Transformed by Forgiveness

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:32-35)

As noted Sunday in our sermon—one of the key elements of Christian obedience required of us is the act of forgiveness. That is: to forgive others as we ourselves have been forgiven by God. That is the thrust of the parable Jesus tells.

The Great King, who we assume to be God, forgives an infinitely massive debt owed by one of his servants. In turn, the servant goes out and demands—through personal violence and imprisonment—repayment of a much smaller debt from one of his fellow servants. We discover through his actions therefore, that the servant who the King forgave his debt was not in the least bit changed, transformed, or grateful for the gift he had just received.

We learn from this parable not just that we are required to forgive, but also that learning to forgive requires transformation. It is not our default state. There is nothing normal or intuitive about forgiveness. So unless we are transformed by the forgiveness we ourselves have received from God—we will fail in this test of obedience.

A question then. How mindful are you of God’s forgiveness in your everyday life and interactions?

So many of us have harshly critical inner dialogues with ourselves, judging our every action—accurately or not. Others of us are constantly worried what people think of us for the things we say, do, or choose. Others simply feel burdened by the responsibilities and expectations that bear down on us from everywhere. Others still might bear the weight of something that we’ve done wrong—true sin in our lives. Whatever the case for you, how mindful are you in those moments of the Holy Spirit’s constant, merciful nudging that whispers the words “forgiven in Christ” into your life? This is what it means to have one’s identity in Christ. To be forgiven.

Becoming aware of God’s constant, infinite work of forgiveness through Christ in our lives can free and unburden us from so much guilt, judgement, expectation, bitterness, anxiety, and stinginess of heart. It is impossible for that awareness and reception of God’s forgiveness and mercy not to transform us into merciful and forgiving people. At least, that’s what our church’s theology says.

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus drives home the point with a warning. You must forgive as you have been forgiven. You must be transformed. This is central to what it means to be a Christian.

The good news, is that Jesus made the first move already by forgiving you. Will you receive it? Will you come to know what his forgiving mercy means in your daily life so that it can transform you? And will you likewise become an agent of God’s forgiveness in this world? If so, you may just find that you’re not the only one being transformed…