Forgiveness vs. Tolerance

Matthew 18:15

If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.

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This chapter is one of many in Matthew that is clearly based on a central theme. Whether Jesus taught these lessons together, or whether Matthew organized them in this way, there is clearly a theme of forgiveness in this chapter. When we realize that this is the theme, it forces us to reconsider our common conception of what forgiveness is all about and to come to terms with a more biblical definition.

Forgiveness is not really a feeling, and it is not merely a spoken word to another. Forgiveness appears to be more of a multi-step process as described in the entire chapter. First, there is recognition of sin. Second, there may be a confrontation over the sin. Third, there is a turning from sin. And fourth, there is a reconciliation between the parties involved. As we go through each of these, we will also see how the common practice of mere tolerance falls short of biblical forgiveness and is actually counterproductive to the end goal of reconciliation and peace.

(1) Recognition of Sin. For a sin to be forgiven, someone has to recognize it. The sinner involved may be that person, or it may have to come through the confrontation of another (#2 below). Matthew 18 begins this discussion of forgiveness where many of us forget to begin: with God. God is the one who first recognizes sin in His children and is the first to do something about it. Jesus warns the disciples that those who cause His "little ones" to stumble will have to answer to Him (18:6-9). But, He also reminds us that when a little sheep strays from the flock, it is truly God Himself, our Great Shepherd, who leaves the 99 in the field and goes after the wandering lamb (18:10-14). What a merciful God, who recognizes our sin before we do ourselves, yet pursues us with zeal to bring us back to Himself. God does not merely tolerate sin, which would be harmful to His children; He punishes the tempters, and rescues the tempted!

(2) Confrontation of Sin. A believer may be sensitive enough to confront himself or herself over a particular sin, or he/she may need the gentle rebuke of a trusted friend. Matt. 18:15-20 is a clear challenge to the church to take sin seriously, but with an eye toward reconciliation. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are clearly designed so that you may "gain your brother." But, step 4 is where God draws the line. If someone clings to their sinful desire more than they trust the gentle rebuke of the assembled church, than that person has chosen to be treated like an outsider. Just as God does not merely tolerate sin, likewise the church is called to model the balance of purity and pursuit, of justice and mercy.

(3) Turning from Sin. Forgiveness necessitates a turning from sin. We see this in the section on church discipline, but we also see it in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (18:21-35). Here, Jesus describes the story of a servant who appears repentant, but in the end, did not turn from his sin. While there is no one who is "unforgiveable" per se, there is criteria for true forgiveness to occur, and one of these is a genuine turning from sin. The unforgiving servant showed that he had not truly changed, and the way he fell short is telling: he would not forgive others of faults that were also his own. Our culture's tolerance does not demand the abandoning of sin. People think that we should forgive those who make no effort to change. But God does not tolerate hyporcrisy; He forgives the repentant.

(4) Reconciliation. The Parable ends with an ominous tone, of which we should take note and shudder. God takes sin seriously and he will not ultimately accept someone who clings to their idolatrous lusts in preference to Him. But, there is a positive implication here: if we do repent, He will welcome us back to himself, and we will find peace with those we sinned against as well.

We must forgive others, because God has forgiven us. This is fundamental to the Christian life. I pray that we continue to view personal sin and relational conflict in light of God's forgiveness - a forgiveness that is not mere tolerance, but demands the abandonment of sin for the sake of genuine reconcilation, without hypocrisy.

Faith and Healing

Matthew 17:17

And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me."

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This is a rather surprising response to a request for healing. We've seen Jesus granting requests for healing all throughout the book of Matthew. Why respond this way now? What makes this particular situation different? I'll offer an answer:

Unbelief in Jesus is more disturbing and heart-breaking than any other malady or misfortune.

What makes Jesus retort in such an apparently harsh way is the faithlessness of the people around him. Contrast this healing story with the healing of the centurion's servant (Matt. 8:5). Both involved the request of healing from one person on behalf of another. Both men, the centurion and the father, described the nature and intensity of the suffering being experienced, as if to add urgency and weight to their request. But, that's where the similarities cease. The centurion tells Jesus that He does not need to be physically present, that He does not need to come home with him, but only to say the word and the servant will be healed. This officer in the Roman army was displaying faith, and Jesus commends him for it, expressing that his faith was amazingly greater than any yet found in Israel!

