If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven (John 20.23)
Why this emphasis on the power of forgiveness – both its presence or absence? For Jesus, forgiveness is the key to developing healthy relationship. John understands that relationships are the DNA in the fabric of life. There is no sustaining of relationships without forgiveness, just as there is no motivating force for genuine forgiveness other than love.
But more fundamentally, in the light of our relationship with God and the intensity of love that God shows to us, John sees the need to be obligated to showing forgiveness and to freeing people by demonstrating forgiveness. This challenge is at the heart of life. Why?
Because of the inevitability of conflict and the need for its resolution, if relationship in community is to be sustained. Love needs to be expressed through forgiveness and reconciliation, leading to restoration of fellowship. This is what the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus declares to the Cosmos, to all who would hear.
'To be human is to have differences; to be human wholesomely is to process those differences, not by building up conflicting power claims but by reconciling dialogue. Conflict is socially useful; it forces us to attend to new data from new perspectives. It is useful in interpersonal process; by processing conflict, one learns skills, awareness, trust, and hope. Conflict is useful in intrapersonal dynamics, protecting our concern about guilt and acceptance from being directed inwardly only to our own feelings. The therapy for guilt is forgiveness; the source of self-esteem is another person who takes seriously my restoration to community' (J H Yoder, Body Politics, Herald Press, 2001, p. 8).
This is what is required of Christ’s disciples, of those who are now participators in the divine nature. Conflict with parents, children, siblings, former lovers: we so often wrongly seek to blind ourselves towards or anathematise them. But in Christ’s name, we need to face them with humility, reappraise our Lord’s call to us for investment in ‘the other’, and own a preparedness to change for the better through the resolution of conflict. This is an essential part of our journey.
Why this emphasis on the power of forgiveness – both its presence or absence? For Jesus, forgiveness is the key to developing healthy relationship. John understands that relationships are the DNA in the fabric of life. There is no sustaining of relationships without forgiveness, just as there is no motivating force for genuine forgiveness other than love.
But more fundamentally, in the light of our relationship with God and the intensity of love that God shows to us, John sees the need to be obligated to showing forgiveness and to freeing people by demonstrating forgiveness. This challenge is at the heart of life. Why?
Because of the inevitability of conflict and the need for its resolution, if relationship in community is to be sustained. Love needs to be expressed through forgiveness and reconciliation, leading to restoration of fellowship. This is what the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus declares to the Cosmos, to all who would hear.
'To be human is to have differences; to be human wholesomely is to process those differences, not by building up conflicting power claims but by reconciling dialogue. Conflict is socially useful; it forces us to attend to new data from new perspectives. It is useful in interpersonal process; by processing conflict, one learns skills, awareness, trust, and hope. Conflict is useful in intrapersonal dynamics, protecting our concern about guilt and acceptance from being directed inwardly only to our own feelings. The therapy for guilt is forgiveness; the source of self-esteem is another person who takes seriously my restoration to community' (J H Yoder, Body Politics, Herald Press, 2001, p. 8).
This is what is required of Christ’s disciples, of those who are now participators in the divine nature. Conflict with parents, children, siblings, former lovers: we so often wrongly seek to blind ourselves towards or anathematise them. But in Christ’s name, we need to face them with humility, reappraise our Lord’s call to us for investment in ‘the other’, and own a preparedness to change for the better through the resolution of conflict. This is an essential part of our journey.
