“Then Peter came and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.’ - Matthew 18:21-22
The most popular rendering of this verse is “seventy times seven” – which is 490 if you want to get mathematical about it. But either way the meaning is the same: Forgiveness is a permanent disposition, regardless of the frequency or the attitude of the person who sinned against us. This raises some questions though. Forgiveness is natural when there’s a sincere apology, and when the sin is not repeated. But what if that’s not the case? Do I have to become a doormat then? Here it’s important to remember that Jesus never discounted the need to address sin in preventative ways. Forgiveness certainly doesn’t mean that you condone the offense; nor does it mean that you put yourself in a position where you’re repeatedly mistreated over and over again. Jesus addressed this beforehand, both with His warnings (in 18:6-14), and with His stipulations for handling the situation when people sin against you (in 18:15-20). But perhaps the bigger issue is with what happens inside of you. You can’t always control other people, but you can decide what attitude you’re going to take. That is where forgiveness comes in. Jesus used a word-play when He taught about it. It’s derived from a man named Lamech in Genesis 4:24. Lamech was a descendant of Cain, the world’s first murderer. God had protected Cain from escalating violence with an edict of seven-fold vengeance (in Genesis 4:15). Lamech, having all the characteristics of a wife-beater, brought this up when he threatened his wives – saying that his multiplied vengeance was seventy-seven-fold (in 4:23-24). And to this day the world is still like that: Rage multiplies, violence gives way to more violence, and hatred goes on for generations – just like it was with the Hatfields and McCoys. But things don’t have to be that way, in part because Jesus showed us a better way when He adopted Lamech’s wording – this time applying it to grace. So Matthew 18:22 is a deliberate contrast with Genesis 4:24. And forgiveness is what we do regardless of the disposition of the offender – because the world needs fewer men like Lamech, and more men like Jesus. In reading the book Amish Grace a certain contrast struck me. I thought of all the hurt and anger in the Nickel Mines shooter. It was a rage against God and life. It began with his completely understandable pain and grief from the loss of his first-born child – a daughter who died not long after birth in 1997. That pain turned into a rage that was fomenting inside him, and the Nickel Mines shooting was basically his way of lashing out at God. For contrast, I think of the Amish family in Berne, Indiana – Levi & Rebecca Schwartz, who in 1979 were riding home one night with their seven children. They were harassed by four non-Amish teenagers in a truck, who threw rocks at their buggy. One of the rocks struck and killed their seven-month-old daughter Adeline. The boys were immediately arrested, and there was quite a bit of outrage in the community. People were calling for harsh punishments, but it’s interesting that this was not reciprocated by the Amish community. In fact, when Levi Schwartz was asked about it, he said this: “Sometimes I do get to feeling angry, but I don’t want to have that feeling against anyone. It’s a bad way to live.” What a great observation – and what a contrast! Why harbor all that toxic energy? It’s not doing any harm to the person you’re mad at. It’s only hurting you. Jesus helps us to think of this in light of God’s forgiveness that’s been extended to each of us. We all have our own measure of sinfulness, and our own need for grace. So given all that God has done for us in Christ, how could we not extend that same grace to others? (cf. Matthew 18:23-35). This is why we pray in the Lord’s prayer each week the line that says: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” God bless you. Pastor Andrew McHenry – First Congregational Church of Oroville
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Andrew McHenryI am a husband, a Congregational pastor, and a native Kansan currently living in Thermalito, California. In the past I have also been a prison chaplain and a youth pastor. Interests include reading, railroads, prog rock, KU, and the KC Royals. Archives
March 2024
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