Daily Devotion for Lent 2019 - Day 24

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:10-35 (NRSV)

Popular opinion of Christianity by those outside the faith in the United States is that we are too judgmental.  It is a turnoff for people when they hear Christians preach forgiveness while not acting very forgiving.

One large difficulty surrounding forgiveness is when habitual offense becomes abuse.

Do we allow people to walk all over us?

The early church also struggled with this.

Matthew recalls the parable of the lost sheep.  This seems to be a continuation from the first part of the chapter in dealing with children.  We can see here the economy of forgiveness.  It is never a good trade to put 99 at risk so that 1 might be returned.  And yet, grace seems to instigate this exchange.  It only seems worthwhile if you are the one that is lost.

This seems to be the mindset that Jesus wants from us.

What is it like to walk in someone else's shoes?

Matthew outlines the way that the church is to respond to a sinner among them.  It shows that the church does have standards.  We seek to realign to our original intent and mission.  Then if this fails, we are to treat the person like a Gentile or a tax collector.  Most within the faith would think, "Now we can cast them aside because they are worthless!"

Except that we've seen so far how Jesus has treated Gentiles.  And the namesake of the Gospel was a tax collector so if you fail to see this meaning behind this ironic statement, you need to think about it again!

Walking with both forgiveness and expectations.

If we are totally obtuse, Peter then asks Jesus about forgiveness.  He thinks he is getting it because he throws out a number that is far beyond the normal expectation of what one would offer.  But Jesus shows us that while he is on the right track, he hasn't gone far enough.

We then see this reinforced through the parable of the unforgiving servant.  What happens when we don't apply the compassion we've received toward others?  We are seen as hypocrites.  We are judged to be judgmental (yes, I know...).

Christians have a lot of work to do to make up this ground in the United States.  United Methodists doubling down on punitive measures toward one another does not seem to fit either with this chapter or with rehabilitating our image.

Maybe if two or three of us would ask God to help us become more forgiving, this would be a good start.

God, we thank you for the forgiveness we have received.
We pray that you would help us develop more compassion toward others.
We also ask for discernment in knowing when others are taking advantage of our graceful nature.
Help us prevent harm from continuing.  But help us also to stay connected so that grace may abound.
God, this feels like a tightrope.  Give us balance that we may continue to move forward.
Amen.


Photo by Nathan Rupert via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.