Forgive to Obtain Forgiveness

Matthew 18:21-35

Jesus said: "The kingdom of God will be like a king who gathered his debtors. One of them owed him 10,000 talents, which was the lifetime earnings of a man. The man begged his lord for patience and more time, the king forgave him his debt. But the same man didn’t forgive someone else’s debt which was only 100 dinari, as 100 days earnings of a man. Hearing this, the king punished his debtor, and the punishment was very severe.

The king in this parable is God and sin is portrayed as debt to God. It originated by neglecting God’s will. God forgives us, we in return are obliged to grant this gift of forgiveness to others. Is it not this what we ask God when we pray? Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Peter asked Jesus if we should forgive each other as many as 7 times a day? Which seemed to be a high figure, because the Rabbis used to preach 3 times a day forgiveness. Jesus answered: "No not 7, but 70 times 7 a day, even more." We should not keep track, but always forgive those who are truly repentant.

When each Christian forgives from the heart, true reconciliation and healing comes to the church by God’s grace. Nobody is beyond redemption, no one is full of sin that he or she cannot be made clean. Isaiah 1:18, "Though your sins are like scarlet they shall be made white as snow." A deep stain is impossible to remove from clothing, and the stain of sin seems equally permanent. God can remove the stain of sin just as he promised to the Israelites. In Ezekiel 33:11 God says, "I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways." God wants everyone to turn to Him. He looks at what we are and what we will become, not what we have been.

In Luke 15:30 in the story of the Prodigal Son, the father forgives, the other son doesn’t. The difference between bitterness and joy is our capacity to forgive. Forgiveness of others is necessary for our own peace and health. Revenge and hatred are poisons to life; love and forgiveness are balms to life.

A man died, and after the funeral the priest asked the doctor the cause of death. "To tell you the truth," the physician continued, "I believe this man died from hatred, even though I can’t write that on the death certificate, but this man refused to forgive his brother. I’ve been his physician for twenty years and often told him to forgive and reconcile himself with his brother, but he refused. In the end, this enmity and refusal of forgiveness killed him."

The trademark of Christianity is love; love of God and love of neighbor. Certainly love of neighbor involves a spirit of forgiveness. When we ask for forgiveness, we must recognize that we don’t deserve it and therefore cannot demand it. Our appeal must be for God’s love and mercy, not for His justice. May God forgive you all your sins and His Holy Cross protect you day and night, Amen.

Rev. Fr. Aziz H. Hadodo
St Gabriel Church,
Hackensack, NJ