What a stark contrast to the response given to the father of the demon-possessed epileptic boy. "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?" The father did not display faith, whether in trusting Jesus Himself to heal the boy somehow, or by trusting that God's will would be done no matter the outcome. Rather, he seemed to be putting his trust in Jesus' disciples and then found himself disappointed, bringing his disappointment to Jesus in the form of this request for healing. The centurion believed that this man could do anything in any way he wanted; the father did not have the same faith.

Many believers today have twisted this passage and others like it to conclude that Christians should expect to see miraculous healing regularly, and if you do not, then your faith is too small. Jesus tells the disciples that the reason they could not heal the epileptic boy was because their faith was too small (17:20). Sounds pretty clear, right? The problem with this kind of conclusion, is that it is based on circumstantial evidence: this is just one case study, not a broad theological explanation of healing and its causes. Of course we are told to pray for the healing of our neighbor and to work for that healing. Of course we are told to have greater faith in the God who heals.

But this is no mathematical formula, akin to the laws of gravity or thermodynamics. It is a command to look to God. Indeed, that is what faith is all about - looking beyong ones' own finite abilities to the One who is strong and able to do the impossible. Most importantly, the eyes of faith look to Jesus in the hope of being reconciled to God, being justified before our Judge, being cleansed of all sin, having the curse removed, and being transformed to live new lives by the power of the Spirit. This is the kind of healing that is promised in every circumstance (unlike definite physical healing).

May our faith be centered on the God who does the impossible, and not just on the results or benefits of that faith. Let us seek God's face and not merely His hand.

Genocide is Justice?

Psalm 9:7-8

But the LORD sits enthroned forever;
he has established his throne for justice,
and he judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with uprightness.

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One of the most common objections to the Christian faith is that the God of the Bible is a homicidal maniac. He is called Jealous. He is narcissistic and deranged, bent on destruction of all who dare not bow down to Him. In this common misconception, we see how the world would consider Christian faith to be petty at best, if not completely foolish.

Indeed, one of the more troubling realities of God's story in Scripture is the Canaanite Genocide described in the book of Joshua, which is also prescribed by God in various passages of Exodus and Deuteronomy. God commanded the Israelites to conduct a kind of "ethnic cleansing," so they say. Men, women, children, and livestock were all "given over to destruction," as entire nations were brought to nothing so that God's people could inherit the promised land of Canaan. This is troubling no matter what you believe about God.

While I could explain away this genocide as some have tried to do, I cannot give an easy answer. The fast answer would be to say that we live in a fallen world which deserves to be utterly destroyed. It is only the grace of God that any of us is spared the destruction that the Canaanites received. But, at the end of that explanation, most people are still left feeling like God is a little harsh. Could mankind's sin really merit that kind of response? I thought God was merciful and kind, one might say.

Well, Psalm 9 gives us a window into the judgment of God that may be helpful in this debate. Verses 7 and 8 make the bold assertion that God is indeed just and that all of His judgments are righteous and upright. We have no problem with his justice when we see it benefiting the oppressed and afflicted (as described in verses 3-4, 9-10, 12, 13-14, and 18). But, we begin to cringe when we learn that God's justice also involves the destruction of the wicked oppressors (as described in verses 5-6, 12, 15-16, and 19-20). What we must realize is that God's redemption of the afflicted and His punishment of the wicked are two sides of the same coin. Truly, judgment means a separation of two camps of people (see the Parable of the Sheep and Goats in Matt. 25:31ff).

While I plan on saying more about the Canaanite genocide in future blogs, it is important to note at this point that the Psalmist is not stricken in his conscience about God's wrath in the ways that we are today. David does not see God's judgment and begin to doubt His goodness. Rather, He sees a God who is rescuing the afflicted, bringing just retribution on the heads of the wicked (9:15), and doing it all out of the vast wealth of His uprightness and integrity.

But who do you say that I am?

Matthew 16:16-17

Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

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Our world continues to be confused about who Jesus really was. Was he a great moral teacher? Was he an off-the-wall cult leader? Was he a mystical gnostic iconoclast? The Gallup poll of First Century Palestine was not much different. Some people thought he was just a prophet. Some thought he was the reincarnation of John the Baptist, Elijah, or Jeremiah. Some thought he was full of the devil and needed to be executed. But, of all people, the guy who got it right was an old fisherman named Peter.

