Forgiveness
Genesis 50:15-21
Beverly Weinhold
In the summer of 2006, the
Most of us sitting here have never been victimized by mass
murder. But no doubt all of us can
identify with wanting to forgive a wrongdoer or needing forgiveness ourselves.
Forgiveness is not an easy thing. It may
be the most difficult and least understood challenge every human being
faces. It shapes how we see others, and ourselves and even effects how we relate nation
to nation. Throughout the ages the major
faith traditions have put a premium on forgiveness. For Christians, forgiveness
is a centerpiece. From the Old Testament
story of Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery to Jesus
asking God to forgive those who crucified him—forgiveness is the expectation of
our faith but rarely the reality. Many
of us want to forgive, but we don’t know how to begin.
Undoubtedly the Joseph of our scripture story this morning
felt the same way. When he was 17, his
brothers betrayed him, brutalized him and left him in a pit for dead. But God
was with him. A passerby pulled him out and sold him into slavery to a wealthy
man named Potiphar. But Joseph’s
troubles weren’t over. Potiphar’s wife had an eye for Joseph and when he refused
her advances she accused him of sexual assault. It became a matter of ‘he
said,’ ‘she said’ and Joseph landed in jail. But God was with him. No matter
how many times his perpetrators tried to paint him into a corner he rose to the top like crème. Finally Joseph gained prestige
when he interpreted a dream for the Pharaoh of Egypt, a position not unlike our
President of the
Joseph’s question is your question. Joseph’s question is my
question. Should we forgive such people?
The Christian gospel says we should.
Jesus says we should. Psychologist and Theologian Lewis Smedes says we should. Listen to his words: The only way to heal the pain that will
not heal itself is to forgive the person who hurt you. Forgiveness is
not a choice among many options, it’s the only option. It’s the only remedy that will heal the hurt. But even when we want to forgive, how do we
take the first step?
I.
Let me suggest that the first step on the journey toward
forgiveness is to rediscover the humanity of the one who hurt us. When people harm us, we begin to objectify
them. We downsize them to their
actions. They become ‘doings’ rather
than ‘beings.’ If Charlie is unfaithful to his wife, we call him “that
adulterer.” If Betty lies to her best
friend, we refer to her as “a liar.” We
pigeon hole people. We put labels on
them and they become those labels. And without knowing it, we strip them of
their humanity. We need God’s grace to remember that all of us are created in
God’s image. And because we rebelled, we
are a mysterious mixture of good and bad.
May we rediscover our perpetrator’s humanity as this child did in the
‘40’s from Ravensbrook Concentration Camp. This was
the prayer that was found pinned inside the victims clothing:
O Lord, remember not only the men and
women of good will but also those of ill will.
But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon
us. Instead remember the fruits we have
born because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty, our humility, our
courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this
trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all these fruits
that we have born be their forgiveness.
II.
Like this little boy, Joseph rediscovered his brother’s
humanity when he said in scripture, Don’t be afraid. For, am I in God’s place? You
mean it for evil, but God meant it for
good. But rediscovering the humanity
of those who hurt us is not enough. Next we need to surrender the right to get
even. This could be the hardest part, because there are times when revenge
seems so right. A popular novelist put it this way, Sweet revenge! Don’t just get even, get everything! We feel this way particularly about people who
feel no remorse for what they did. After
all, shouldn’t they pay? Shouldn’t
someone hold them accountable? Yes,
someone should. But we aren’t the Someone. It is precisely at this point that we need to parse
the difference between our revenge and God’s justice. Revenge is human pleasure at seeing another
person squirm while justice is God’s holiness holding a person accountable.
Pope John Paul nuanced that difference when he forgave the man that took a shot
at him: Forgiveness lies in the human heart,” he said, “but the criminal must
spend time in Caesar’s jail. There
are always consequences to sin and when we surrender the right to get even we effectually get out of God’s way to do God’s work. That
was
III.
Paul’s point was the essence of Joseph’s words to his
brothers when he said: Don’t be afraid.
Am I in God’s place? Despite the
abuse that he had suffered he surrendered his right to get even. He trusted in
God’s justice to balance the books.
Joseph let go of all grudges. But
the journey wasn’t over. He had to go
the extra mile. He had to wish them
well. Jesus references this in the New
Testament gospels when he says, Bless those who
persecute you. Bless and curse not.
Joseph was wishing them well, he was blessing his
brothers when he said in today’s scriptures: So therefore, do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little
ones. So he comforted them and spoke
kindly to them.
Wishing someone well that has hurt us is where the rubber hits
the road. You see, we can forgive with
the head but it hasn’t really penetrated the heart. A woman that I know well
says this same thing. She thought that
she had forgiven her husband for walking out on their family after struggling
for seven long years. But when she got the news that he was remarried all the
anger and pain came flooding forward. It was hard enough to see him looking 10
years younger and making more money. But
now, he not only had a new life, he had a new wife. She had forgiven him in her
head, but now she needed to forgive him in her heart. God was calling her like
Joseph to go the extra mile. She must
wish him well.
Conclusion
I choose to speak on the subject of forgiveness on this
second Sunday of Lent because I agree with Martin Luther that forgiveness is
the centerfold of the Christian faith.
It is why Christ spent 40 days in the wilderness contemplating the cost
his crucifixion on the cross. Christians believe that Christ purchased humankind’s
forgiveness on Good Friday’s cross. After a criminal had paid his debt to
society in 1st century
Heidemarie Zuel, Minister of Development in