ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 5, 2025
Have you ever thought about the gap between what is easily forgiven and what you find nearly impossible to forgive? To be honest, I had not really pondered it before, yet a few weeks back, I was listening to a podcast and something the person said raised that question in my head. It wasn’t really what was being discussed. However, it chased (or led) my thoughts down the proverbial rabbit hole of questions. You see, I doubt there are two people who would describe that gap the same. What comes easily for one person will appear insurmountable to another. I think about Jesus telling his disciples to forgive, not seven times as Peter had suggested, but seventy-seven (or it could be translated as 70 x 7). Whatever the case, Jesus was using two sacred numbers and multiplying them. He was not, at least in my opinion, seeking a specific number, but giving a clear message that we forgive one more time past what we thought our limit to be… then another time, and another. This teaching on forgiveness would have been easier to swallow had Jesus then added, “But I’ll give you all two mulligans” (a golf term that describes a shot that will not be counted). Though maybe he sort of did when, in spite of this extraordinarily high ideal, Jesus also continued to express the forgiving nature of God. Do we use that as our excuse to claim our forty-third mulligan, or will we ask ourselves the tough questions about why a big gap exists and how we can begin to narrow it? I’m not suggesting you forgive without acknowledging the harm caused and taking the necessary steps to reclaim yourself. However, so often, the injury seems insurmountable, and nothing changes. When that happens, one thing does change: the injury continues to hold us captive and diminish us of our sense of self. Forgiveness is about believing in a new day where that injury is not forgotten but emptied of its power. That’s always our hope.
Jesus didn’t make it easy, but I trust you, Merciful God, to show me how to forgive more often and with more intentionality. My faith tells me that I have value in your eyes, and you’re not asking me to simply get over it. Instead, you are wanting to see real and lasting healing for everyone involved. In that belief, I will continue to do the necessary work. Amen.
