JESUS OFTEN EXAGGERATED TO MAKE HIS POINT

Mike Van Vranken, Diocese of Shreveport Spiritual Advisor

ANSWERING PETER’S QUESTION OF HOW OFTEN WE SHOULD FORGIVE, JESUS SAID “SEVENTY-SEVEN TIMES,”(MT. 18:21-22).

Seven is the ancient number for infinite completion or wholeness. In this case, we believe Jesus is asking us to forgive every time and in every instance. Is this an exaggeration? As hard as it sounds to do, I’m confident Jesus is saying it would be ideal for all of us to forgive unceasingly. But why is it so hard to do? Maybe because we have never accepted God’s mercy and forgiveness towards us to be able to even forgive ourselves. How can I forgive someone else if I’ve never forgiven myself? Maybe we look at God as the great and eternal punisher rather than the great forgiver. Maybe we have never experienced in our own heart Psalm 103 about God’s kindness, mercy, and compassion. Without that personal experience, how can I be expected to forgive someone else?

Jesus then follows his response to Peter with a story using simile and analogy, and it sounds like a parable. In other words, it’s not to be taken as a literal historical report, but a story that should cause us to ask more questions; more internal questions about our own ability to both receive and show mercy. The Church uses scriptures like this one to formulate what it calls the Spiritual Works of Mercy. Pope Francis reminded us in a teaching back in 2016 that we are called by one of those Spiritual Works of Mercy to pardon the offenses of others. And he’s not exaggerating either.

In responding to Peter, Jesus describes a master who forgave one of his servants. Then, that servant went out and showed no mercy or forgiveness to one of his fellow slaves. The master became irate at the lack of the first servant’s mercy and handed him over to torture. Here’s the punch line: Jesus then says his heavenly father will do the same to us. Of course, we don’t believe that for one minute. If we did, we would always be forgiving –seventy-seven times. But we don’t always forgive. Why? Again, maybe it’s because we have never accepted and experienced God’s forgiveness for us.

About thirty-five years ago, my friend and neighbor, Jim, and I were waxing eloquently about how we forgive others. I mentioned that one of our biggest tragedies is capital punishment. Killing another human being for something they’ve done has to be our most horrific act of violence. With a wry smile and a sideward glance of his eyes, he responded: “No, our worst sin is torturing another human being with the violence and degradation of life in prison without parole.” We looked at each other in dead silence for what seemed like an hour. He was not exaggerating and somehow, we both knew it. His words had obviously touched us in ways we needed to process.

The gospel stories are filled with times that Jesus associated with sinners and outcast persons, but he never seemed to condemn or punish them. Did he condemn Pilate, the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery? He did condemn a fig tree once. And yes, he ran some money changers out of the Temple area. Maybe those were exaggerations! But he doesn’t seem to want to condemn any people. I picture him on the cross, arms wide open saying: “I forgive you all, I don’t return your hatred with hatred of my own. In fact, the violence stops here.” He breathes his last and dies. Enough said. Show mercy, not violence.

This month, I invite you to spend time in silence praying for the grace to, first of all, accept the hardcore fact that God forgives anything you’ve ever done. God loves you as you are and as his own.

Next, examine how you might practice forgiveness and mercy. I ask you to imagine your own comfort with our prison system. Are we called to punish and even torture someone’s wrongdoing? Or are we called to advocate peace through forgiving, nurturing, and bringing them back to health? Do we practice those works of mercy with consoling and pardoning? This is our calling.

Finally, Jesus speaks about his heavenly Father torturing us if we don’t forgive. I think the torture of not forgiving is the bondage it places on us. It keeps us in a prison where we can only imprison others. It is never freeing, and it is never consoling for us or others. This bondage is so harmful and painful for us, it feels like God is torturing us for not showing mercy and forgiveness. It’s not from God. Yet it’s truly painful for all the people of God. And that’s no exaggeration at all.