“Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:3-5)

In these troubling days of political unrest, many have trouble with the issue of forgiveness. Many feel that something someone is doing to us or to someone else is unforgivable. Many have thought “I can’t forgive that person. He or she did something that was unpardonable. That person is beyond even the forgiveness and mercy of God.” They may well be for those who commit what we deem to be the most heinous crimes often have such a high view or their own superiority coupled with a low regard for the value of human life that it is clear they have hardened their hearts toward God.

And yet as Jesus teaches He tells us that only those who repent can be truly be forgiven, we must be ready to forgive everyone just as God is, even those guilty of the vilest of sins. And in addition we should pray for that person to repent and desire it just as He does. If God can forgive sinners then we must also. And we have to forgive over and over again as long as it is necessary.

The disciples were startled by what Jesus said about forgiveness. They knew how difficult it was to forgive as God does. It is quite difficult, nearly impossible for human beings for we are so sensitive and easily hurt. We demand justice and revenge. This is why the disciples asked for more faith, more power, to do this. Jesus told them that faith involves trusting Him to accomplish the impossible. They were to submit the matter of forgiveness to God, trusting Him to do through them what they could not.

Once they did forgive, however, they were not to think that they have done anything special, or that they should be proud of themselves. They had only done their duty. Forgiveness is the duty of every Christian. God has canceled an enormous debt of sin for each of us. We have no right to withhold forgiveness of a debt which is minuscule in comparison. So as we consider the words of Jesus, we must remember how much we have been forgiven. Then we can approach and challenge those who offend us to repent, and we can do so with humility and compassion.