We've already seen Peter goof things up a little bit on the Sea of Galilee. He doubted that it was Jesus walking on the water. He doubted that God could keep him standing on the waves. Later, he doubts whether claiming Jesus as a friend is worth being arrested, so he denies him three times. And, worst of all, in this very chapter he doubts him, right after getting the correct answer on this identity test. He was truly blessed, but he was also a mess!

Doubt is a form of pride. This is hard for me to swallow, being often doubtful myself, but it still needs to be said: doubt is a form of pride. When someone doubts the clear teaching of the Bible, they are claiming to be smarter than God, to have more common sense than their Maker. We think we've figured out a plot hole in God's great story and we're determined to milk it in order to justify our disobedience. Doubt is not romantic; it is poisonous.

But, it is also encouraging to know that the early followers of Christ were essentially doubters, cowards, and riff-raff of all varieties. This religion is not for the ivory tower and its not just for the already spiritually-minded. It is a "ragamuffin" gospel of sorts. Jesus meets us where we are, takes our smoldering embers of faith, and fans them into flame. Flesh and blood do not reveal that Jesus is the Christ; that is, no logic or common sense point to that conclusion. It is truly the Father alone that makes him known. Even moreso is this true because of the kind of Christ that Jesus was -- not an earthly king coming in power (he will one day be that!), but a humble shepherd laying down his life for his sheep.

And he calls us to do likewise (16:24-28).

The Short List

Matthew 15:3

He answered them, "And why do you break the commandments of God for the sake of your tradition?"

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This passage describes a form of hypocrisy that is still rampant in the religious world today: restricted pietism. In Matthew 15:1-9, we get a definition of restricted pietism that is pretty basic: disobedience and hypocrisy. By making a short list of what is required to be truly acceptable to God, the Pharisees were actually disobeying God's clear commands in Scripture. The motive behind this short list was driven by self-worship and self-rule ("their heart is far from me"). This is a clear example of hypocrisy -- having a pretense of holiness, but with alterior motives.

Restricted...

"Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat" (15:2). Here, we see the aspect of restriction in the piety of the Pharisees. They had added to God's commands a practice that may have been wise and good, but not a basic criteria that one must meet to be accepted by God. In fact, by focusing on points of man-made tradition, rather than the clear commands of Scripture, the Pharisees were really attempting to make God's law more feasible, more practical, and essentially less impossible to fulfill. Sounds like a good idea, right? Wrong! The law of God, among other purposes, was meant to be the highest standard imaginable. It is the pathway of complete holiness and righteousness. Later, the apostle Paul will reveal further that the Law was meant to convict us of sin, expose our inability before God, and drive us to Him as our only Hope and Savior. To water down the Law by replacing it with man-made rules is also to water down our desperate need for a Savior.

...Pietism

"But you say, 'If anyone tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father.' So for the sake of your tradition you have made the word of God void. You hypocrites!" (15:5-7). What makes this watering down of the law even more heinous is that the Pharisees claim they are being even more pious by doing so. When we claim that we are more pious than God, we are total fools! God commanded all of his people to honor their fathers and mothers, which implies a level of care and respect that would include financial assistance when necessary. The Pharisees found a way to be even more pious than that -- to give to God what they were supposed to give to their families. Today, Christian ministers face the same situation, in which their families are sacrificed "for the good of the ministry." We live in a Christian sub-culture that has exalted highly-visible, program-based, event-driven ministry, to the detriment of those core relationships that make up our families and the next generation of God's kingdom. I don't condemn programs or sacrifice. But, I do condemn any pious activity that begins to encroach upon the basic expectations of a child of God.

Family. Church. Society. These are the spheres in which every one of us plays an active role. Let's not get them confused and pretend that we are more pious because of it.

The Gospel According to David

Psalm 8:3-4

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

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This is perhaps one of the best summaries of the gospel in the entire book of Psalms. I say this because of the Psalm itself and the way it is referenced in the New Testament in the book of Hebrews.

