- Ken is doing well in Walmart! He went on a ten-day business trip to California recently and is receiving praise for the wonderful job he does.
- Roy sold his first lawnmower!
- The Rogers have a lead on another cleaning account, so please pray that that will be successful.
Prayer Requests:
- Julie had major surgery on Wednesday, so pray for her swift recovery. If you want to help the Allens with food then contact Vivian or Shirley. Please consider taking care of Gabe sometime in the next couple of weeks, as well.
- Keep Hans and Markus's relationship in your prayers.
- Dixie's kidneys have taken a turn for worse and the doctors say that they can't do dialysis. Please remember her daily in your prayers, that she and her family will be lifted up, encouraged, and drawn closer to their Father in Heaven.
- Remember Ruby, Mary, and Pam with their health problems.
Jean-Etienne Liotard: The Chocolate Pot, originally uploaded by freeparking.
This is a hard parable. In fact, it's so hard we might just want to cut it out of the Bible altogether (by the way, if you really want to be challenged in your faith, the book Hard Sayings of the Bible is a must-read). But these are the words of Jesus, so it's best if we just listen, put them in their historical context, and learn.
Before telling you where to find this parable, let's just dive in. Jesus begins with, "Which of you, having a slave--" stop right there. This is a very unpopular way to begin a parable. Nevertheless, just imagine that you have hired a 24/7 personal assistant who has pledged to serve your every whim, and you pay them with food and board (mothers and wives might recognize this scenario....). If your assistant had just finished filing some papers, answering emails, and feeding the dog, would you say, "Oh my, Genevieve, you've worked so hard today! Put up your feet and allow me to serve you stuffed french toast and a cold glass of orange juice." Of course not! (Or, as the KJV so eloquently puts it, "I trow not!") Wouldn't you say, "Good job, Genny, now serve me dinner (change your clothes, too, you look sloppy) and then get something for yourself."
We would react this way because Genevieve has only done her duty. The NASB, NIV, Amplified, and NLT all call such a servant "unworthy", but this is really a pitiful translation. The KJV got it right with "unprofitable", literally meaning "of no profit". And what is the definition of profit? Over and above, the extra mile, a gain in excess of cost. In other words, Jesus is not calling Genevieve "worthless", only "profitless". The only other time that the word "unprofitable" is used in the Bible is in the parable of the talents when the lazy servant just gave back what he was given without adding to it. Genevieve's work is equal to her pay and she deserves no extra perks.
The context of this parable is forgiveness. In Luke 17:1-7 Jesus says that we are to forgive a brother who sins against us, even if it is seven times in a day (supposedly the Pharisees taught that forgiving three times was all that was required, four times if exceptional, on the basis of Amos 2:6). And what was the apostles' reaction? "Lord, increase our faith (paraphrase: Are you crazy?)!" It was unfathomable that so much would be required of them. And Jesus, in effect, said, "You don't need more faith, all that is required is a mustard seed. This is only your duty, as you will see in this parable."
This kind of "serial forgiveness" is the bare minimum requirement.
What does it mean to forgive? The Greek word used here, "aphiemi", literally means "leave" (it appears 146 times in the NAS where it is translated--abandoned, 1; allow, 5; allowed, 2; divorce, 2; forgave, 2; forgive, 23; forgiven, 23; forgives, 1; gave...permission, 1; leave, 7; leaves, 2; leaving, 8; left, 38; let, 9; let him have, 1; let...alone, 6; neglected, 1; neglecting, 2; permit, 6; permitted, 1; permitting, 1; send...away, 1; tolerate, 1; uttered, 1; yielded, 1). Just looking at the English word, "forgive", we can gain great depth of insight. What does the root "fore" mean? In front of, or in the future (foreboding, forewarned, forearmed, forego). And to "give" is obviously to transfer or convey. So we see that to "forgive" is to Give something in the future. When we forgive someone we are looking at the future and giving them mercy for the Day of Reckoning. Matthew 18:18, "Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven." We have the power to send mercy or judgement out ahead of us to greet our offender at a future date.
Forgiveness is certainly not easy. Our emotions are all caught up here in the moment, and we are expected to look out at the future and determine to give our offenders mercy. But when we forgive we are actually securing mercy for ourselves. Remember that unforgiveness is an unforgivable sin (Matthew 6:15). So ask yourself this, what do you want to find for yourself in the future? When we give others a second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh chance, when we determine to erase the past, when we give them the benefit of the doubt, we are storing up grace for ourselves in the future.
HALLMARKS OF FORGIVENESS:
1. Let to of your right to hold someone accountable. We have that right, but if we use it then God will exercise His right and hold us accountable.
2. Let go of your need to punish. Deuteronomy 32:35, "It is Mine to avenge, I will repay...." If we defend ourselves before God then that is the only defense we will get.
3. Let go of your hope of changing the past. Picture the disciples leaving their nets, picture the man in Luke 9 leaving his dead father. We are pulling all kinds of burdens; visualize letting go of these burdens.
4. Let go of your right to throw a pity party. Stop writing out the invitations, nobody wants to come (Jesus least of all). In someone's wise words, "Get off the cross, we need the wood." Leave the hurt and pain where it belongs--in the past. We can leave it all behind because we have forgiven in the future.
5. Leave your burden with the offender.
6. Let the dead bury their dead. Forgiving is about letting something die. Don't expend any more energy on it, it'll take care of itself. Let it bury and stay buried, and for Heaven's sake, don't give it a headstone!
7. Leave your memory of the loss. It's just a memory, no matter how vivid. Jesus can give us the power to control even the most persistent memories. When it comes knocking on your door, take charge and turn it away like an unwelcome visitor.
But remember: all of this is merely your duty. Forgiveness is no cause for pride. So how do we up our game? If we have no boast in forgiveness, then how can we be "more than conquerors"? Paul did it this way (1 Corinthians 9:16-18):
For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.
Paul said that he was only doing his duty if he spread the gospel--never mind the beatings, cursing, and hatred thrown his way--instead his only boast was that he offered his services free of charge. That was his profit.
Our boast is different for each of us. But here's a Personal Application: It can be good for us to do something tangible for our enemies. Giving flowers to your back-stabbing mother-in-law would be going the extra mile, right? Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Give some treasure to your enemies (Romans 12:14-17) and see if your heart does not soften toward them. A simple gift could make your forgiveness a whole lot easier.
I'll leave you with a thought:
Jesus would never ask us to do more than He does. If we are expected to forgive others up to seven times a day just as a matter of duty, doesn't that mean that He will forgive us that much or more?
No comments:
Post a Comment