Trinity 22 November 8, 2020
Micah 6:6-8
What is Required for Forgiveness?
v.7b Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Dear friends in Christ, our texts for today get to the very heart of the business of the church—of Christians—indeed, of the Christian faith itself: forgiveness. Though we may be involved in all sorts of activities from social programs to assist the poor and needy—to opportunities to grow in our faith and understanding of God's Word—the central purpose of the church—the main activity of Christ and His people—is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. Indeed, after Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to His disciples in the upper room and "He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld'" (John 20:22b-23).
As Christians, we live, move, and breathe the forgiveness of sins in our everyday lives—not just on Sunday mornings. We daily make the sign of the cross in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, remembering our Baptism and the forgiveness we received at the font. We daily pray the Lord's prayer, in which we pray, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us…" When wronged or sinned against by another human being, we are called by Christ to forgive as we have been forgiven.
Of course, therein lies the problem that our texts for today deal with so bluntly. Our Gospel reading from Matthew 18 highlights the danger of our stubborn hearts. For refusing to forgive a fellow sinner is like scorning the forgiveness we ourselves have received from our merciful God. By failing to forgive our neighbor, we come under the curse of Jesus and the danger of eternal hell fire. For we sinners have a big problem—we don't mind so much God's unlimited grace and mercy to be poured out upon us—but we don't like sharing it with others. In our Fallen state, we inadvertently think that forgiveness must be earned somehow.
"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" What can I bring to God to show Him how sorry I am—how much I am trying—how I have worked to earn His favor and blessing? "Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands rivers of oil?" How big a check do I need to write to get myself in the clear? How much do I have to give to prove to God that I deserve His forgiveness and mercy? If I give a bunch of money, or maybe do a bunch of good deeds—will that be enough? "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Shall I undertake child sacrifice, like the pagan religions of old, in order to procure God's favor? Will that do it? Will that prove to God that I'm serious about receiving His forgiveness—that I've done all that I can to earn it?
After all, this is what we expect of those who sin against us, right? "You want me to forgive you? Fine. Then you better do such and such to prove it. Make me believe that you are truly sorry. I want to see you give till it hurts. I want to witness the pain and misery of your soul on your face—see the tears stream from your eyes—hear the pain in your voice—then maybe, just maybe—I might be willing to forgive you!"
Beloved, may God preserve us from such wickedness! This is no proper Christian attitude. This is not grace—this is not mercy. This is works righteousness. And it is antithetical to the entire Christian faith. For we know that we are saved from our multitude of sins purely by the grace and mercy of God. We know that our sins before God is so massive a debt that we could never, ever, even in a million years, hope to pay for a tiny percentage of our debt. Yet God, in His mercy, gave of His firstborn Son—Jesus—to pay for your transgressions and mine. God the Son gave His body into death—that by the fruit of His cross—the sin of our souls may be wiped away—and we may be debt free.
In response to this incredible underserved favor and kindness of God, how can we NOT forgive our neighbor of their sins against us? To fail to do so would make us like the wicked servant of Jesus' parable in Matthew 18—who having been forgiven his own massive debt by the Master—turned in wrath against his fellow servant over a miniscule debt.
"[The Lord] has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" To be sure, as Christians, we don't turn a blind eye toward sin—we don't ignore it—nor do we attempt to hide from the earthly/temporal consequences of sin—but rather we embrace true justice. Yet we also love kindness—and exhibit this self-sacrificing love toward our neighbor in all things—particularly when they have sinned against us. We walk humbly with God by remembering our own great sinfulness before Him—repenting of it—and trusting in the death of Jesus to forgive it. Just so, then, we freely share this mercy and forgiveness with our neighbor—be they friend, family, or perfect stranger—recognizing that God in Christ Jesus has also died for their sins. And because Jesus has died for MY sins—how can I NOT forgive the sins of those who have trespassed against me?
