SEPT. 11, 2005 PASTOR SCOTT FULLER
GEN 50:15-21; PS 103:1-13; ROMANS 14:1-12; MT 18:21-35
Forgiveness
Prepare our hearts, Lord, to receive your Word. Silence in us any voice but your own that in hearing we believe and in believing we obey your will revealed to us in Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The story of Joseph from our first lesson for today is, in some ways, the best expression of forgiveness in the entire Old Testament. The few verses we see printed on the back of the bulletin are just the end of a story that began some 13 chapters earlier. So in order to better understand the significance of Joseph’s words to his brothers here, let’s review the events of his life.
Can anyone tell us what we first hear about Joseph: how old he is, what kind of a person he is, what his brothers think of him?
-arrogant, spoiled seventeen year old (37:2); When his brothers saw that their father loved Joseph the most, the hated him (37:4).
What are some struggles that he encounters?
-brothers sell him into slavery and tell their father that he died
-Potiphar’s wife accuses him of sexual misconduct; imprisoned (10+ years).
How does he get out of prison?
-he interprets dreams for royal servant, baker and, ultimately, Pharaoh
What happens to re-unite Joseph with his brothers?
-famine, brothers travel from Israel to buy grain, don’t recognize Joseph
How does their “reunion” go?
-after tests of integrity, honesty, sacrifice, Joseph reveals himself and promises he’s forgiven his brothers (ch. 45).
Eventually, Joseph’s father, Jacob, and his entire household are brought to Egypt due to the famine. It is a tear-filled reunion when this son, whom Jacob had thought was dead, turns out to be alive and, on top of that, the very source of their people’s salvation because of his work with Pharaoh.
That brings us to our lesson for today. The brothers have been living in Joseph’s care and forgiveness for some seventeen years. Now their father has died and the brothers are worried about…What? -guilt for their actions, frightened of payback…
Isn’t that amazing? In spite of Joseph’s promise that he has forgiven them; in spite of his confession of trust that God caused something good to come out of their evil; and in spite of 17 years of faithfulness to that forgiveness, still the brothers aren’t sure if Joseph really means it.
What does that say about our ability to “forgive and forget?”
That forgiving is very hard…and that forgetting is almost impossible. As the old saying goes, To err is human…(to forgive is divine). Yet even though it cuts against our very nature to do so, to forgive is, in no uncertain terms, God’s message for us today. Hear again Jesus’ concluding words, So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart (Mt. 18:35).
Yet how are we supposed to forgive when the hurt runs too deep? How can we make forgiveness real in our lives? Where can we go for help?
Well, we can pray about it, practice forgiveness, persist in our practice and pen up our desire for revenge - but those things can only take us so far. Ultimately, the best thing we can do is permit God’s love to work on our hearts. For that is the only true source of help.
From the O. T. story of Joseph and his brothers to Jesus’ parable about the king and the debtors to the deep seated pain in your life and mine, the only thing that can help us forgive, is Love. God’s love. God’s unfettered, undeserved, undemanding, all encompassing, all empowering, all cleansing love.
In the movie Meet Joe Black, Anthony Hopkins plays William Parrish, a man who is visited by…Death. Now, the Grim Reaper usually wears a black hood and scary scythe. But in this movie, Death comes in the form of… Brad Pitt. As one critic said in her review of the film, What a way to go!
Well, Death is there to claim William’s soul, but he’s intrigued by what life is all about. So Death makes a bargain: he’ll allow Mr. Parrish to live as long as he find’s the man’s life interesting. Well, with Death ever present, William sees with new eyes his relationships, his identity, his work. In one poignant scene with his oldest daughter, Allison, we are treated to a moment of truth and forgiveness. Allison is a bit of a twit, anxious about life’s little details, all the things that really don’t matter in the long run. His younger daughter is more like him, cool, calm and collected.
In an intimate conversation, Allison names a lingering pain. She knows, has known for years, that her father loves her younger sister more. He tries to disagree, but she hushes his false protest by saying, “That’s O.K. because I love you and I know that you love me too.”
Forgiveness is always a challenge. It’s a little easier if someone confesses their wrong and asks to be pardoned. It’s harder if they refuse to admit their guilt. It’s hardest, I think, when they don’t even see the pain that they’ve caused. But still we are called to trust that God’s love will help us forgive.
It helped Joseph forgive his brothers: You tried to harm me, but God meant it for good. It helped Jesus pray as they nailed him to the cross: Father forgive them for they don’t know what they’re doing. And it will help us as we pray, practice, persist, pen up our desire for revenge and permit God’s love to work on our hearts. Amen.