Forgiveness
I’m going to be looking at Luke’s account leading up to the Passion week. It is interesting that I originally intended to begin in chapter 18, but this morning I “accidentally” started in chapter 17. There are no accidents with God, and I am confident He wanted me to think upon this passage on forgiveness.
Take a moment and read Luke 17:3-10.
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Jesus commands the disciples to forgive a repentant person[1] every time – even seven times in one day (which really means every time). That takes a tremendous amount of strength! In the words of the disciples, it takes tremendous faith. Indeed, to be offended over and over again requires a deep faith to transcend repeated offenses.
But then Jesus goes on to tell the story of a servant who works hard all day, and then serves his master, and then lastly takes care of himself. Jesus goes on to point out that a servant is unworthy and should not expect to be given thanks for something he was commanded to do – he did his job, nothing more.
How does this tie in with forgiveness? It is found in the attitude of the servant. Forgiving an offense over and over again is most difficult when a person has an attitude that says, “Why should I forgive this person? I’m the victim here. If anything, he owes me recompense!” But in the story of the servant, he has no standing to demand anything from the master since he was doing what was commanded – it was expected of him such that he could not demand better treatment. Likewise, forgiveness is really a duty that does not deserve some sort of payment or pedestal treatment. As a follower of Christ, we have no standing to demand conditions upon forgiveness, nor recompense for an offense. We are but unworthy servants of God carrying out our responsibility to forgive. This is true humility…and it is difficult even by the disciples’ admission.
“We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.” (v. 10).
If we go through life with that attitude – an attitude of an unworthy slave – it will make forgiveness a whole lot easier. Forgiveness is a responsibility without rights. Now that’s a hard one to swallow, but that is the mark of Jesus’ teaching here. We are but unworthy slaves. Make that your attitude as you face the difficult challenge of forgiveness – and remember, Christ died an undeserving death for you and me. May He be our example in this high command to forgive.
[1] Is repentance a condition of forgiveness? No. Repentance is all the more reason why forgiveness can’t be withheld. The person is repentant – who are we to reject this person? This attitude of humility is the thrust of the passage.