Beloved, this is not the way of the world. The world sees this kind of kindness and mercy as weakness—as strange. "How can you forgive that person for what they've done? How can you forgive the person who has hurt you so—who has hurt your family—the person who exhibits such hatred and animosity towards you? How can you forgive in the face of such reckless and furious hate?"
We can only respond, "Because I, too, am a sinner. And I am a sinner for whom Jesus Christ has suffered and died. I didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it now. But Jesus continues to shower me with His undeserved mercy and grace. He has washed me clean in my Baptism. He feeds me richly with His own body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. He pronounces me forgiven. All through faith in Jesus. Out of love for Him and what He has done for me, I therefore forgive as I myself have been forgiven. I therefore strive for justice—love kindness—and seek to walk humbly with my God in lowly repentance and faith."
By God's grace the Holy Spirit works on our hearts through the Word and Sacraments to change them from hard hearts of wrath to hearts softened by His love—endowed with His gifts of peace, joy, patience, gentleness, kindness, mercy, and grace—culminating in forgiveness for our neighbor, no matter what they have done. This may take time—a long time. But we pray for God's strength to forgive as we have been forgiven. For by freely forgiving our neighbor—we follow in our Savior's steps. He who bore the curse of our sins in His body on the tree of the cross—so that by His suffering and death we might be set free from the bonds of sin, death, and hell.
By offering up all sins to Jesus, our hearts are set free. Not just from the sins we ourselves have committed—but also from the anger, bitterness, and wrath that poisons our souls through unforgiveness. Knowing Jesus has taken care of it all, our hearts are free, and we are no longer controlled by our own hatred, anger, hurt, and disappointment. Instead, we are free to love—free to forgive. For there is nothing that can truly pay for sin—any sin—yours, mine, or our neighbor's—only the blood of Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus' blood has been shed for that very purpose! You are forgiven and free to live according to God's Word! "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" Nothing. Nothing, but the blood of Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Micah 6:6-8
What is Required for Forgiveness?
v.7b Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Dear friends in Christ, our texts for today get to the very heart of the business of the church—of Christians—indeed, of the Christian faith itself: forgiveness. Though we may be involved in all sorts of activities from social programs to assist the poor and needy—to opportunities to grow in our faith and understanding of God's Word—the central purpose of the church—the main activity of Christ and His people—is the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins in Jesus' name. Indeed, after Jesus' resurrection, He appeared to His disciples in the upper room and "He breathed on them and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld'" (John 20:22b-23).
As Christians, we live, move, and breathe the forgiveness of sins in our everyday lives—not just on Sunday mornings. We daily make the sign of the cross in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, remembering our Baptism and the forgiveness we received at the font. We daily pray the Lord's prayer, in which we pray, "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who have trespassed against us…" When wronged or sinned against by another human being, we are called by Christ to forgive as we have been forgiven.
Of course, therein lies the problem that our texts for today deal with so bluntly. Our Gospel reading from Matthew 18 highlights the danger of our stubborn hearts. For refusing to forgive a fellow sinner is like scorning the forgiveness we ourselves have received from our merciful God. By failing to forgive our neighbor, we come under the curse of Jesus and the danger of eternal hell fire. For we sinners have a big problem—we don't mind so much God's unlimited grace and mercy to be poured out upon us—but we don't like sharing it with others. In our Fallen state, we inadvertently think that forgiveness must be earned somehow.
"With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" What can I bring to God to show Him how sorry I am—how much I am trying—how I have worked to earn His favor and blessing? "Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands rivers of oil?" How big a check do I need to write to get myself in the clear? How much do I have to give to prove to God that I deserve His forgiveness and mercy? If I give a bunch of money, or maybe do a bunch of good deeds—will that be enough? "Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Shall I undertake child sacrifice, like the pagan religions of old, in order to procure God's favor? Will that do it? Will that prove to God that I'm serious about receiving His forgiveness—that I've done all that I can to earn it?