In itself, this Psalm is a powerful testimony to God's character as Infinite-Personal Creator, and a testimony to Man's character as God-reflecting Image-bearer. The "good news" of the gospel is often boiled down to a cross, an empty tomb, and a sinner's prayer. But, if you know that the gospel story begins in Genesis and continues through the Old Testament, you realize that there is more to it than that. It is not merely reconciliation with God, but reconciliation with a particular God -- the Infinite-Personal Creator of the Old Testament.

In Psalm 8, we get to see the majesty power of this Creator, in all of His infinite glory and creativity. And, we get to see how personal this God really is, stooping down below the heavens to consider the lives of you and me. Humility is the appropriate response, and that's exactly what David displays here. But, humility also involves reflecting God, not just contemplating God. That is why the Psalm goes on to talk about the responsibilities we have as image-bearers who have been charged with stewardship of the Earth and all of its resources. I may not be a member of PETA, but I know from this clear passage that the care of the Earth and its creatures is part and parcel of what it means to be truly human, to be truly made in God's image, because He cares for those things and so should we.

Now, the gospel does not end with a description of who God is and how he has made mankind in His image. We know that God is also a judge over evil, and that mankind has smeared and broken God's image within us by rebelling against Him. We live in a broken world, but the way this Psalm is used in Hebrews gives us a window of hope with a view to the cross and the empty tomb.

"You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet."

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Heb. 2:7-9)

There's almost nothing more to be said. How wonderful! This Psalm is referring not only to you and I as image-bearers, but really to the ultimate Image-Bearer, Jesus Himself. He reflected God like no one else every had. "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power" (Heb. 1:3). Nobody comes close to being the kind of "image-bearer" that Jesus is.

And he lowered Himself.

He lowered Himself to become a man, and more amazing still, to become a servant to us (see Phil 2:5-11). He took thought for our broken condition and had compassion on us. He has also welcomed us, by faith, into the family of God, allowing us to be redeemed as true sons and daughters, to be adopted by God the Father and allowed to stand in the place of his perfect Son (see Heb. 2:10-18). And, on top of all of that, He is coming again and all things will be put into subjection under His feet. Every knee and heart will bow to Him and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Death and sin will forever be defeated. Justice will once again flow like a rushing river and the world will be restored into a New Heavens and a New Earth.

And, it's all right here in Psalm 8.

The Many Faces of Fear

Matthew 14:27

But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid."

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The disciples were a long way from land, being beaten by the waves in their little boat on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus had stayed behind, seeking to be alone in prayer, possibly to mourn the loss of John the Baptist (see 14:13). The storm was fierce, the boat was rocking and reeling and apparently in danger. And then, in the fourth watch of the night, there appeared what looked like a ghost, coming toward them over the waters. Perhaps there had been sea-faring superstitions about such ghosts; maybe not. Either way, the disciples were "terrified."

Jesus responds to fear with words of courage that point to Himself. He identifies himself. He reminds them that His presence is cause for courage in the midst of this storm. He has proven again and again His awesome power over demons and the physical world. He calmed a similar storm earlier in His ministry (Matt. 8). Knowing who He is, knowing what He is capable of, and knowing that He is present should resolve the fears of any believer.

The key word is believer. If you look at the beginning of this chapter, you get an example of what the presence of Jesus can be for an unbeliever: a true cause for alarm.

Herod the tetrarch had heard about the "fame of Jesus" and it did not comfort Him in the least. For a man of power like him, anyone else of significance was a threat to his position and to his reputation. He had John the Baptist put in prison for this very reason, because this ruler was not about to be "talked down to" by a mangy young prophet from the wilderness. But, hearing of the fame of Jesus, Herod was also terrified. Could this be John the Baptist again, risen from the dead to seek revenge upon me? These are the kinds of thoughts that might keep an unbelieving man awake at night.

The terrors of God and His law are very real, for the man who has not been forgiven should have no pretense of being right with God. The guilt of sin is real, and it is a burden that weighs even heavier in the presence of God. But, there is hope in the gospel, even for the vilest of sinners. Remember that, though the apostle Paul was once a "blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent," the Lord chose to redeem him, "and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 1:14). There is no one who is beyond the reach of His love and forgiveness. I pray that His presence would be a comfort and not a terror, that we would remember the mercy we have received as believers, but also the very real fear that exists in the hearts of the lost. We must remember what it felt like to live without the comfort of God's presence and let that compel us to introduce others to our Savior and only Hope.