Be Kind—Forgiveness: Psalm 86: 1-6; Mark 11: 22-25
One of my favorite things in life is cooking shows. As a child, I watched Saturday morning cartoons like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Popeye, and so on. But as an adult, I watched Food Network religiously usually while revising and finishing my sermon writing. One of the chef’s not on there, but whom I’ve come to like is a guy in Greece, Akis Petretzikis. When it comes to seasoning food (or adding cheese) he has a catchphrase: “Don’t be cheapy with it.”
That’s probably good advice when it comes to forgiveness as well. Don’t be cheapy with it. You see, Mark’s Gospel is pretty clear that forgiveness is a bit of a quid pro quo, or comes with an expectation, in the realm of faith. That expectation is that you and I will also forgive also. So, as we see in our scripture today, God is ready to forgive; we should forgive and not hold grudges, so that God will forgive you too. Now, as we wrap up our series on practical ways of kindness, we look at probably the hardest today—the importance for forgiveness.
First, we see in the Psalm that God stands ready to forgive. Psalm 86:5 tells us, “O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.” God is ready to forgive because of God’s love for us. Love and grudges cannot coexist because holding a grudge leads to bitterness and never a deepening love. Too often we feel like forgiveness is an excuse or “get out of jail free card” for someone who has done wrong. That’s simply not true. Forgiveness is all about the wronged party, or the victim, releasing that burden. That’s exactly what happens as God forgives us—that burden of sin between us and God is released. That’s why God is so ready to forgive because it clears the way for that holy love to make a change in us.
Unforgiven wrongs are like an infection in our souls and spirits. As they continue to set, they become more and more toxic. If it’s our own sin and wrongdoing, it becomes easier and easier for us to be comfortable with sin. Do it the first time and you feel guilty. Do it the 100th time, and you may not even think about it being wrong. If we are the victim of someone else’s sin, letting that burden weigh on our souls makes us mean and bitter. I can guarantee that someone who does not care that they did you wrong also doesn’t care that you are holding it over them without forgiveness. The only thing hurt by withholding forgiveness is you and your relationship to a God who is all-loving and all-forgiving.
When we forgive others, it clears the pathway for God’s love to make a change in them as well. You’re not the one trying to fix things anymore; God is. Holding on to bitterness and grudges is toxic and spiritually poisonous to us. It will ruin our hope, our joy, and keep us from the fullness of love. Forgiveness doesn’t magically make things fine, because God will still deal with the one who has done the wrong. But forgiveness releases that poison and bitterness from us, and it’s an act of kindness that comes directly from the work of Jesus himself. Christ died to give us forgiveness, and, as we are told, not necessarily because we deserve it or earned it. That forgiveness is because of God’s love and makes room for God’s love.
Thus, we must forgive and not hold on to grudges, so we can receive that forgiveness from God. Mark 11 talks about prayer and how we should approach our time of prayer. In verse 25, the Gospel says this: “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against…” That’s a pretty direct command, isn’t it? First and foremost, when we pray, we are to forgive whomever we are holding a grudge against. And if it doesn’t work the first time, do it again….and again. Now, most modern translations stop here at verse 25 because it is believed verse 26 is simply a double translation of the same passage into English, just a slightly different way. (That’s the short non-seminary essay explanation.)
But in the older King James, New King James, and a few other translations, they still have verse 26, which says more sharply, “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” That’s kind of a hard pill to swallow. If you are unwilling to forgive, don’t come asking God for forgiveness. God is essentially saying, “Forgive, and don’t be cheapy with it.”
The lesson is more pointedly made in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18. A man was forgiven his many debts by the king after begging and pleading for mercy. Yet that same day, that same forgiven man turned around and showed no mercy to someone indebted to him. Instead of forgiveness, the forgiven man threw his own servant into prison until the debt could be paid. The other fellow servants, bothered by this unkindness and cruelty, went and told the king what had happened. When the king found out that the one he forgave was stingy with his own mercy and forgiveness, the king punished him severely.
The end of verse 25 of Mark 11 confirms this, “But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” There is nothing in life to gain from holding a grudge or keeping all of that resentment inside of you. Let it go, hand it over to God who knows how to heal, help, and mend what’s broken.
Another show I used to watch with my mother was Golden Girls. Now I’m sure you’re not exactly expecting a good theological lesson from Golden Girls, but just hold on. In one episode, Sophia’s son dies. As the show rounds out there is a confrontation between Sophia and her daughter-in-law, whom she has been bitter towards for years. At first, she claims it’s over $47 she’s owed by the daughter-in-law, but as the story unfolds it becomes more apparent that over the years she has blamed herself and by extension her daughter-in-law for what she saw as her son’s shortcomings. As the daughter-in-law reminds Sophia what a good man her son was, all that resentment, bitterness, and years of anger wash away as the two embrace.
Forgiveness allows us to let go of the burdens we hold onto. Sometimes that’s forgiving others who have wronged us, and sometimes that means forgiving ourselves and our own past. As someone who likes to control things, I know that forgiveness is hard. There’s no formula, no magic way to get there. It’s a process, a work within our soul. Forgiveness happens when we intentionally choose to turn our focus towards God rather than dwelling on the people and situations which have hurt us. The reason this Gospel warns us so strongly to practice forgiveness to obtain God’s forgiveness is that God can’t work in a heart and in a soul where there’s no room for that holy presence. We have to come to God just as we are but be prepared to be changed in God’s power and presence. So today, let’s begin this work of un-burdening ourselves. It starts by practicing forgiveness, and remember, don’t be “cheapy” with it.
Worship Video: https://www.facebook.com/fccmacon/videos/1259309084520449