Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Forgives the Sins of a Lame Man
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Matthew 6:5-15
The LORD's Prayer
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 18:21-35
Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Luke 23:26-34
Jesus Forgives Us for Crucifying Him
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. 28 Jesus turned and said to them,“Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then
“‘they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”
and to the hills, “Cover us!”’
31 For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. 33 When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
Forgiveness is a great idea, a lovely idea...Everybody knows that...It is one of the greatest virtues...But forgiveness is very hard for us, and when I say I can forgive, but I don't have to forget or won't forget, am I really forgiving the party who has injured me?...When Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man, He did it as a matter of fact and of authority...He forgave the man like the man had sinned against His moral laws, which he did...Jesus has the right to forgive others and does it often in the gospels...And He goes about teaching about forgiveness throughout the New Testament....
When Jesus went about teaching us about forgiveness, He gives us many lessons on it...I don't think Jesus put forgiveness in terms of you can forgive someone, but you do not have to forget what they have done and how they have harmed and injured you...It is this personal harm and injury, that we do not want to forget...And I do not think of Jesus' idea of forgiveness was conditional at all...It seems He forgives unconditionally...So, in a way the concept of forgiveness frightens me...It frightens me because I am not good at forgiving...Jesus is very good at forgiving -The Best...We must not forget this...He said when ask by Peter if we are to forgive others seven times, He said, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times...“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants...As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him...Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt...“At this the servant fell on his knees before him...‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’...The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go...“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins...He grabbed him and began to choke him...‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded...“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’...“But he refused...Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt...When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened...“Then the master called the servant in...‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to...Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’...In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed...“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”...This should be repeated...Our heavenly Father will treat each of us like the unmerciful servant unless we forgive our brothers and sisters from our hearts...Then in the LORD's Prayer He says, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you...But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins...So for us to be forgiven we are to forgive other people when they harm, injure, and hurt us...
C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity wrote, "Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive, as we had during the war...And then, to mention the subject at all is to be greeted with howls of anger...It is not that people think this too high and difficult a virtue: it is that they think it hateful and contemptible...'That sort of talk makes them sick,' they say...And half of you already want to ask me, 'I wonder how you'd feel about forgiving the Gestapo if you were a Pole or a Jew?'...So I do I...I wonder very much...Just as when Christianity tells me that I must not deny my religion even to save myself from death by torture, I wonder very much what I should do when it came to the point...I am not trying to tell you in this book what I could do — I can do precious little — I am telling you Christianity is...I did not invent it...And there, right in the middle of it, I find 'Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us.'...There is no slightest suggestion that we are offered forgiveness on any other terms...It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive we shall not be forgiven...There are no two ways about it...What are we to do?"...
So as we read the Bible on forgiveness, we plainly see what Jesus tells us...His followers are to to forgive those that sin against us...There is not the slightest suggestion that we are offered forgiveness any other way...It is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive others, we shall not be forgiven...There are no two ways about it...Forgiveness comes from the heart, and is at the heart of following Jesus...