A news item one night was about parents who lost a child through another teen's
weakness and grave error in judgment. The parents, being interviewed a couple of
days after their daughter's death, made a public statement that they not only
forgave the drunken young driver who had killed their daughter, but also prayed
for him and said that they wished recovery and well-being for him. Is this truly
possible? When a parent loses a child, they have sorrow that goes to the very
core of their being. For it to have happened because a teen had been drinking
and driving too fast would appear to make the sorrow horrendous, and to forgive
— insurmountable. To one and all, it seems a waste of a young life. Yet, the
statement from those parents being interviewed remains.
How can we forgive? When we have been injured, we should have retribution,
shouldn't we? Our human nature limits us to this view. In this day and age, it
seems to be even more prevalent. So how could we reach a state of mind where we
would be willing to forgive? In our own capacity and under worldly influences,
could we be capable of this? The Bible tells us:
Ephesians 4:32 – Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other,
just as God in Christ has forgiven you. (NASB)
Colossians 3:13 – Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever
has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should
you. (NASB)
In the parable of the tenant farmer recorded in Matthew 21:33-40, Jesus asked
His listeners what the owner of the vineyard would do to those who killed his
son. The "son" clearly refers to Jesus, the Son of God. He came to earth to
expiate for us, once and for all, sins like idolatry, indifference, inhumanity,
injustice, and other sacrileges committed against the divine Redeemer. The
Creator of the vineyard of this earth could have called for retribution on
humanity when the people of the earth killed His Son. Instead, He gave us
another chance, and loved us so much that He offered His only Son to redeem us.
Jesus died so that we could share in the heavenly inheritance. In the Father's
forgiveness to us, we are made brothers and sisters of Jesus. With our human
nature, we can attain to a forgiving heart only through a relationship with the
Son of God.
In his book entitled An essay on criticism, Alexander Pope, a poet in 1711,
coined the phrase, "To err is humane; to forgive is divine". His saying was
based on biblical references to forgiveness, such as:
Matthew 18:21-22 – Then Peter came and said to Him, "Lord, how often shall my
brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him,
"I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." (NASB)
The disciples were also taught the Lord's Prayer, which we say to this day:
"Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us." (Luke
11:4 NIV)
One would wonder at the magnitude of inner strength provided by God that would
make those parents capable of such a tremendous act of forgiveness, despite such
a tragedy. Divine influence is the only answer. For some people to have been
given such strength that they could do this reflects the magnificent mercy of
God. It is especially surprising in today's world. This kind of faith is so very
inspiring and such a challenge to us to forgive as God has forgiven us.
Prayer: Jesus, through Your fortitude and Your compassion for Your earthly
family, You showed us the true way to reflect Your heavenly nature. May we
rejoice in forgiving those who have sinned against us. Amen.
Marilyn LaPierre Innisfil, Ontario, Canada
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