I wish I was smart enough to write something very intelligent about Matthew 24. But to be honest, the passage confuses me. If someone can make a prophetic map out of what is written here, then they are a lot smarter than I am. I have studied Matthew 24 and thought I had it all figured out. But then I compare my conclusions to other prophetic passages of Scripture and I get all confused again. I know that Matthew 24 makes clear that Jesus is coming again. And I know that Matthew 24 makes clear there are going to be some tough times on earth before Jesus comes. I also know that Matthew 24 says that there will be a judgment after Jesus' coming. Other than that, I am lost. (Maybe one day I will have to have Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins explain it to me!)
Actually, I do understand the main message of Matthew 24. The main message of Matthew 24 is "Be ready!" The disciples start the chapter by admiring all of Jerusalem's big buildings. The temple complex was truly one of the wonders of the ancient world, even if it isn't officially identified as such. It is no wonder that the disciples would be impressed even after many visits to the capital. But Jesus warns about being too impressed. He says that not one stone of these buildings would be left upon another. He tells the disciples that they will all be destroyed. The disciples probably think that Jesus is starting to sound like the political messiah they want, and so barely able to hide their anticipation they ask, "When will all this happen?" In Matthew 24, Jesus gives His answer.
The when this will happen part of the answer escapes me. But I get the other part. I get Jesus' message to be ready. In verse 44, Jesus says: "So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Verse 44 is really an interesting verse. It turns the common interpretation of this chapter on its head. Most people look at Matthew 24 as a puzzle to be solved- put all the pieces together and you will be known as the smart guy who nailed the day Jesus was coming. But verse 44 tells us that this chapter is not a puzzle to be solved. Jesus says that He will come when we least expect Him. People won't know the day. In essence He says, "Don't worry about the date of my return. Just be ready. Have faith in Me. Be serving God. If you are ready the date doesn't matter."
The question of Matthew 24 is not when is Jesus coming? The question of Matthew 24 is are you ready? If you are ready, the timing is inconsequential. You will be prepared whenever and however it happens. Matthew 24:45-47 says: "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions."
Every Letter, Every Pen Stroke (Matthew 5:18)
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Flannelgraph Pharisee (Matthew 23)
As a child in Sunday School, I sat through a lot of flannelgraph lessons. For those of you not familiar with flannelgraph, a flannelgraph was a blue board on which cardboard characters would be stuck to illustrate a Bible story. I don't know how my Sunday School teachers ever managed to present a comprehensible story on a flannelgraph board. Presenting a whole story usually required 50 cardboard figures that the teacher had to balance on her lap while trying to keep a class of 25 children interested in her story. The main problem was that there was usually more than one cardboard figure for each character. You didn't just have a cardboard Jesus. You had a sitting Jesus, and a standing Jesus, and a praying Jesus. Then, you had the disciples in a group of 12 standing. Then, they came in a group of 12 sitting. Then they came in 4 groups of 3 with 6 standing and 6 sitting. And they came in another arrangement of 4 groups of 3 with the six that were standing sitting and the six that were sitting standing. It was all very confusing, but the teachers always managed the story flawlessly.
I bring up flannelgraphs because of today's chapter where Jesus castigates the Pharisees. On flannelgraphs, you not only had Jesus and the disciples, you also had the Pharisees. You had the Pharisees sitting and the Pharisees standing.....You get the idea. Like Jesus and the disciples, the Pharisees came in lots of poses. But there was one thing that was consistent with the Pharisees. They were always sneering. You see, not only did Jesus and the disciples have different body postures, they also had different expressions. There was smiling Jesus and serious Jesus. There were smiling disciples and fearful disciples. But the Pharisees had only one facial expression: permanent sneer. In addition, all of the Pharisees always had a very dark visage. Even as a five year old, I could look at the Pharisees and understand the message: the Pharisees were evil men. The artists who made flannelgraph figures made it very clear. Pharisees were the type of men who kicked dogs and took lollipops from babies. It was no wonder that Jesus didn't like them.
