John 20: 23 Good News Translation
3 If you forgive people's sins, they are
forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
For 27 years I worked with a man who remembered every
mistake or imagined mistake I had ever made and freely reminded me of all of
them every time he took me to task about another imagined transgression. He
often spent 40 minutes and more recounting everything I had done, or he had at
least accused me of doing. At times I would leave the office, blood pressure
sky high, shaking with rage. I began to fear that I would die of a heart attack
from his merciless accusations.
In the Lord’s prayer He admonishes us,
“Forgive us the wrongs we have
done,
as we
forgive the wrongs that others have done to us[2].”
Then He elaborates on this, lest people think that by giving
us the power to forgive or to retain people’s sins we actually have the power
to save or condemn them. Instead, He is pronouncing judgement on the person who
refuses to forgive. He makes that crystal clear in his caveat immediately
following the prayer:
“If you forgive others the wrongs
they have done to you, your Father in heaven will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive the wrongs you
have done.”[3]
Throughout the centuries the Christian church has chosen to
not forgive people their sins and to torture them mercilessly, even burning
them alive or locking them in foul dungeons for years. Its leaders have claimed
that Christ gave them that power in John 20:23. They have ignored Christ’s
statement about not forgiving those who are unforgiving—those who abuse that
power.
And now, the rest of the story of my merciless accuser. I
started seriously praying for the salvation of my accuser. As time went by, he
left off his accusations and became my strong supporter. I didn’t realize it at
the time, but by praying for his welfare, I was indeed forgiving him for his
accusations. This resulted in my having a much more tranquil, healthy, and
productive life. Christ never did say, “You don’t need to forgive them!” in
spite of the accompanying picture.
Dear heavenly Father, give me the grace to forgive others.
[1]
https://rockchurchfargo.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/You-dont-need-to-forgive-them.jpg
[2]
Matthew 6:12 GNT
[3]
Matthew 6:14, 15 GNT
