Greatness: Matthew 14-20ਨਮੂਨਾ

Forgiveness is the characteristic around the centre of our faith. If Jesus is the Cornerstone, forgiveness is the spackle all around Him, connecting us to Him and ensuring we are in Him. However, it’s not an easy thing to forgive, is it?

In the musical Hamilton, Eliza and Alexander are walking around town, devastated after their son died in a duel. But the son was partially responsible, as he was the one who supplied the gun. The chorus sings, “Forgiveness, can you imagine?” It’s haunting because behind the question is the assumption that Eliza wouldn’t forgive the son, or couldn’t forgive him. “I’ll forget you, but I’ll never forgive,” sings Taylor Swift at the end of one of her best songs in The Tortured Poets Department.

What an exhausting way to live; to assume forgiveness is not possible, or to decide that forgiveness is off the table. This is not how we were designed to engage with the world.

As believers, we are called to forgive. We are walking around with our identity marked as forgiven. It takes grace-driven effort. It requires a level of trust in God that, when we can get there, is truly a gift. Fake forgiveness is really easy; it’s not hard to toss out “oh yeah, no worries” when you really walked away worrying, ruminating, and questioning.

To be able to live in the way that we are called as God’s chosen people, wholly and dearly loved, and to become more like Jesus requires active steps towards forgiveness. It is one of the markers of our faith where we can be counter-cultural, where forgiveness is always assumed to be possible and always on the table, and beyond that, is pursued.

Today, ponder this: How can you live a counter-cultural life today, where your posture towards those around you is forgiveness?