For years, I was sure that my flannelgraph training was right. I was sure that the Pharisees were the most despised men of their generation. That is why I was so surprised to find that the truth is actually quite different. As I read about first-century history in Israel, I found that Pharisees were not universally despised. In fact, they were largely beloved. In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were enormously popular with the people. Everybody agreed that they were holy men, completely devoted to God. People in the first century wanted a Pharisee as a neighbor. They wanted their daughters to marry Pharisees. Rather than being universally despised, Pharisees were the object of universal admiration and affection. They were admired as truly religious men. No one in their wildest imagination could have imagined that God was unhappy with the Pharisees.
Yet, in Matthew 23, Jesus makes it very clear that God indeed is very unhappy with the Pharisees. Their religion does not follow the teaching of God. It circumvents that teaching through the rule of men. Their religion does not touch the whole person. It changes the outside while leaving the inside alone. Their religion did not center on pleasing God. Instead, it centered on pleasing men. In almost every way, the Pharisees are found deficient.
Many evangelicals could not imagine that God could be unhappy with the evangelical church in America. But the story of the Pharisees raises the troubling prospect that God might not be as pleased with us as we would hope him to be. We are troubled by many of the same flaws that troubled the Pharisees. We are more interested in man's rules than God's Word. We change the outside but our hearts remain dark and sinful. We are not trying to please God. Our religion is about a performance for other people. Jesus words call us to take stock of our own faith tradition and community. His words call us to ask the question: are there still Pharisees among us today? Or to personalize the question, Might we be Pharisees ourselves?
The day I found that out I became very uncomfortable. I had always assumed that I was
I bring up flannelgraphs because of today's chapter where Jesus castigates the Pharisees. On flannelgraphs, you not only had Jesus and the disciples, you also had the Pharisees. You had the Pharisees sitting and the Pharisees standing.....You get the idea. Like Jesus and the disciples, the Pharisees came in lots of poses. But there was one thing that was consistent with the Pharisees. They were always sneering. You see, not only did Jesus and the disciples have different body postures, they also had different expressions. There was smiling Jesus and serious Jesus. There were smiling disciples and fearful disciples. But the Pharisees had only one facial expression: permanent sneer. In addition, all of the Pharisees always had a very dark visage. Even as a five year old, I could look at the Pharisees and understand the message: the Pharisees were evil men. The artists who made flannelgraph figures made it very clear. Pharisees were the type of men who kicked dogs and took lollipops from babies. It was no wonder that Jesus didn't like them.
For years, I was sure that my flannelgraph training was right. I was sure that the Pharisees were the most despised men of their generation. That is why I was so surprised to find that the truth is actually quite different. As I read about first-century history in Israel, I found that Pharisees were not universally despised. In fact, they were largely beloved. In the time of Jesus, the Pharisees were enormously popular with the people. Everybody agreed that they were holy men, completely devoted to God. People in the first century wanted a Pharisee as a neighbor. They wanted their daughters to marry Pharisees. Rather than being universally despised, Pharisees were the object of universal admiration and affection. They were admired as truly religious men. No one in their wildest imagination could have imagined that God was unhappy with the Pharisees.
Yet, in Matthew 23, Jesus makes it very clear that God indeed is very unhappy with the Pharisees. Their religion does not follow the teaching of God. It circumvents that teaching through the rule of men. Their religion does not touch the whole person. It changes the outside while leaving the inside alone. Their religion did not center on pleasing God. Instead, it centered on pleasing men. In almost every way, the Pharisees are found deficient.
Many evangelicals could not imagine that God could be unhappy with the evangelical church in America. But the story of the Pharisees raises the troubling prospect that God might not be as pleased with us as we would hope him to be. We are troubled by many of the same flaws that troubled the Pharisees. We are more interested in man's rules than God's Word. We change the outside but our hearts remain dark and sinful. We are not trying to please God. Our religion is about a performance for other people. Jesus words call us to take stock of our own faith tradition and community. His words call us to ask the question: are there still Pharisees among us today? Or to personalize the question, Might we be Pharisees ourselves?
The day I found that out I became very uncomfortable. I had always assumed that I was
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Why the Sadducees Were Sad (Matthew 22)
The religious leaders have a problem. They hate Jesus. They want Him dead. But the crowds love Jesus. They are not likely to stand idly by while Jesus is dragged away to His death. Luckily for the religious leaders, crowds are fickle. The one who is popular today is forgotten or reviled tomorrow. In Matthew 22, the religious leaders try to speed up the process of Jesus' descent from popularity. By asking Jesus a series of loaded questions, they hope to undermine Jesus' status as a spiritual guy. Living in a media age, we know it only takes one dumb statement to remove someone from power. The religious leaders are hoping to egg Jesus into that statement.