After all, this is what we expect of those who sin against us, right? "You want me to forgive you? Fine. Then you better do such and such to prove it. Make me believe that you are truly sorry. I want to see you give till it hurts. I want to witness the pain and misery of your soul on your face—see the tears stream from your eyes—hear the pain in your voice—then maybe, just maybe—I might be willing to forgive you!"
Beloved, may God preserve us from such wickedness! This is no proper Christian attitude. This is not grace—this is not mercy. This is works righteousness. And it is antithetical to the entire Christian faith. For we know that we are saved from our multitude of sins purely by the grace and mercy of God. We know that our sins before God is so massive a debt that we could never, ever, even in a million years, hope to pay for a tiny percentage of our debt. Yet God, in His mercy, gave of His firstborn Son—Jesus—to pay for your transgressions and mine. God the Son gave His body into death—that by the fruit of His cross—the sin of our souls may be wiped away—and we may be debt free.
In response to this incredible underserved favor and kindness of God, how can we NOT forgive our neighbor of their sins against us? To fail to do so would make us like the wicked servant of Jesus' parable in Matthew 18—who having been forgiven his own massive debt by the Master—turned in wrath against his fellow servant over a miniscule debt.
"[The Lord] has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" To be sure, as Christians, we don't turn a blind eye toward sin—we don't ignore it—nor do we attempt to hide from the earthly/temporal consequences of sin—but rather we embrace true justice. Yet we also love kindness—and exhibit this self-sacrificing love toward our neighbor in all things—particularly when they have sinned against us. We walk humbly with God by remembering our own great sinfulness before Him—repenting of it—and trusting in the death of Jesus to forgive it. Just so, then, we freely share this mercy and forgiveness with our neighbor—be they friend, family, or perfect stranger—recognizing that God in Christ Jesus has also died for their sins. And because Jesus has died for MY sins—how can I NOT forgive the sins of those who have trespassed against me?
Beloved, this is not the way of the world. The world sees this kind of kindness and mercy as weakness—as strange. "How can you forgive that person for what they've done? How can you forgive the person who has hurt you so—who has hurt your family—the person who exhibits such hatred and animosity towards you? How can you forgive in the face of such reckless and furious hate?"
We can only respond, "Because I, too, am a sinner. And I am a sinner for whom Jesus Christ has suffered and died. I didn't deserve it. I don't deserve it now. But Jesus continues to shower me with His undeserved mercy and grace. He has washed me clean in my Baptism. He feeds me richly with His own body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. He pronounces me forgiven. All through faith in Jesus. Out of love for Him and what He has done for me, I therefore forgive as I myself have been forgiven. I therefore strive for justice—love kindness—and seek to walk humbly with my God in lowly repentance and faith."
By God's grace the Holy Spirit works on our hearts through the Word and Sacraments to change them from hard hearts of wrath to hearts softened by His love—endowed with His gifts of peace, joy, patience, gentleness, kindness, mercy, and grace—culminating in forgiveness for our neighbor, no matter what they have done. This may take time—a long time. But we pray for God's strength to forgive as we have been forgiven. For by freely forgiving our neighbor—we follow in our Savior's steps. He who bore the curse of our sins in His body on the tree of the cross—so that by His suffering and death we might be set free from the bonds of sin, death, and hell.
By offering up all sins to Jesus, our hearts are set free. Not just from the sins we ourselves have committed—but also from the anger, bitterness, and wrath that poisons our souls through unforgiveness. Knowing Jesus has taken care of it all, our hearts are free, and we are no longer controlled by our own hatred, anger, hurt, and disappointment. Instead, we are free to love—free to forgive. For there is nothing that can truly pay for sin—any sin—yours, mine, or our neighbor's—only the blood of Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus' blood has been shed for that very purpose! You are forgiven and free to live according to God's Word! "With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high?" Nothing. Nothing, but the blood of Jesus. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.