right thing to do whether you have the feeling of forgiving or not. If you say I forgive, you are forgiving, but you also keep having to choose it… to say it again, to actively walk in it…
One person in my life I was choosing to forgive over and over for years…
I asked God to change me, I acted with kindness towards that person, but it was a long time before I had the feeling of forgiving them.
So I would not say that forgiveness did not happen, I would say that I made the right choice that we all should make as soon as we realize that we have to forgive someone,
I would not want anyone to think they have to wait for God to give them the gift of forgiveness…. it is a gift He has given all of us…
we might have to wait to have the feeling but we choose to act on it whether we have the feeling or not.
When I talk about realizing that forgiveness is a gift I was already forgiving people for years before that. It is just that this year I realized the splendiness of God in providing us with this way of having peace.
I started to see forgiveness as a blessing and a healing tool and something I was glad to do -rather than as something that I had to do but it was just so difficult and hard work…
Thanks Jill. From this I gather that we should want to be able to forgive, but not be upset when it doesn’t happen right away because it won’t happen until he gives us the ability to forgive. For you that meant a long wait, one that is now worth it. This would also mean that we shouldn’t criticize or judge people who can’t forgive, because though they try, they can’t until God gives it to them.
I finally learned earlier this year:
Forgiveness is a Gift.
When I was teaching about dealing with abuse issues I used to call forgiveness the F word.
I know how hard it is to forgive those who have hurt us.
I remember people saying forgive and forget but never letting me be angry or cry about the pain or express how terrible it was….
I did not want to forgive those who had not asked forgiveness.
I knew I needed to -had to- forgive, for God to go on with my healing, I would choose it as an intellectual choice, I learned to ask Him to enable me to forgive, I would have to ask and ask and do it over and over, I knew I needed to let them off my hook and leave them on God’s hook…
I would feel guilty, after all, God has forgiven me, how could I not forgive others…
So it is many years of God teaching me about the Gift of Forgivenesss.
And it is a gift-
A gift that sets us free.
Free from all the things we have done to other people, free from the shame, free from the guilt, free to accept myself as a child of God equal to all others, receiving forgiveness does that…
Giving forgiveness also sets me free, free from the tie to those who have hurt me deeply, free from judging them, free from hating them, free to be healed and renewed.
It took a long time to get here, to this realization planted in my heart by the Holy Spirit that God provided the Gift of forgivness because He knew we would need it to be free of what binds us and to be free to grow in closeness to Him, to love Him and to do the things he wants us to do.
and I am Thankful.
So my thought is, choose to forgive, or rather to ask God to enable you to forgive as soon as you can, it is hard but it is good,
It does not mean you have to let the person back in your life,
it does not mean what they did was not bad,
it does not mean you still don’t grieve and feel the pain for a time…
but the sooner you start to forgive the sooner you let God in more to heal you.
Once again I wrote a sermon but I am passionate about this.
PLease comment