The initial Sundays after Pentecost draw our attention to the very basics of our faith. Last Sunday’s readings focused us on the person of Christ and his power over death. Only God has that sort of power because God is not subject to death. But when the Lord of Life spoke, death also had to obey and render up its captives. God did it in the Old Testament and in the New, but in the New he bore the name Jesus.

Today we again come to one of those basic truths that Christians confess. Jesus is the answer to the problems that often trouble us the most, the real problems we have with other people and they have with us. Jesus forgives sins. Last week we saw him looking compassionately on the plight of the poor widows. This week, the focus is on the broken relationships which afflict every life.

This is where we explore the very nature of forgiveness. Forgiveness is much misunderstood and yet strangely fascinating for the larger culture. When someone wrongs us, we have a number of non-forgiving options before us. Responses generally fall under a handful of broad categories.

            1. Revenge – I can get even

            2. Rise above it – I can be tough

            3. Sit on it - I can bear a grudge

            4. Delay action – I can gunny sack it

            5. Put myself in their shoes – I can understand it

It appears that understanding it the best option of all of these. But there are times when understanding fails us. So there must be another way.

When we forgive according to the love of Jesus Christ, we are saying no to options 1-5. I don’t need to understand it, I won’t try to get even, I won’t bear a grudge, I am not tough, and I am not going to carry this around for a while.

We are saying that there was a wrong committed but that does not give anyone a right to get even, etc.. Forgiveness is not weak, nor is it a milquetoast response. Until the other is ready to admit that the deed was actually wrong, then our forgiveness cannot really be received. This is pretty important. Sometimes the offending party can not or will not repent.

But we can forgive, be forgiven and live in resurrection faith. We can say that this sin, this wrong, this hurt, was dealt with on a cross by Jesus’ death nearly two millennia ago. When confronted by the hurt, we can say Jesus died for that.

Then we can promise to always see that hurt red with his blood. Please know that God never commands us to forgive and forget. That phrase is actually native to Shakespeare, not the Bible. We learn to forgive and try not to repeat the wrong. What is really important is that Jesus forgives and in the forgiveness empowers our own forgiveness as the body of Christ.