Being a disciple requires an expansive perspective on forgiveness. This Sunday our perspective is broadened by the good news that God’s forgiveness is not based on our idea of fairness, but rather on abundant, unimaginable grace. In Jesus’ parable, the king forgives the entire debt, no matter how enormous it is (Matt. 18). In Genesis, Joseph reminds his brothers that God’s forgiveness is much greater than what is fair, what they – or we – deserve. Yet God’s forgiveness of our sins, calls us to forgive those “who sin against us” (Lord’s Prayer). With Peter, we are invited to stop keeping score of how many times we forgive, but it’s not an easy thing to do. Yet, when we hear the words of forgiveness in worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we are renewed to be signs of reconciliation in the world and are empowered to forgive not just seven times but seventy-seven times.
image: Unforgiving Debtor by Jorge Cocco Santángelo. Copyright © Jorge Cocco Santángelo. All rights reserved. Used by permission of the artist.