Not on the Menu

We're progressive. Maybe not politically. Some are and some aren't. But in so many other ways. We're "movin' on." We're "movin' up." Better and better. So today we can offer technology and pleasantries that our parents never even imagined. Quite a menu of delights.

It is inevitable, however, that when we progress we leave things behind. Progress means there are new things available, but it also generally means that old things are no longer on the menu. So, going with technology for illustration, we used to have refrigerators that lasted decades. We used to have televisions that you repaired rather than tossed. We used to have solid technology. Now we've arrived at disposable technology. That refrigerator, that TV, that computer ... when it gives us a problem we replace it. Fixing it is difficult and, most likely, impossible. "I'm sorry," they'll tell you, "we don't support that anymore." Movin' on; movin' up. But technology was just an example. It's everywhere -- all aspects of life. We think differently, see things differently, want different things, have different opinions, and so on. In not much more than a decade we went from "Homosexual behavior is not a good thing" to "You're a hateful being if you don't think it's wonderful." "I think it is a sin" is no longer on the menu. In some places that once made such behavior illegal they are now making the belief that it's wrong illegal.

In this rush to progress, there is another important item that we appear to have moved beyond. Jesus taught His disciples, "If you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt 6:14-15). He told Peter to forgive "seventy-seven times" (Matt 18:22) and went on to tell about the serious consequences of failing to forgive (Matt 18:23-35). Not us. Like so many other aspects of God's Word, we've laid the concept of forgiveness up against the tide of popular opinion -- "what we know to be true" -- and found it wanting. It's a nice idea, maybe, but not very desirable, practical, or even doable. So when this guy gets accused of that transgression, lots of things may happen, but forgiveness is not one of them. When this politician is found to have made a remark 15 years ago that didn't offend anyone back then but certainly does now, forgiveness is not one of the options. Canceled, removed, imprisoned, impoverished for life ... we have a lot of possibilities on our menu to choose from, but "forgive" isn't one.

Now, I get it. The illustration that Jesus gave was of a servant whose debt was forgiven, but then failed to forgive others. If you aren't forgiven much, you may not be very willing to forgive. If you don't know the forgiveness that Christ offers, you may not be very generous with forgiving others. If you see yourself as forgiven, but only for "little things," I get that forgiveness isn't a priority for you. I'm not talking to those people. I'm talking to you believers. I'm talking to you who, like me, believe God's Word. I'm speaking to you who find Christ's death on your behalf to be a great joy and Christ's righteousness laid on you in place of your sin really good news. For you and me, forgiveness isn't an option. It isn't a nicety. It is mandatory. But it also should come from the heart -- be natural (Luke 7:47). Maybe forgiveness is not on our society's menu anymore. It certainly ought to be on ours.