Rev. Cliff Ritter

 

Matthew 6:14-15 (New International Version)

 

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

 

Reflection:

There is an extended passage of scripture that I want to memorize. I think I know it fairly well but memorizing chapters at a time comes with no small effort on my part. I think I need to find the motivation to step into this cause in this season of my spiritual life. The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) holds an abundance of truth worth remembering, and it is a passage worth memorizing.  

 

I recently told my small group who listen to my preaching that a good challenge would be for me to preach The Sermon on the Mount, over and over, until someone finally realizes I am simply repeating the same passage again and again. It is a passage rich enough that I could hear it ten times and still get something new each time. Most of us can still learn a lot from the Sermon that Jesus preached. We should camp out there for a season. 

 

I think the passage that strikes me most profoundly is the verse quoted above. It has to do with forgiveness. I think a pastor could probably earn a PhD in the study of forgiveness. I know that is true for me in my various roles as pastor, teacher, friend, confidant, mentor, brother, father,  and especially in my role as a husband. At least I am convinced that I need a great deal of forgiveness in my relationships with others. Truth be told, I not only need the grace and mercy that come from being forgiven, I also need to extend that same privilege to others with immeasurable generosity. I need to be forgiven, and I need to forgive. Not, either or, but both and. 

 

You see, when we forgive others who have offended us, we are also forgiven in equal measure (if not more so). In this passage we discover forgiveness is a double-edged sword, or a two-sided coin, or a street that runs both directions. No matter which metaphor you prefer, forgiveness is something we give and receive in equal measure. 

 

Those who forgive much are also forgiven much. Those who forgive a little, receive a little forgiveness. As this passage warns, those who refuse to forgive, will be refused the favor. But what we discover is something that raises the bar significantly. It is God who is the ultimate grantor of forgiveness. Whether I choose to forgive or not forgive, my relationship with God is directly impacted.

 

Maybe I can live with a broken relationship between me and my brother or sister. Perhaps I can be satisfied with a wound that never heals because of on offense from a friend. But, I could never bear the burden of knowing the relationship that is wounded or broken is between me and God. 

So, I am compelled to forgive. Because I want to be in right relationship with God above all. Can you forgive those who have offended you? Can you possibly refuse to forgive? We have so much to lose if we refuse, and we have so much to gain when we find a way to forgive. 

 

Prayer: 

Lord God, help me to recognize the blind spots that lead me to willfully carry the burden of unforgiveness. Set me free from the bondage that I place upon my own life. Teach me to forgive, just as I have been forgiven. Help me to embrace the power of the cross. Bring liberty and freedom to those who labor under the burden of sin, an ongoing offense against their neighbor, and blind injustice that holds fast to that which separates us. Set us free to live fully redeemed, restored and forgiven lives in you! Amen.