Gratitude and Forgiveness

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Matthew 18:21,22

Why did Peter ask this question? Conceivably, he knew that there is a difference between a call to repentance (which was covered in verses 15-20) and forgiving the sinner.

Forgiveness is best moved by the force of gratitude.  When the servant in this parable (verses 23-34) was forgiven the unpayable debt, he was un-phased by the forgiveness extended by the king.  "When the servant went out [of the king's court]", he apparently gave no further thought to what had been forgiven him.  For when he went out he saw his coworker who owed him a couple dollars and "refused" to even him grace - forgiveness notwithstanding.

What kind of testimony, then, are we (who do not extend forgiveness) to a watching world?  Will they accuse us before the One who forgave us our unpayable debts?  Indeed, they will at least harbor judgment.  What's more, from the Crucified and Resurrected One calls us to hold our offenses loosely in light of the debt we ourselves have been forgiven.

Recognize the sin and address it, but do not harbor the offense - lest it harbor you.  Let gratitude instead motivate you to extend that forgiveness Jesus calls of all of us.

The Power of Unity

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 18:18

What is it that gives us such power and authority over earth and heaven?  In the verses leading up to this one, Jesus is providing guidance on how to bring a lost (or strayed) sheep back into the fold.  He tells us to first confront the brother one on one, then in a small group, then, if all else fails in front of the church (or ecclesia, or assembly implying one of legislative authority).  When all else fails, then let him go to reap the consequences of his ways - to follow that road to its painful end.

The intention, though, is not one of only dealing with sin.  The overarching goal here is to maintain an integrous unity of heart within the church.  In fact, Jesus had been coming at this mandate from several angles since verse 6, when He admonishes us not to cause others to fall into sin.  Armies work best when operating in unison.  The same goes with sports teams.  The Church is no exception.  But when the Church moves in unison, there is another "X Factor" at play - the rule and authority of Jesus Christ.

When all gears are turning in this formidable Force, then we can

• bind up the broken  
• bind up the influence of demons
• set the captives free
• command demons to flee.

Let us walk in unity!

What Offends God?

Photo by Jakob from Pexels. 

If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.  Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

Matthew 18:6,7

At the end of chapter 17, Jesus made a strong inference that the disciples were exempt from the ransom/atonement/temple tax because of their sonship. (See Exodus 30:11-16)  But just as significant, He also insists on not offending those who were asking for payment of this tax.  Jesus understood that people have their "hot-buttons".  Those hot-buttons are varied, depending on individual convictions.

But what is it that offends the Almighty?  Shouldn't we care about this more than any other offense?  In a world where avoiding offense is the prescribed, most sacred moral value, what gets the Lion of Judah so much in a rage that He states that the offender should prefer the death penalty above all other punishments?  God is offended to the core when anyone leads or steers a believer onto the road of sin.  Indeed, addiction or poor attitude are avenues of sinfulness.  But what really angers Him to the core is when we convey sinfulness onto another.  The propagation of the human disease is the truest offense to God.

To be honest, though, I think it is safe to say that we are all culpable of this cosmic crime.  We have all led others astray - be it directly or passively.  We are truly lost - the blind leading the blind, bumping against each other in a comedy of mirrors.  But the good news is the passion of Christ that He left the fold to rescue each one of us, one by one, and bring us back into His care.

Let us be more patient, then, with one another.  Let's cooperate with this Great Shepherd and bring the lost back with joy.