Forgiven, forgive

Abstract

Forgive them, spare me this word please! What they have done is beyond understanding; it is just difficult to imagine that they could do this ... How do I open up again after so much betrayal and abuse of my trust? At one moment or another we have uttered these words. Yet when we let God ‘invade’ us, great things happen... Enemies shake hands. We begin to put ourselves in the shoes of those whom we put outside our operating space. We understand that we are all sinners standing in mercy of God (Rom 3:23-24). Yet in no way does this call for naïve reconciliation, instead it is an inward call to realise our potential for self and mutual destruction and how this can be avoided: by forgiving.The power of what we can become instead of what we are.The power of forgiveness is fully revealed in God who does more than what he is asked by his servants. God who raised Jesus to life, not taking revenge against those who killed him. This power extends reconciliation to where there is conflict, healing where there is violence and hope in hopeless milieu. This is the power revealed in weakness; such is the power of forgiveness. It is the power the unforgiving servant lacked. This is the point that this article addresses using Jesus’ parable of the unmerciful servant