12-01-2013

 Good Morning All,

    Matthew 18: 21-22; “Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

    The young couple was sitting in the pastor’s office.  They had just went through another major argument/ blowup.  They were sniping and fighting, again.  He didn’t listen; all she did was nag.  He never helped; she was never satisfied.  The list never ended.  One sat in one chair while the other sat in a different chair as far apart as possible.  Both sat with their arms folded, frowns upon the face; not a lot of joy here.

    So the pastor started with a couple of Bible lessons.  First they read about Peter when he denied Jesus three times.  The pastor asked, “Have you ever felt that the other denied you?” They both answered “yes!”  Then they read about when Jesus restored Peter by telling him to “feed my sheep”.  The couple was asked, “Did you forgive the denial?”  Neither answered because each knew where this was going.  So the pastor asked, “Would you forgive the other at least once?”  Both agreed that once was not too much to ask or to do for each other. “We all make mistakes”

   So then they looked at our verse.  How many times do we forgive?  This translation (ESV) says seventy-seven times.  Others say seventy times seven.  Either represent a number beyond which we would keep track of.  We also want to remember that Peter’s number represents more than twice what was expected at the time of Jesus (3 was expected).  So even he was speaking of an attempt to give more than most.  Jesus’ answer went beyond any human thought.

    The truth that Jesus is teaching us is that the true key contentment in our life is the willingness to forgive; even beyond willing, we must desire to forgive.  The desire to forgive is the basis of our faith and our salvation.  God wants to forgive you.  That is why Jesus came to die for you and to remove your sin; this was because he wanted to forgive you and to show you his love for you.  So here we see where Jesus is telling us the essence of our earthly contentment: to forgive others.  By forgiving others, we let go of the pain that holding onto the sins of others causes us. 

    This is part of the reason why Jesus uses such an extreme number of “counted” forgiveness.  In this, we see the burden of carrying the sins of others.  All the work, all the time, all of the effort to keep track of each and every person we know would be burdensome beyond belief.  Yet we often try to do this in our heart and we see the pain we experience just like that couple who was visiting their pastor.  When you see the pain of others and when you feel your own pain because you hold on to the sins of others.

    So Jesus reveals to us the most needed element in a contented life; we need to forgive others in order to let go of the burden of keeping track of those sins.  It is remembering this pain that hurts us.  Always remembering causes the burden.  Let it go; forgive as you are forgiven.

Dear Jesus, teach us to forgive as you forgive us.  Lead us to see this is the source of our contentment.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret