Lord's Prayer: As we (maybe) forgive others

"Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors."

I don't know anyone who has a problem with part A of this phrase; we like and understand "forgive us our debts". Its part B of the sentence that sends us to commentaries, dictionaries, and any other "aries" we can think of. I typically do that when I have no idea what the verse means or - this case - I know what it means but prefer to act like I don't.

If my heart beat in Jesus - rather than letting his dictate me  - maybe this verse would read, "forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven the debts of people we really, really like and who have not hurt us too deeply." Its those deep wounds that present the problem because once I am hurt deeply, I can turn the other person into a demon in my mind. Once I achieve the feat of converting them from being a human into being a demon, then they are basically evil personified. This allows me to not be responsible for forgiving them; after all, evil needs to be judged, condemned, and avoided. So the verse becomes "forgive my sins as I judge, condemn and avoid certain people." It is so much easier.

Over the past year, rather than wrestle with who or what needs to be forgiven, I've tried to embrace the heart of Jesus behind the phrase. This means my heart now prays, "I want to be a forgiving person." It really doesn't matter who the other person is, this is my choice. The debt - the wound - can be legitimate or illegitimate, one-time or on-going, deep or superficial; it really doesn't matter. The issue at stake is not the offense committed against me, who the other person is or even what their intention was. The issue is who am I. Will I hold poison in my heart or do I have the heart of Jesus?

Am I a forgiver?

Mark 11:12-25; Mountain Moving

Jesus demonstrated his condemnation of the improper use of religion by the side story of the fig tree. I think those with him understood the point. What seems out of place at first glance is not the fig tree but the final statement about forgiveness.

It seems like the amazing actions are those of withering a tree or moving a mountain. Yet Jesus assures all of us that these can be done with faith. The hard part is forgiveness. Mountain moving is no big deal when compared to turning loose of pain. Perhaps it is easier to change the future of a tree than to let go of a desire for justice. Maybe the real mountains that we must grapple with moving are those in our souls. To let go of my right to demand justice against the person who mistreated me, the person who abused me, the one who lied to me, the one who betrayed my trust, the one who hurt my child . . . those are truly mountains. And those are hard to move. Indeed they cannot be moved without faith.

So in spite of the fact that it seems like the miracle of the fig tree was an impressive miracle to teach us about the condemnation of misguided religion, perhaps the weightier teaching is that the greatest miracle is the one that God works in the human heart when we forgive.

Luke 17:1-10; Rebuke, Forgive, Stay Humble

There is so much content in these few verses. In a society that tends towards tolerance and pursues pluralism, rebuking someone for an error is unheard of. Yet, it is a command. Just as much as loving a neighbor is a command, just as much as loving God is a command, so also is rebuking a brother a command. It is not cultural but it is Christian.

The next line is the command to forgive someone when they err. Rebuking and forgiveness go hand in hand. Rebuking is not done from a position of power but from a position of love, seeking the best for the other who is in error. Forgiveness flows from the same heart.

When it is all said and done, to have corrected another or forgiven them one hundred times means absolutely nothing about my spirituality. I means I am doing what God expects of me. It means I am being like him. It means I should not be held up, glorified or proud of myself. I am simply being what I was created to be.

Rebuke, forgive, stay humble. Three commands to live counter-culturally.