| April 15, 2007
You are welcome to reflect on this message
The first Sunday after Easter is a good time to consider “the great commission” according to the Fourth Gospel. Jesus is putting the finishing touches on his ministry, and it’s interesting to see what he omitted. In John there’s no “go ye therefore and teach all nations,” which is far-reaching. But he gave them something far more audacious, a greater commission than the “great one,” namely, to help people feel forgiven. When asked “how often should we forgive,” Jesus advocated “70 x 7,” because he knew we'd have a hard time with this. All kinds of things get in the way of forgiveness: pride, perfection, grudges we love to nurse, reality we love to deny; and most of all getting even and being right. No wonder it’s hard to forgive others, and especially ourselves. “Which is easier,” said Jesus, “Restoring lame limbs? Or forgiving sins?” To say take up your bed and walk or my son your sins are forgiven?”
In light of that what do we make of this? “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” These were his final words on earth, indicating the supreme importance God holds for our ability to forgive. Think of the power of it! Common sense tells us forgiving somebody is God’s business. Otherwise it has a presumptuous feel to it. Because how in the world can sinners like us think we can forgive someone else's? Just so! Being imperfect never yet disqualified anybody with Jesus. He felt right at home among sinners. It was the righteous who gave him fits! Jesus thinks we can do it, so he empowers us to be forgivers not accusers.
The disciples are feeling low in the upper room, with “Good Friday eyes.” Then Jesus shows up out of nowhere! The same Jesus who was fastened to a cross a few days ago, and said, “It is finished.” Ol’ Yogi’s wrong on this one: “It ain’t over when it’s over!” This is the Jesus buried in Joseph’s tomb, still sporting those nasty marks on his forehead, wrists and side. But how can he pass through locked doors that stayed shut? Was their mind playing tricks? They’re spooked so Jesus’ first word is “peace.” But scarcely did they have time to ponder it till he challenged them: “As God has sent me, so send I you.” “Send us? Where are we going?” Then he breathed His Spirit on them” ‘cause they're gonna need it! And here’s why. “If you forgive the sins of any, it’s a done deal...” No one questioned what he meant. They’d seen it before in Galilee, when Peter declared: “Thou art the Christ!” And Jesus presented to him the “keys to the kingdom” and “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
Binding and loosing in Matthew, but in John, it's “releasing and retaining.” But they both mean the same. And the forgiving part I can understand. But why on earth would anybody want to retain somebody's sins? Not very Christian, is it? But that’s never slowed church members down. They were Jesus’ insiders. So the way they approached outsiders, would serve as the standard by which they’d find the door of the church to either be opened or closed. Do ya’ll feel the impact of that? Baptists make a lot of the “Great Commission” in Matthew; their favorite marching orders, to justify militant evangelism; you know, the soul-saving business. But John gives us another “commission” from Jesus, like footwashing, symbolizing humility, that we conveniently ignore. Maybe we prefer Matthew because it’s easier to start a church than it is to forgive somebody or wash their feet! Euwww! But he couldn’t be any clearer. On Easter night, Jesus commissioned his disciples with an ability that is to be taken very seriously. The Fourth Gospel gives the church the authority to “forgive or retain” sins, by the Lord of the church. Like Jesus, people bring their scars with them to church. And every Sunday we have an opportunity to do something about the wounds. Grace happens when we’re kind to visitors. When “We reserve the right to accept everybody” are we not dispensing God’s mercy? Healing takes place when we welcome a stranger, because you can’t come to church and leave your scars at home.
Anybody who’s done something they’d like to take back perks up when they hear this. I bet Don Imus would! But if you’ve ever needed forgiveness and found it, you won’t forget where it came from. Only those who admit their need for forgiveness are the one's we can do something about. A lot of people think they’re above being forgiven, having trained their consciences to where they can do no wrong. Sometimes folks show up feeling down for something you wish you hadn’t done or something that’s been done to you. And then you encounter a chance to make a fresh start at church. And your spirit is lifted. And you walk out of the Meeting House feeling good about yourself. Who can put a price tag on something like that? That’s why people come back. Where else but church are we going to find that in this kind of world, where blame and guilt and retribution, not justice and accountability are the name of the game? That’s what ought to happen to us at church, where we go to lay our burdens down. Jesus believes we can do it. People know when they're accepted; and when they’re not. And every time it happens at our place, it proves Jesus' belief in us is doable: “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.”
