Meditations on Lent - #19
The Gospel lesson for today is Matthew 18:21-35. This is a familiar Gospel lesson for many of us. First Peter asks Jesus how often one must forgive. Jesus replies seventy times seven. The Jesus tells the story of the king who forgives the debt of his servant. The servant later beat and imprisoned someone who owed him money. In turn the King imprisoned the servant whose debt he had forgiven and demanded that he pay the debt for which he had been forgiven.
As is true for most of the teachings of Jesus and other wise people, the lesson is pretty clear. Treat others as one wants to be treated. Nothing could be simpler. Yet most of us humans find it difficult to follow this rule. Forgiveness even one time does not come easy for us. Forgiveness seventy times seventy is unthinkable. We are very fond of justifying our failure to treat others as less than, worse them or as undeserving of another chance. We may even think of ourselves as undeserving of forgiveness. Yet, if we received a second chance we often do not give that gift to others. If someone is kind to us and forgives our debt (financial or emotional) we may be initially grateful and even extend the same kindness to others, but often it is not long before we are back to self-righteously judging others and demanding that they honor their debts or pay for their mistakes.
I have often wondered why it is that us humans find it so difficult to remember our own humanness. Perhaps it is not a matter of remembering. Perhaps it is our old enemy fear. Fear of what, we might ask. Fear of not being worthy of unconditional love. Fear of others finding out how human we are. Fear of just not being enough. It is easy, at some level, to convince ourselves that we are better than so we do not feel less than. It is easy to label others and convince ourselves we are not as bad, immoral or undesirable. It is easy to convince ourselves that our brain will always work well and we would never, ever do action X. It is easy when we are working or have access to other money that to believe we would never default on a loan.
Jesus challenges us to face the fallacy of our thinking; to face the fact that we are often powerless over people, places and events; to accept that it is a moral imperative we remember that we are our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper; to remember very worthwhile people can have financial problem or be challenged in other areas of one’s life. He challenges us to forgive seventy times seven. He challenges us when someone is kind to and forgiving of us to play it forward.
Written. March 25, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
The Gospel lesson for today is Matthew 18:21-35. This is a familiar Gospel lesson for many of us. First Peter asks Jesus how often one must forgive. Jesus replies seventy times seven. The Jesus tells the story of the king who forgives the debt of his servant. The servant later beat and imprisoned someone who owed him money. In turn the King imprisoned the servant whose debt he had forgiven and demanded that he pay the debt for which he had been forgiven.
As is true for most of the teachings of Jesus and other wise people, the lesson is pretty clear. Treat others as one wants to be treated. Nothing could be simpler. Yet most of us humans find it difficult to follow this rule. Forgiveness even one time does not come easy for us. Forgiveness seventy times seventy is unthinkable. We are very fond of justifying our failure to treat others as less than, worse them or as undeserving of another chance. We may even think of ourselves as undeserving of forgiveness. Yet, if we received a second chance we often do not give that gift to others. If someone is kind to us and forgives our debt (financial or emotional) we may be initially grateful and even extend the same kindness to others, but often it is not long before we are back to self-righteously judging others and demanding that they honor their debts or pay for their mistakes.
I have often wondered why it is that us humans find it so difficult to remember our own humanness. Perhaps it is not a matter of remembering. Perhaps it is our old enemy fear. Fear of what, we might ask. Fear of not being worthy of unconditional love. Fear of others finding out how human we are. Fear of just not being enough. It is easy, at some level, to convince ourselves that we are better than so we do not feel less than. It is easy to label others and convince ourselves we are not as bad, immoral or undesirable. It is easy to convince ourselves that our brain will always work well and we would never, ever do action X. It is easy when we are working or have access to other money that to believe we would never default on a loan.
Jesus challenges us to face the fallacy of our thinking; to face the fact that we are often powerless over people, places and events; to accept that it is a moral imperative we remember that we are our brother’s (and sister’s) keeper; to remember very worthwhile people can have financial problem or be challenged in other areas of one’s life. He challenges us to forgive seventy times seven. He challenges us when someone is kind to and forgiving of us to play it forward.
Written. March 25, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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