My devotional scribbled from Saturday..
04/19/23.. 526 days sober
"Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34 a NIV). This, I affirm, is the heart, spirit, attitude and reality of The Father-Eternal Son and Spirit toward every son of Adam, every daughter of Eve. Toward you. Toward me.
There is no condition. No sense of any limit. It is as true for Hitler as it is for Mother Theresa. The foundation of Jesus pronouncement is the sense of helpless duty under which his Roman captors functioned; ignorance and a long line of fellow soldiers, officers, Commanders, Governors, Emperors, rebels, freedom fighters, terrorists behind and around them and us—framing the conditions and justifications of our inhumanity.
In just such a tender broken heart, water and blood interlacing, Jesus looks upon you and I. He knows our personal history and betrayals? Yes, intimately—including the anxieties, fears and hopes dashed in our youth. This same Jesus of Nazareth was inside each event, every moment with a heart full of insight, of love and praying to Your Father and mine; ”Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34 a NIV).
"And they divided up his clothes by casting lots" (Luke 23:34 a NIV). The real tragedy in this scene is made plain. The soldiers response is oblivious to the event they had just witnessed.
Repentance is not typically a condition of forgiveness in Jesus practice, experience or teachings. The Baptist certainly taught it; ”“a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him’ ”" (Mark 1:3 NIV). In other words, "put up or shut up!" Okay, more like, "Clear the deck, the Admiral is com'n."
By word and act Jesus reversed the order so that he announced, "The reign of God is here, repent so that you may know the full joy of God's coming to you." In Jesus mission forgiveness for sin sometimes preceded healing. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”“ (John 8:11 NIV). When asked how many times should we, by command, have to forgive a repentant sister? As many as seven times? Jesus absurd response of 490 times betrays his real point; It's not about the one who sinned against us, but about your heart, God the Father's heart. Perhaps the Prodigal Son's story frames it best: "So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him" (Luke 15:20 NIV). In like manner, Jesus has come to us. Without judgment he offers kindness, mercy, genuine truth wrapped inside forgiveness.
The only question, that remains is the tenor and quality of our response.
Blessings! Terry
04/21/23
Some after thoughts:
The law is important as an early teacher, forming lines of safety. Later in the journey it's critical to our healing and cleansing as God, without a hint of judgement, reveals the depth of our brokenness.
Repentance and confession form the interior rhythms of our soul as we are remade in God's likeness.
Repentance is one of the vital human response if we are to ever enjoy our "friendship" with God; to make what is true (our forgiveness) real.
The problem with locating repentance and forgiveness in a conditional order is simply the thing Jesus spent much of his ministry de-constructing/reconstructing. Salvation becomes a "sin management" issue rather than a restorative, healing relationship. It reveals that we have started our theology and the way we see every other person from Genesis 3 (the fall) instead of Genesis 1, 2 (Creation as the glory and image of the Divine).
A Prayer
Father, help me to see every person, including me, through Your kind and tender heart. Amen.
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