Sermon: Forgiveness seventy times seven
1. Forgiveness a one truly Christian virtue.
Tingk bout dem wod ya weh wi Laad se:
“No joj, an Gad naa go joj unu, no joj piipl, so Gad naa go joj unu. Paadn, an Gad wi paadn unu” (Luk 6:37).
Inna di Sermon pan di Mount, Jesus seh it very plainly:
“Kaaz ef unu paadn piipl wen dem sin gens unu, unu Faada we de iina evn wi paadn unu tu. Bot ef unu no paadn piipl fi dem sin, unu Faada naa go paadn unu sin dem” (Matyu 6:14-15).
Di Apostle Paul put forgiveness inna a slightly different framework inna Ephesians 4:32:
“Unu fi gud an tek kier a unu wan aneda, an paadn unu wan aneda, jos laik ou Gad paadn unu iina Krais Jiizas.”
Im seh a very similar ting inna Colossians 3:13:
“Eniting we dem du wid unu wan aneda, paadn unu wan aneda, an paadn unu wan aneda, jos laik ou di Laad did paadn unu.”
Wen Peter (a man weh did know fram experience di value a forgiveness) did write him first epistle, him sum it up dis way: “Above all, love each other deeply, cause love cover ova a multitude a sins.” Dat a I Peter 4:8.
Wan neks wie de fi se it, an it kom fram di “Lov Chapta”—I Korintiyan 13. Wen im did a diskraib di grietis virtyu, Paal se “lov ... no kip no rikod a rang” (I Korintiyan 13:5). Dat deh likkle phrase deserve a closer examination. Eugene Peterson (The Message) seh it dis way, “Love ... nuh keep score a di sins a others.” Love nuh keep score cause love have a bad memory. It fain wan wie fi figet ada piipl sin.
Finally, wi have di greatest, most profound statement pan dis topic inna di entire Bible, di finest, purest, highest example a forgiveness. Wen him did a heng pan di cross, an dem did a go ded by evil man dem weh did a plan fi murder him, weh did a produce lying witnesses fi convict him, as him did a survey di howling mob weh did a assemble fi cheer him suffering, Jesus di Son a God, di One weh neva know no sin, di only truly innocent man weh did eva walk pan dis sin-cur planet, inna him ded moments weh still did a seh across di centuries: “Faada, forgive dem, cause dem nuh know weh dem a do” (Luke 23:34). Dem 11 tortured words deh sweep weh all a wi shabby excuses. Dem reveal di barrenness a wi heart; dem rip di cover off wi unrighteous anger an show it fi weh it is. Plenty a wi seh, “If only di people dem weh did hurt mi did show some remorse, some sorrow, den maybe mi woulda forgive dem.” But since dat rarely happen, wi use dat as an excuse fi continue inna wi bitterness, wi anger, an wi desire fi get even.
Tingk bout Jiizas pan di kraas. Nobadi neva look sorry. Even as him seh dem words deh, di crowd laugh, mock, cheer, jeer. Di piipl dem we did a paas se som torbl sitn tu im. Dem taunt him. “Ef yu a di king a Izrel, kum dong aafa di kraas an siev yuself.” Mek wi be clear pan dis point. Wen im ded, di piipl dem we kil im did wel api wid demself. Pilate wash him han dem a di whole sordid affair. Di Jewish liida dem did iet im wid wan fier, irashanal iet. Dem did api fi si im a sofa an ded. Evil did deh inna di air da day deh. Di daaknis fuos dem did du dem wok an di Son a Gad wuda suun de ina di tuum. Nobadi neva se, “Mi did rang. Dis a wan mistiek. Wi did so fuul.” Bot stil im se, “Faada Gad paadn dem, dem no nuo wa dem a du.”
Dat a precisely weh wi haffi seh if wi a go fala Jesus. Wi haffi seh it to people weh hurt wi deliberately an repeatedly. Wi haffi seh it to dem who intentionally attack wi. Wi haffi seh it to dem weh casually an thoughtlessly wound wi. Wi afi se it tu dem we kluos tu wi, tu wi ozban ar waif, tu wi pikni dem, tu wi mada an faada, tu wi fren dem, tu wi nieba dem, tu wi breda an sista dem, tu wi fren Kristiyan dem.
2. Forgiveness is difficult in part because we nuh understand it properly.
At dis point it is necessary fi clear up some a di misconceptions bout forgiveness. Inna some ways, it easier fi seh weh forgiveness a nuh dan weh it is. Dem misconceptions yah matter cause sometimes wen wi seh wi can't or won't forgive, wi a actually talk bout someting else dan biblical forgiveness. Mek mi list a few tings weh forgiveness nuh mean:
It nuh mean yuh fi approve weh somebody else do.
It nuh mean fi pretend seh evil neva tek place.
It nuh mean fi mek excuses fi other people bad behavior.
It nuh mean fi justify evil so dat sin somehow become less sinful.
It nuh mean overlook abuse.
It nuh mean yuh fi deny seh ada people did a try fi hurt yuh repeatedly.
It nuh mean fi mek others walk all ova yuh.
It nuh mean fi refuse fi press charges wen a crime don commit.
It nuh mean figet di wrong weh dem did do.
It nuh mean fi pretend seh yuh neva get hurt.
It nuh mean seh yuh haffi restore di relationship to weh it did deh before.
It nuh mean seh yuh haffi become bes fren dem again.