Give me more churches, known for their forgiving attitude, that cut others some slack, give them the benefit of the doubt. And don’t neglect to lighten up on ourselves, because everybody’s having a hard time one way or other. Has it ever occurred to you that the way we treat people has eternal consequences? Our acceptance of them, our efforts to be understanding, when we don’t understand; that opens a door to the soul. When we forgive them, forgiveness becomes real. This is an arresting thought.
But what about the other part of what Jesus said? The church can withhold forgiveness too. And many do. How unloving can churches be? I've had some experience with that. Some of the meanest-spirited actions I've ever run into have been in churches: controlling manipulation, getting even, power moves, sulking, cheap shots, withholding forgiveness. Why anybody would want to be saddling somebody with their sins is beyond me? The hardest people to be around are those pouters who withhold forgiveness. In families it's rampant; in church it's deplorable; in society it's everywhere. And Baptists keep shooting our wounded, taking no prisoners. Woe to those who stump their toes around self-righteous church people, who to outsiders, appear to be the most unforgiving of all. Some churches, instead of accepting people like they are, try to keep some of God’s children in the closet. Shoot, some of us can't even forgive people for being born female! Still blaming them for the way they’re born.
And here’s Jesus: “If you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” His summary words to the church, because he knows how cruel we can be. O we can be heartless! And make people feel as if there’s nothing they can do to escape their sins. I don’t know. I’m just not interested in retaining anybody’s sins. Sin is something we ought to get rid of. What reason could anybody have in retaining somebody’s sins? Lord knows there’s power in it! The way we treat people, we can deny or affirm what Jesus died to provide. We can render John’s wonderful commission of grace and forgiveness, null and void. If the ability to forgive sins shocks you, then the ability to retain them ought to terrify you! “Only God can forgive sins!” said the righteous. True enough. But the people of God play a vital role in God’s forgiveness in the 4th Gospel, where Christ commissioned not priests, but us -- not to be evangelists; or give lots of money or start churches everywhere. “Which is easier? To start a new church or to forgive somebody’s sins?”
The first thing he told Mary on Easter was “tell the others.” That’s institutional. By nightfall it was, “forgive one another.” That’s relational. So the “great commission” Jesus gave to his followers in John was not to be tellers, but forgivers! Because Jesus is more interested in healthy churches who treat people right, than getting a lot of them in. Which makes church an extremely important endeavor, don’t you think? Church ought to help us to live with one another and ourselves. That's what forgiveness does. All that remains is, how are we gonna use this power Jesus granted to us?
There’s a poignant movie that illustrates the guild trip that never got laid, called “Avalon.” It was the name of a suburb in Baltimore that flourished when the inner city became too crowded back in the ‘50's. The young boy of an immigrant family was shooting fireworks in the basement of his father's successful business on July 4th. The building eventually caught fire and burned down. It came at a terrible time, because the cash to renew the insurance policy was spent on buying TV’s. The boy was grief-stricken over wiping out his father’s livelihood. After hiding out awhile he confessed it to his grandfather, who understood but insisted he tell his Dad. So the difficult moment came when the boy admitted to his father. And he did scold his son for playing with fire.
Then, amazing grace happened. The father lied to his son to protect him a life of guilt. In compassion he concocted another theory, “You didn't burn down the building with the firecrackers, son. The fire started on the 4th floor. It was something in the wiring.” And a flood of relief came across the boy's face. That’s what I’m talking about. Yeah his Dad shaded the truth. But in the name of true forgiveness. He had the power to lay a trip on his son for life, where the boy would either retain this awful experience or move on with a liberated soul. But he forgave his son and in the process released him from shame and regret. And the story ends with the son 35 years later, now a father, standing with a tear in his eye, beside his own son by the tombstone of his gracious Dad, eternally grateful that he used his power to forgive. That's what the church is supposed to do.
“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven.” You know I believe that. So I’m gonna to make like a priest this morning and declare that everybody here who sinned this week -- just in case some of us have, and is sorry for it: ya’ll are forgiven! All Ya’ll! While you’re eating lunch with the Congregationalists and they ask what happened in the Baptist church today, you tell ‘em “I got my sins forgiven!” Because they were. On the authority of Christ the Lord, your sins are forgiven! Now “go and sin no more!”
PRAYER: Lord, make us an Easter Church. Forgive us for letting living take precedence over loving. Remind us that the truest measure of our respect for the Shepherd is our regard for the flock. So make us a forgiving church. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Amen Back |
