And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. – Mark 11:25

Today’s Scripture Reading (November 6, 2017): Mark 11

Mahatma Gandhi in “All Men are Brothers” argued that “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” The quote goes against the commonly held belief that forgiveness somehow allows the violator to get off without penalty. Yet, Gandhi is right. It takes incredible strength to forgive and let go of the offense that has been committed against us. So it makes sense that if forgiveness is going to happen in our world, it will have to come from the strong.

Gandhi’s words also give us a bit of encouragement to forgive. I am not sure that any of us wants to be seen as weak. We want to be considered among the strong. If we are always in pain, we want to believe that the pain is somehow making us stronger. If we are grieving, that process of grief is making us stronger. If we are going through trials and tribulations, if people have taken advantage of us, somehow that makes us even more ready to take on the world. As the saying goes, “What does not kill you, makes you stronger.” The saying may not be totally true, sort of like “if you’re not bleeding, you’re not hurt,” but deep down I think we want it to be true. However, it is important to note that Gandhi does not say that forgiving others makes us strong, but rather that it reveals a strength that already dwells inside of us.

So maybe it is not surprising that an all-powerful God is a God of forgiveness. God goes first; he forgives us out of his strength. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong and so forgiveness is freely available from an all-powerful God. But if that is true, then why is it that Jesus seems to hold an opinion that we can only be forgiven if we are willing to forgive? Why is it that Jesus commands us to forgive so that God will forgive us?

I believe that the answer is found in the fact that forgiveness is a two-step process. First, forgiveness has to be offered. So the words of Jesus from the cross were “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Forgiveness had been freely offered. But that is only half of the forgiveness process. The second step is that forgiveness has to be received. The second part of Jesus comment from the cross indicates this lack. They do not know, at this moment they are not ready to accept the forgiveness that has been offered, but if they do realize that wrong has been committed, Jesus wanted forgiveness to be already there waiting for them.

The truth is that we only learn to receive forgiveness by offering it. We only understand the importance of forgiveness by being forgiving. And while offering forgiveness is an attribute of the strong, it is just the strong that can learn to receive it. It is a weak person that always makes excuses for their behavior, rather than admitting wrong and accepting forgiveness. Strength is needed for both steps in the forgiveness process. And if we do not possess that kind of strength, well, God offers to give us some of his so that we can be the strong, forgiving people that he always imagined us to be.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Luke 19