One of the groups of religious leaders that tries to bring Jesus down is the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the religious liberals of their day. They were not popular with the crowds because generally speaking they were a rich group. They were known for their merciless exploitation of the very poor people who would have been a part of the people massed in the Temple court for the holidays. But it wasn't only wealth that made the Sadducees hated. They were also hated because they did not stick to the old-time religion. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not believe that the whole Old Testament was inspired of God. They accepted only the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. In addition, the Sadducees did not believe in the existence of spiritual beings like angels and demons. They accepted only what their eyes could see. And finally, the Sadducees denied the reality of the resurrection. They thought death was the end. If you died before the Kingdom of God came, too bad for you. God did not bring people back to life.
That is why the Sadducees ask Jesus the question that they do in Matthew 22:23-33. Based on a provision of the Old Testament Law (too obscure to explain quickly here), the Sadducees try to show that Jesus isn't as smart as the crowds say that He is. They try to show that Jesus is dumb to believe in the resurrection.
There are lot of people who are cynical about the possibility of life after death. Those people make the same error as the Sadducees. First, they don't know the promises of the Word of God. Jesus tells the Sadducees that they are in error because they do not know the Scriptures. The Old and New Testaments are full of promises of resurrection for the believer. The Bible is clear that the one who trusts in Jesus does not have to fear death. Second, they don't know the power of God. God created this world. He formed us just by speaking. He split the Red Sea. He made the sun stand still. He fed 5,000 from a sack lunch. If God could do all of that, he can certainly raise us from the dead.
As Christians, we have great confidence in the face of death. Unlike the Sadducees, we know the Word of God. And unlike the Sadducees, we know the power of God. And so we have a sure and certain hope of eternal life.
One of the groups of religious leaders that tries to bring Jesus down is the Sadducees. The Sadducees were the religious liberals of their day. They were not popular with the crowds because generally speaking they were a rich group. They were known for their merciless exploitation of the very poor people who would have been a part of the people massed in the Temple court for the holidays. But it wasn't only wealth that made the Sadducees hated. They were also hated because they did not stick to the old-time religion. Unlike the Pharisees, the Sadducees did not believe that the whole Old Testament was inspired of God. They accepted only the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament written by Moses. In addition, the Sadducees did not believe in the existence of spiritual beings like angels and demons. They accepted only what their eyes could see. And finally, the Sadducees denied the reality of the resurrection. They thought death was the end. If you died before the Kingdom of God came, too bad for you. God did not bring people back to life.
That is why the Sadducees ask Jesus the question that they do in Matthew 22:23-33. Based on a provision of the Old Testament Law (too obscure to explain quickly here), the Sadducees try to show that Jesus isn't as smart as the crowds say that He is. They try to show that Jesus is dumb to believe in the resurrection.
There are lot of people who are cynical about the possibility of life after death. Those people make the same error as the Sadducees. First, they don't know the promises of the Word of God. Jesus tells the Sadducees that they are in error because they do not know the Scriptures. The Old and New Testaments are full of promises of resurrection for the believer. The Bible is clear that the one who trusts in Jesus does not have to fear death. Second, they don't know the power of God. God created this world. He formed us just by speaking. He split the Red Sea. He made the sun stand still. He fed 5,000 from a sack lunch. If God could do all of that, he can certainly raise us from the dead.
As Christians, we have great confidence in the face of death. Unlike the Sadducees, we know the Word of God. And unlike the Sadducees, we know the power of God. And so we have a sure and certain hope of eternal life.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Applause Please (Matthew 21)
When I was at Rutgers University, I had a history professor who did a most unusual thing (at least for Rutgers). He taught us the story of Christianity. The professor was Eastern Orthodox and despite some rough edges was a very religious man. So, when the text book largely bypassed the story of Jesus, our professor brought it to the forefront. As he told us about the life of Christ, I remember him asking a question. "Why was Jesus put to death?" Well, I answered the question speaking about the atonement and forgiveness of sin. But I think that was too theological an answer for the teacher. He gave a more straightforward answer for Jesus' death: "The religious leaders were jealous. They crucified Jesus because He was taking all the applause that they wanted."
