Day after day, I’ve been watching my wife, whether she is sitting in her favorite chair, the couch or reclining in bed without trying to sleep. She is doing some kind of soul work. She’s not reading the Bible. I think she is doing some of the things that Jesus must have been doing internally day after day to live the miraculous life he lived among us. He came into the world to preach forgiveness, and ultimately to pay the price that makes forgiveness possible.
In Matthew 9, Jesus forgives the sins of a cripple man before he makes him walk. Jesus knew that this mean needed forgiveness more that he needed to walk. Have you prayed for your neighbor that they would know that their need to be forgiven is greater than their need to be healthy?
In Luke 15 Jesus tells the parable of the prodigal son. This is one of Jesus’ forgiveness stories. The people around you need to hear faith-filled stories of forgiveness. Do you have a forgiveness story that you tell? Do you have a story where you were the one forgiven, not the one forgiving?
Luke 23 tells about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. After being beaten nearly to death, punched and mocked, crowned with a crown of thorns, and finally nailed to a Roman cross, Jesus prays for the forgiveness of those around him. How much had Jesus meditated on that moment before it happened? Do you start your day ready to forgive others who sin against you?
In John 21 Jesus makes sure that Peter knows that he is forgiven for denying that he knew Jesus. Three times Peter denied the Lord, and three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him the most. Do the people around you know that you aren’t holding anything against them? Are you holding things against them?
As Christians we must forgive. Jesus forgave all your sins on the cross and commanded us to forgive each other. More than that, we can forgive. Jesus is not just our example of forgiveness. He is the one who helps us forgive. Take the sins against you and pray—ask Jesus to apply the sins against you as paid for on the cross. A church that is quick to forgive each other, to forgive those at home, work, school, the ballfield or in traffic will shout to message of forgiveness in the cross of Christ!
