Matthew 6: The Sermon on the Mount (27)
Pray Psalm 19.12-14.
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
Sing Psalm 19.12-14.
St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
Who, LORD, can know his errors? O keep sin far from me!
Let evil rule not in my soul that I may blameless be.
O let my thoughts, let all my words, before Your glorious sight
be pleasing to You, gracious LORD, acceptable and right.
Read Matthew 6.1-15; meditate on verses 14, 15.
Prepare.
1. What conditions for being forgiven does Jesus put forth?
2. What can we expect if we will not forgive others?
Meditate.
Forgiveness is a very important matter, and in these verses, Jesus does not exhaust all He will have to say about it. If I had to summarize these two verses, it would be to remind us that we are called to be like our heavenly Father, Who is holy, perfect, and, as we see here, forgiving. We demonstrate that He is our father as we forgive others the sins others commit against us.
Forgiveness is a two-way street, though. It’s something we receive as we seek it; but it’s also something we must give as it is sought. In these “follow-up” verses to His teaching on prayer, Jesus emphasizes that a disposition to forgive must be present in us.
But what is forgiveness? Forgiveness is a transaction between spiritual beings, where offences are admitted, mercy is sought, grace is extended, and relationships are restored. When we come to the realization of having sinned against God, we confess our sin, agreeing with His Spirit that we have transgressed, and seek the mercy of forgiveness. What we’re asking for is that God will not hold our sin against us; that He will accept our confession and regret; and that He will put our sin away from us, and remember it no more, so that our love relationship with Him can be renewed and continued. Only Jesus makes this transaction possible, because He has paid the debt our sins incurred, and He is the righteousness we need for God to receive and accept us.
When others transgress against us, and come seeking forgiveness, our duty is to do the same as God does with us, and to look to Jesus for the strength to do so. Sins forgiven must be sins forgotten—no longer remembered or revisited, nor held against those who have offended. This is how God the Father forgives us, and it must be how we forgive others as well.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
God’s overwhelming love, grace, and mercy were extended to us for salvation.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us” (Rom. 5.8).
When we experienced His demonstrable love, we were convicted of our sins.
Then we sought His relieving forgiveness.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1.9).
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities…” (Ps. 103.2, 3).
“Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight…
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Ps. 51.4, 7).
Loved and forgiven.
But trust? That’s another topic altogether. We can see from Jesus’ words a bit of this conundrum:
“Well, done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25.21).
“He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much” (Lk. 16.10).
The point being: when two humans are engaged in the act of forgiveness, and one requests it of another, it should most assuredly be given. Who wants to be unforgiven by God? (Matt. 6.12, 15).
But we are never commanded to trust another person again, if that person has not proven to be trustworthy.
We must never require that of ourselves or another. They are two separate entities—forgiveness and trust.
Within this misunderstanding is where disappointments occur.
It is kind of like the back and forth between Lucy and Charlie Brown:
She keeps promising to hold the football, he keeps believing that she will, and she drops it every time.
The wiser choices for Mr. Brown were twofold:
1. Forgive her, if requested, and stop playing her game. Or
2. Forgive her, continue playing, but give up the hope of her ever holding the ball.
Unhappiness being the difference between what we expect and what we experience.
Forgiveness lets go of vengeance.
“‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay’, says the LORD” Heb. 10.30; Deut. 32.35).
Forgiveness rejoices in reconciliation with the offender, and seeks for peace and love to prevail.
“Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Col. 3.12-15).
Thankful for our own forgiveness.
Willing to give it to those who request it from us.
Being wise about our own lives and well-being within the transaction.
Reflect.
1. How do you experience forgiveness as “relieving”?
2. How does repentance work? How can you know when you have truly repented?
3. God does not stop loving us when we are in sin, but we stop experiencing His love. Why is this? How can this be remedied?
Nothing makes us so like God as our readiness to forgive the wicked and wrongdoer. For it is God who has made “the sun to shine on the evil and on the good.” John Chrysostom (344-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 19.7
Pray Psalm 19.1-11.
Thank God for His daily reminders of grace and mercy, and for His Law, which shows us the way of holiness, righteousness, goodness, and love. Pray that He will make you ready and willing to forgive when forgiveness is required.
Sing Psalm 19.1-11.
St. Christopher: Beneath the Cross of Jesus
The heav’ns declare God’s glory, the skies His work proclaim!
From day to day and night by night they shout His glorious Name!
No speech, no words, no voice is heard, yet all across the earth
the lines of His all-present Word make known His holy worth.
Behold, the sun arises, a bridegroom strong and bright,
rejoicing as he runs his course from morning unto night.
From east to west across the skies his circuit he completes,
And none can hide their sinful eyes or shelter from his heat.
The Law of God is perfect, His testimony sure;
the simple man God’s wisdom learns, the soul receives its cure.
God’s Word is right, and His command is pure, and truth imparts;
He makes our eyes to understand; with joy He fills our hearts.
The fear of God is cleansing, forever shall it last.
His judgments all are true and just, by righteousness held fast.
O seek them more than gold most fine, than honey find them sweet;
be warned by every word and line; be blessed with joy complete.
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column looks at people in ministry. Check out our other excellent writers. Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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