I think there is a degree of truth to that answer. Today, in Matthew 21, we see the religious leaders hesitating to do what they really want to do: kill Jesus. And why do they at least temporarily put their plans on the back burner? Because they are afraid of the crowds. On the one hand, this means that the religious leaders don't want to start a riot. Crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover had a habit of turning ugly at the slightest provocation. But riots weren't the only fear. The religious leaders also feared for their reputation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that the religious leaders of his day did their religious duty to be approved by men. Their lengthy prayers and flowing robes were all meant to be an advertisement of their spirituality. The religious leaders were religious because they liked the praise of the crowds. Killing the prophet might quell the praise. This fear showed that they were being religious for the wrong audience.
I think it is easy to make the Pharisees' mistake again today. I think it is easy to become religious so that people will think well of us or like us. Yes, there are a lot of people in the world who view the religious (especially Christians) as narrow or intolerant. But there are still many people left who will admire signs of spirituality. It is very easy to make religion a performance for other people rather than fulfilling its true purpose, a relationship with God.
The next few chapters will remind us where the religion of public performance leads: it leads to the death of God. Loving the applause of men more than God, the Pharisees actually become brutally irreligious. I need to always take inventory of my own heart and see who I am being spiritual for. I have to make sure that the applause of nail pierced hands is more motivating than the cheers of an earthly audience.
I think there is a degree of truth to that answer. Today, in Matthew 21, we see the religious leaders hesitating to do what they really want to do: kill Jesus. And why do they at least temporarily put their plans on the back burner? Because they are afraid of the crowds. On the one hand, this means that the religious leaders don't want to start a riot. Crowds gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover had a habit of turning ugly at the slightest provocation. But riots weren't the only fear. The religious leaders also feared for their reputation. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that the religious leaders of his day did their religious duty to be approved by men. Their lengthy prayers and flowing robes were all meant to be an advertisement of their spirituality. The religious leaders were religious because they liked the praise of the crowds. Killing the prophet might quell the praise. This fear showed that they were being religious for the wrong audience.
I think it is easy to make the Pharisees' mistake again today. I think it is easy to become religious so that people will think well of us or like us. Yes, there are a lot of people in the world who view the religious (especially Christians) as narrow or intolerant. But there are still many people left who will admire signs of spirituality. It is very easy to make religion a performance for other people rather than fulfilling its true purpose, a relationship with God.
The next few chapters will remind us where the religion of public performance leads: it leads to the death of God. Loving the applause of men more than God, the Pharisees actually become brutally irreligious. I need to always take inventory of my own heart and see who I am being spiritual for. I have to make sure that the applause of nail pierced hands is more motivating than the cheers of an earthly audience.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
How Many Pastors Does It Take to Change a Light Bulb? (Matthew 20)
When I was pastor of a church in Carteret, I received a phone call from a woman in our congregation. This woman was a widow who lived alone. She had been changing a light bulb when the bulb sheared right off. Now, she had a stub of jagged glass sticking out of her light socket. Concerned that this was a dangerous situation that could lead to a short or a fire, the woman called me as her pastor to get her light bulb free. This was something they didn't warn me about in Seminary. I thought as a pastor I was supposed to be a dynamic leader in God's church. I didn't know I had to join the electrician's union.
I mention this story because of Matthew 20. Matthew 20 contains one of the most foundational passages for Christian ministry. It provides an important reminder that leadership is not about how many serve you. It is about how many you serve.
In Matthew 20, the disciples are being their dense selves once again. Jesus is plainly telling them that His ministry will end in crucifixion. He will not be the political savior that they expected Him to me. James and John don't get it though. Egged on by mommy, they ask for the second and third seats in the kingdom. They want to be co-vice presidents as it were.
In some ways, their request makes sense. Along with Peter, they are the only disciples who saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. This clearly speaks to their presence in Jesus' inner circle. It might seem that Peter would have a claim to one of the seats of honor too. But hadn't Jesus called him Satan not too long ago? Clearly, his candidacy had gotten off track. James and John (and mommy) know that now is the time to make the power grab. But Jesus doesn't react as they want Him to do.
