Very different perspectives. . .

One of the confounding things of God is that His mercy is so remarkably different from the way we approach mercy.  For us mercy is about compassion and kindness shown to the deserving but for God it is compassion and kindness shown to those who deserve none of it.  It is the same with how we approach forgiveness.  For us on earth, forgiveness requires something from the forgiven.  Implicit in this is not only a promise not to do it again but the right of the one doing the forgiving to judge progress on that goal.  This implies that the forgiveness is not a real done deal unless and until such progress is made by the forgiven to ending that which needs forgiving.

Genuine repentance in our eyes is almost always related to behavior.  What we do proves the intention of the heart or proves the hypocrisy of our words and promises.  We forgive those who have then done something to engender that forgiveness.  They have shown a requisite sorrow over their sin and have made promise not to sin again and are making positive steps to do just that.  Repeat offenders are by their very nature suspect in our view of those who deserve to be forgiven.  It always amazes me that we expect and demand so much more than God does.

St. Paul puts it bluntly.  While we were yet sinners and enemies of God, Christ came.  He did not come for the deserving or for those, who given the gift of forgiveness would make atonement and live in obedience to the commandment, but for sinners who could not help or redeem themselves and before they could even know or request such mercy from God.  But there we are, gumming up the works of forgiveness, by walking back what God has done for us in Christ and then applying more rigorous standards to those who ask forgiveness.

St. Peter rightfully and honestly asked the Lord what the limits of forgiveness were -- now many times, how earnest the request, and how willing to make amendment of life.  But our Lord dismisses all such talk and simply says as often as they request, forgive.  And then St. Matthew records the only qualifier -- as often as you have been forgiven by God.  This is forever enshrined within the words of the Church's primary prayer, the Our Father.  Forgive us as we have been forgiven by YOU.  But how hard that is.  How difficult it is to find the line marking the divisions among us and discerning to whom and when to step back.  For us, the witness of Matthew 18 is more as another accusatory voice than it is a witness to the seeking of restoration from the one offended.  For us, telling it to the Church is announcing triumphantly the sin of the other -- at least in part if not in whole to justify ourselves and tidy up our own righteousness.  Both of these are foreign to the words and will of Christ.

We seek to insulate ourselves from hurt or from being rendered foolish but God gladly plays the fool for the sake of those whom He redeems.  He is willing to stand at the horizon every morning and every evening and search the sky for the prodigal to come home, already hearing their lame excuses and well-rehearsed scripts, but then He silences their voice with His own embrace, restoring the garment of our belonging and sitting us in the place of honor which most of us think should belong to those who have earned it and worked for it.  Such is the majesty of forgiveness -- far from the weakness of a passive heart it is the profound act of strength from a heart which acts even before the sin to rescue the sinner.

In our eyes such limitless grace is almost laughable and greatly offensive.  Justice is what we request more than mercy but the mercy of forgiveness if better than justice.  If only we could convince ourselves that this was true!  Alas, the Holy Spirit's job is daily to do just that -- convince us of the truth of His mercy and convince us to practice such mercy one to another.  How profound the moment when heaven rejoices and the sinner confesses the sin only to have that sin cast as far as the East is from the West by the mercy of God that has no end.  Thanks be to God!