MCC St. Louis - Check Us Out!
Get your own, Free Homepage
Ms. Toni Smith
Our first scripture reading today from Matthew tells us that Jesus taught his disciples to forgive someone seventy-seven times.
Some versions say “seventy times seven”. Either way, it’s certainly more than one or two, or seven.
Webster tells us that to forgive is to cease to blame or feel resentment against. How many of us have heard, “Well, I may forgive so and so, but I certainly won’t forget it!” You wonder, almost by the tone of the voice if forgiveness has truly taken place.
I want to use the scripture about Jesus teaching to forgive seventy-seven times as a reference, a backdrop, to the events leading up to his death, burial, and resurrection.
First, let me be very clear – the first miracle of Easter is in Jesus’ resurrection. That’s why we call ourselves Christians, is because we believe that Christ rose from the dead for all of us.
And, I believe there is another miracle in the events that lead up to Jesus’ death. That is the miracle and the lesson to be learned in Jesus’ teaching and examples of forgiveness.
The second scripture today is Luke 23:34 in which Jesus said “Loving Creator, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing,” right after he was crucified.
Since Jesus taught to forgive seventy-seven times, he must have uttered these words many times during the horrible things that happened to him leading up to the crucifixion.
John 19 tells us that Pilate gave orders for Jesus to be beaten with a whip.
The use of the whip in Jesus’ time was meant for the bare body. The whip was made of leather that had pieces of bone or rough metal tied at the ends of the strips of leather. The victim was bent over a short post and whipped on his bare back. Often the gashes opened the flesh down to the bone.
“Father-Mother, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
They also made a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They probably didn’t do this very gently, but rather forced it on, twisting it as they did so, cutting Jesus’ head with the thorns.
I can hear Jesus say, “Mother-Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
They mocked Jesus by shouting, “Hey, you king of the Jews.”
“Loving Parent, forgive them.”
They hit him with their fists, struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him, a further act of humiliation.
Again, I hear Jesus say, “Loving Father-Mother, forgive them.”
You see, Jesus forgave those who wronged him, beat him, mocked him, spit on him. How hard is it for us to forgive someone who has done something to us? Even for the minor things, in comparison, that happen to us? What is our reaction when someone cuts us off in traffic, grabs that parking spot we wanted? Are we quick to forgive, as Jesus taught, or are we quicker with an angry word or a body gesture? How often do we hear ourselves saying, “Loving God, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
And the truth is, in many cases, they didn’t know they wronged you, so who is really affected by the angry reaction?
As Rob spoke so eloquently in February about forgiveness, he told the story of Corrie ten Boom, the woman who years after her Nazi Germany concentration camp experience, met her guard, the one who had humiliated and degraded her. As he asked for her forgiveness she prayed for Jesus to help her. She then put out her hand and the love of God flowed through her body as she forgave her former guard.
The miracle of forgiveness goes even further in the Easter story. After being physically whipped, beaten, mocked, and humiliated, Jesus was taken to be crucified. He was forced to carry the cross until a man named Simon was grabbed by the soldiers to help him carry it the rest of the way. I wonder why they did this? I think it’s not because they felt sorry for Jesus in any way, I think it’s because they did not want him to die on the way to the place of crucifixion, which was meant to further degrade Jesus, because in those times, crucifixion was for the criminals.
Now, probably the upright portion of the cross was already at the place of the crucifixion. Jesus was carrying the cross beam that would be attached to the upright.
In preparation for today, I went to Home Depot to see how heavy a piece of 4 x 6 x 6 or 8 feet long timber would be. I could barely lift up one end. I asked the man working there how much he thought it weighs and he has no idea, just that it is very very heavy. I challenge you sometime when you are in Home Depot (and, I know you go, I’ve seen you there) to go back to the lumber and try to lift one of those timbers. Then imagine carrying that for a mile or so. Then imagine carrying it when physically beaten and exhausted.
“Mother-Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
When we carry the burdens of resentment, envy, anger, or judgment, can we say, “Mother-Father, forgive them.”
Back in December the entire church was invited to a full day workshop to address our needs as a church body. The day started with Rev. Dale leading us in an exercise about grief. The first thing we did was share what our feelings were when Teena left. We experienced anger, sadness, disbelief, disappointment, grief, judgment. Church, hear me very clearly, if we still carry those feelings and allow those emotions to burden us down, whether it be over Teena, or Brad, or Tom, or Carol, or ANYONE, we cannot welcome with love the pastor God wants us to have. We cannot continue to grow and be the home for changed lives.
Loving Parent, forgive them.
When they reached Golgotha, they nailed Jesus to the cross he had carried, with the help of Simon. Nailing a person to a cross was used by many nations of the ancient world and the Romans adopted it and used it throughout their empire.
It meant the victim was nailed through the wrists or hands to that crossbeam attached to a vertical stake. The feet were usually nailed too. Sometimes the victim’s legs were broken to hasten death. There was no need to break Jesus’ legs, his death came relatively quickly, in about six hours.
After all he had been through, and, after having his body violated and broken and disrespected on the cross, he continued to forgive, as he taught his disciples and as he teaches us.
“Loving God, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Can we, like Jesus, forgive one another, inside this church, and in the community outside? Can we forgive when we have been wronged, even if that person does not ask for forgiveness? Certainly the people who tortured Jesus did not ask for forgiveness, and he gave it anyway.
When we are hurt by words, actions, rumors, false stories, anger, can we say, “Mother-Father, forgive them.”
How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me? Is once enough, is twice enough, is seven times enough?
Listen to Jesus’ answer, “Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!”
The first miracle of Easter is that Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and raised again so that we might have eternal life.
The second miracle and lesson is that we have been taught, through words and example, that we are to forgive one another. Period. Amen.
Get your own, Free Homepage