Jesus' response here is particularly interesting to me. Notice that Jesus does not condemn James and John's desire to be great in the kingdom of heaven. What Jesus condemns is the way that the two disciples are going about it. James and John adopted a worldly view of success. They thought that greatness was about having authority over people. Jesus turns their idea of greatness on its head. He says greatness is about serving. The truly great person does not see any job as beneath them. They see themselves as a slave to the needs of others. In other words, the great person doesn't sit on the throne. Instead, they clean it.
I want to be great in the kingdom of God. How do I do that? Do I build a large ministry with lots of money and people? No. Instead, I view myself as a slave to other Christians, humbly extending myself to meet their needs.
Somehow, I got the light bulb out without electrocuting myself. And I learned again what being great is really all about.
I mention this story because of Matthew 20. Matthew 20 contains one of the most foundational passages for Christian ministry. It provides an important reminder that leadership is not about how many serve you. It is about how many you serve.
In Matthew 20, the disciples are being their dense selves once again. Jesus is plainly telling them that His ministry will end in crucifixion. He will not be the political savior that they expected Him to me. James and John don't get it though. Egged on by mommy, they ask for the second and third seats in the kingdom. They want to be co-vice presidents as it were.
In some ways, their request makes sense. Along with Peter, they are the only disciples who saw Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. This clearly speaks to their presence in Jesus' inner circle. It might seem that Peter would have a claim to one of the seats of honor too. But hadn't Jesus called him Satan not too long ago? Clearly, his candidacy had gotten off track. James and John (and mommy) know that now is the time to make the power grab. But Jesus doesn't react as they want Him to do.
Jesus' response here is particularly interesting to me. Notice that Jesus does not condemn James and John's desire to be great in the kingdom of heaven. What Jesus condemns is the way that the two disciples are going about it. James and John adopted a worldly view of success. They thought that greatness was about having authority over people. Jesus turns their idea of greatness on its head. He says greatness is about serving. The truly great person does not see any job as beneath them. They see themselves as a slave to the needs of others. In other words, the great person doesn't sit on the throne. Instead, they clean it.
I want to be great in the kingdom of God. How do I do that? Do I build a large ministry with lots of money and people? No. Instead, I view myself as a slave to other Christians, humbly extending myself to meet their needs.
Somehow, I got the light bulb out without electrocuting myself. And I learned again what being great is really all about.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Loosen Your Grip (Matthew 19)
I suppose that most pastoral commentary on Matthew 19 focuses on the issue of divorce. We live in a culture where marriages are more disposable than Dixie cups. Of courser with Dixie cups, we worry about the effect of all those little plastic and paper cups on the environment. With divorce, the lingering and lasting consequences seem never to get a second thought. In a culture like ours, Jesus' teaching about the permanence of marriage certainly deserves serious explanation and consideration.
But what strikes me today is not what Jesus says at the beginning of the chapter. It is what He says at the end. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus makes it clear that keeping too tight a hold on one's possessions can hinder one's entrance into the Kingdom of God.
For years, some in the church, especially Fundamentalist churches, have gotten this truth backwards. When I was young, helping the poor was not high on the Christian priority list. The thought was that people needed the Gospel not material goods. Spiritual needs were far more important than physical needs. Jesus' teaching does not really allow us to make this dichotomy. The rich young ruler had a spiritual need. He desired eternal life. Yet, Jesus zeroed in on his bank account. The separation between spiritual and physical needs is apparently not so great.
Am I more like the rich young ruler or Peter? Do I walk away sad from Jesus' command or can I say: "I have left all to follow you." The truth is I am probably somewhere in the middle. This passage challenges me again to give up all for the sake of God's kingdom. It reminds me not to keep too tight a grasp on my possessions.
But what strikes me today is not what Jesus says at the beginning of the chapter. It is what He says at the end. "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Jesus makes it clear that keeping too tight a hold on one's possessions can hinder one's entrance into the Kingdom of God.
