Articles
Jesus' Counterintuitive Teaching - 5
We continue to examine the teaching of Jesus that tends to clash with our basic intuitions. As previously noted, our intuition or general sensibility is shaped, perhaps unconsciously, by many things that are “worldly”: upbringing, experience, cultural standards, favorite preacher, etc. We must always strive to hear the Lord through all the gobbledygook that passes for reasoned analysis.
Jesus was rejected by the status quo that had crafted or maintained false expectations of what the Messiah would be when He came. When He clashed with the “conventional wisdom,” those who had a vested interest in it killed Him. Make no mistake: Jesus challenges our own and society’s assumptions about what is true, rational, appropriate and acceptable from God’s point of view. How we respond to the Lord’s teaching will make or break our salvation.
9. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Ac 20:35). Paul through inspiration cites what is not recorded in the gospels. However, the “flavor” of this saying certainly permeates Jesus’ teaching and example. McGarvey comments that this saying “was one of those precious morsels of divine truth, of which many thousands fell from his lips that are not recorded in our brief gospels” (New Commentary on Acts 193).
But does Jesus’ adage ring true? Apparently not, for it seems that our society is sinking in the mire of “me and mine.” Our instinct seems to be to receive, or worse, to take – by force if necessary. Can any of us deny the excitement of a wrapped birthday or Christmas gift? Have we not been thrilled with an unexpected blessing? Do we not get giddy over the smallest freebies – from a food sample at Costco to a courtesy coupon from Chick-fil-A to the ubiquitous BOGO? Receiving is wonderful: sometimes gifts are selfishly given (corporate promotional materials), and sometimes they are tokens of love and appreciation (Valentine roses). But the problem arises when grace becomes entitlement, when we expect, then demand, and finally alienate through unbridled selfishness.
The higher path is that of giving, which encapsulates the whole point of Jesus coming to earth: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mt 22:28); “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11: 28). Paul, in citing these words of the Lord, reminded the Ephesian elders, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak” (Ac 20:33-35).
What does giving do? It puts our faith into practice, thus confirming that it is genuine. It fulfills the purpose of our redemption (Eph 2:10). It brings glory to God (2 Cor 9:12-13). It results in a bountiful harvest (2 Cor 9:6). It demonstrates our genuineness, thus opening doors of influence (1 Th 2:8-13). A generous spirit, self-sacrifice, the willingness to be inconvenienced, showing interest in others, etc. all reap greater blessings than the occasional gift we may receive. Jesus was right, as He always is.
10. “‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Mt 18:21). It seems obvious that Peter asks the question expecting agreement, perhaps even praise for his magnanimity. But this is not the answer he gets from the Lord. I think we shy away from this statement because we do not consider it in a broader context – which must always be done with any Bible teaching (false ideas are able to gain traction because they are divorced from context and proper exegesis and application).
In the clarifying parable, note what Jesus emphasizes about the forgiver/ forgiven (18:23-24). The servant who had racked up a humongous debt – so large it could never be repaid – begged his master: “have patience with me, and I will pay you all” (18:26). There is nothing insincere or larcenous in this request; Jesus frames it as an honest – though impossible – effort to make amends. After being forgiven by the master, that servant had a fellow servant who owed him a fraction of what he had owed the master, and the debtor begged the creditor/servant – in the very same words he had used to appeal to his master – to give him time to pay. His response: he “took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’” (18:28).
Jesus is not addressing a situation where someone deliberately takes advantage of us, gaslights us, lies to and deceives us, uses our grace and goodness against us. He is not advising to just take abuse and keep on “forgiving” regardless of the attendant circumstances. First, overlooking such abuse and repeatedly offering ourselves as a perennial doormat is not in the best interest of the offender. If there is any hope for repentance, abusers need to be confronted with their behavior. This takes strength, moral clarity, true love and a desire to save a soul, and such efforts will be made by stable, spiritual people. It is difficult to envision a Moses, or a David, or a Daniel, or a Paul, etc. as wimps who just let themselves be stomped on. Seeking forgiveness is more than uttering a few trite, insincere words without real regret and repentance.
But when real penitence is shown, how do we handle it? Can we get past the pain and disappointment, the shame and injustice, to truly forgive a penitent brother or sister who has wronged us? If not, why might that be? It seems that pride is the most likely answer: “How dare he/she do that to me?!” An even more difficult scenario is the hurt done to a loved one. Sadly, the news often relates the murder or assault of innocent people: children who have lost a mother or father, and vice versa; the death of a spouse. No glib answer can resolve such terrible thoughts and emotions of the survivors, other than to say with the Lord, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” (18:32-33). In other words, our power to forgive grows out of our own forgiveness, and the gracious disposition of God toward us. Easy? No, but we best be working on it if we truly desire and cherish forgiveness from God.
