Sin and Forgiveness
A couple thoughts I had when reading today’s chapter (Matthew 18) —
Jesus teaches about what to do if someone sins against you, and then what to do if they are unrepentant about their sin. He says to treat them as you would a pagan (someone who doesn’t know God) or a tax collector (considered probably the most sinful job of the time). So, question: How did Jesus treat pagans and tax collectors? If you want a hint, you can check out this, or this, or this, or this.
Jesus teaches that we should forgive those who sin against us, which sounds great, but the thing that makes it difficult are the last three words of His’ teaching. Jesus says you should forgive “from your heart.” Why did He have to add that? ‘Cause I’ve found that it’s pretty easy to go through the motions of forgiveness, but that “from the heart” crap? That’s just a bit more difficult.