For years, some in the church, especially Fundamentalist churches, have gotten this truth backwards. When I was young, helping the poor was not high on the Christian priority list. The thought was that people needed the Gospel not material goods. Spiritual needs were far more important than physical needs. Jesus' teaching does not really allow us to make this dichotomy. The rich young ruler had a spiritual need. He desired eternal life. Yet, Jesus zeroed in on his bank account. The separation between spiritual and physical needs is apparently not so great.
Am I more like the rich young ruler or Peter? Do I walk away sad from Jesus' command or can I say: "I have left all to follow you." The truth is I am probably somewhere in the middle. This passage challenges me again to give up all for the sake of God's kingdom. It reminds me not to keep too tight a grasp on my possessions.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Forgive? I'd Rather Pluck Out an Eye! (Matthew 18)
I think that Jesus gives us some of his most difficult teaching in Matthew 18. Many commentators would say the source of difficulty is in verses 8-9. Jesus' words about plucking out your eye and cutting off your hand are not easy to swallow. Still, to me, those words aren't as tough as the ones that follow later in the chapter. Jesus has taught us earlier in Matthew that the body is not the sole or even the true source of sin. Sin comes from our minds and hearts and souls. If this teaching is true, lopping body parts off will not curb our predilection for wrongdoing. In the rhetorical fashion of first-century Israel, Jesus is using hyperbole to remind us of how important holiness is.
Verses 8-9 aren't the difficult part. Verse 22 is the hard one. Jesus says we should forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times. I know translations vary in how they render Jesus' forgiveness count. But whatever the right translation is, that is a lot of forgiveness. The meaning of these words is obvious; it is the execution that is difficult.
Forgiveness implies that I have been hurt- deeply. This week, someone accidentally stepped on my foot. The person who did that was very apologetic: "I hope you can forgive me." And I did forgive them. But not really. You see, I hadn't even felt them step on my foot. In my mind, there was nothing to forgive. That is not real forgiveness. Real forgiveness comes when you feel the pain. It happens when the person steps on your foot even after you have warned them not to be clumsy. It happens when the person stomps on your foot again and again. Those who forgive have been wounded. Those who forgive are saying it is okay that the score will never be settled. To forgive is to love and accept even when the pain cannot be mitigated.
Think about the ruler whose servant owed him so much money. Jesus says the man was owed ten thousand talents. In today's currency, that was millions of dollars. Yet, the man forgave his servant that debt. Do you think that the master didn't miss his millions? Somehow, when I read this story before, I figured the master was so rich that a few million was no big deal. But could that really have been the case? Can we really think that the master wasn't going to take some sort of economic hit from the loss of a few million dollars? The loss was going to hurt, but the master forgave anyway.
How do we forgive when our foot is still broken? How do we forgive when we have millions gone that we will never recover? That is hard. And that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do again and again. God has done that for us. How can we expect to be forgiven if we don't do the same?
Verses 8-9 aren't the difficult part. Verse 22 is the hard one. Jesus says we should forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times. I know translations vary in how they render Jesus' forgiveness count. But whatever the right translation is, that is a lot of forgiveness. The meaning of these words is obvious; it is the execution that is difficult.
Forgiveness implies that I have been hurt- deeply. This week, someone accidentally stepped on my foot. The person who did that was very apologetic: "I hope you can forgive me." And I did forgive them. But not really. You see, I hadn't even felt them step on my foot. In my mind, there was nothing to forgive. That is not real forgiveness. Real forgiveness comes when you feel the pain. It happens when the person steps on your foot even after you have warned them not to be clumsy. It happens when the person stomps on your foot again and again. Those who forgive have been wounded. Those who forgive are saying it is okay that the score will never be settled. To forgive is to love and accept even when the pain cannot be mitigated.
Think about the ruler whose servant owed him so much money. Jesus says the man was owed ten thousand talents. In today's currency, that was millions of dollars. Yet, the man forgave his servant that debt. Do you think that the master didn't miss his millions? Somehow, when I read this story before, I figured the master was so rich that a few million was no big deal. But could that really have been the case? Can we really think that the master wasn't going to take some sort of economic hit from the loss of a few million dollars? The loss was going to hurt, but the master forgave anyway.
How do we forgive when our foot is still broken? How do we forgive when we have millions gone that we will never recover? That is hard. And that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do again and again. God has done that for us. How can we expect to be forgiven if we don't do the same?
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