Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." – Luke 17:4

 Today's Scripture Reading (December 7, 2020): Luke 17

Baseball pitcher Satchel Paige said, "Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don't move." He makes it sound so easy. Just do it. After all, he is right; home plate isn't moving. Of course, throwing a strike is only half the battle; you also have to make sure that the batter misses. Throwing a steady menu of strikes, especially in the same place, is a recipe for getting hit hard. Because the batter knows what the pitcher knows, that home plate is not moving.

In baseball, it only takes three strikes to get the batter out. Three balls that either sneak across home plate without the batter making contact or that the batter chases and misses outside the strike zone returning the batter to the bench. Three outs end the team's ability to score for the inning. But what if we changed the rule. What if it took four strikes, or even five, for a batter to be called out? With every extra strike allowed, the chances of getting a hit and making it on base go up exponentially. What if we played as we did in grade school when the batter was allowed to swing away until he or she made contact and put the ball into play. Home plate might not be moving, but suddenly it would become almost irrelevant.

The latter seems to be precisely what Jesus is suggesting. If someone wrongs you, forgive them. Often, we seem to employ baseball's "three strikes, and you're out" model in our interpersonal relationships. If we are honest, we usually only give one or two strikes and then assume the third strike because we know you will mess up one more time. Home plate isn't moving. After your first failure, you know what is expected of you. So why would you mess up again unless you were evil and utterly incapable of doing good? But Jesus's message is to let them try. If they come and ask for forgiveness, forgive them. If they come seven times in one day because they have wronged you, a rate of sin that is almost unthinkable, go ahead and forgive them.

But a pause needs to be added here. Sometimes we misunderstand the idea of forgiveness. Forgiveness means I will let you off the hook because I refuse to pay the penalty for something you have done. Too often, when we decide to hold a grudge, the only one paying the penalty is the one holding the grudge. Forgiveness says that I am not going to pay that price. I will not allow you and the things you have done to take up space in my mind.

And we need to be careful that we don't believe that forgiveness means removing the penalty. We think that somehow forgiveness is a get out jail free card. It isn't. I am forgiven, but that does not mean that I don't have to pay the penalty for the wrongs that I have committed. Forgiveness does not remove my penalty; however, it does allow me the chance to earn my way back from the evil that I have committed into the good graces of those with whom I am in a relationship.    

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 11