In my final year of University I studied at a film school in Finland. The aim was to come home having produced a short film. For our film we needed some shots in cellar, we went all out Scandi thriller! We found a cellar that worked and spent several long days filming down there. As will most things in Finland it was pretty clean other than getting a bit dusty I wouldn’t have described it at dirty. However I was pretty shocked when I got home from the first day’s shoot, I sneezed and realised that the tissue was covered in soot, the same happened when I coughed. We realised that those little particles had been in the air all day and though they weren’t noticeable to us they had infiltrated our air ways. I had a similar issue on the London underground but that can wait for another day!

The problem

Unforgiveness is pervasive. Unforgiveness is not just an attitude it ends up being the very air we breathe. We might think we’re not holding of someone in unforgiveness but then another situation causes us to see that the bitterness is still there, we cough and the tissue is covered in soot. But joy of joys forgiveness can also be the air we breathe, forgiveness can be pervasive, it can reach all the places in our hearts and the world where we would never expect forgiveness to reach.

I love the way that Jesus calls the church to be modellers of the power of forgiveness. And goodness doesn’t the world need it. The racial tensions of 2020 have shown us the deep need in the world AND in the church for reconciliation to be taken seriously, for as the prophet Amos said for ‘justice to flow like rivers’. As the world stands more divided than ever, the church is being called to keep living out the kingdom values and solutions.

So what’s Jesus’ solution here. Well in this passage we see Jesus explaining the specifics of forgiveness and then he tells a parable to show the overarching principle.

In verse 15-20 he instructs believers to deal with issues quickly and privately. This is the classic passage that anyone who says I need to do ‘matthew 18 with you’ is referring to. If anyone says that to you, run! I’m joking! Jesus says if we need to address a sin with someone, there’s a need to challenge someone we are first off to do that one to one. Let’s just think about how radical that is for a minute. When was the last time you knew you needed to address something with someone and without delay you went and sought them out? I mean I think for most of us the story would go more like…we need to address something, firstly ignore said issue, maybe someone else will deal with it, stew for at least two day, talked to a couple of people about your frustration, write passive aggressive email and or text message, don’t press send, save to draft, reread, stew some more. Decide that maybe you don’t need to address it, stew in your own resentment and bitterness for 4 years. Ok that sounds dramatic but seriously, is this only me?! Jesus says go, just go. Go and speak to the person and what’s more do it between the two of you.

I went to a great communications class led by a guy called Paul Scanlon who is a speaker and used to lead a church in Bradford. He was sharing the worst mistakes he’d made while speaking, which first off was a very brave and inspiring thing to do. One of his points was ‘ranting at a few I have a problem with but making everyone listen’ – he spoke about how rather than deal with issues face to face he would weave his individual rebuke into public talks. What struck me when I heard this was how this is the way the whole world operates! From personal facebook pages to politicians backstabbing their colleagues on breakfast Tv the way we deal with issues is to go straight to the public flogging or the more passive aggressive tactic of writing a facebook post aimed at a particular person’s behaviour without ever naming them, because you know, that would be unchristian right?!

Again Jesus says no, go to that person speak to them. He then get us to bring others along if this strategy doesn’t work but the focus of that is always reconciliation not humiliation or group pressure The end goal is that all parties can stand forgiven and accepted so that they will be able to gather in one spirit together because (verse 20) ‘for when two or three gather in my name, there am I with them’. The aim is to create an environment where God can dwell, a place where no resentments are simmering, where everythings is out in the light.

Jesus finished by answering Peter’s question about how many times we should forgive, with a story about a servant who is let off a huge debt only to treat one of his own debtors cruelly. Jesus doesn’t leave us to work out this parable on our own rather he says  “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” Forgiveness flows from forgiveness. We seek reconciliation, we forgive others because we are recipients of God undeserved, gracious forgiveness. Our lungs have been cleared out by the grace of God so that we can breathe out forgiveness and love to others, if we stay in the cellar and let unforgiveness take roots we are replacing God’s life-giving breath with soot.

Today let’s take a few moments to ask for forgiveness ourselves, let acknowledge how much we are in dire need of God’s forgiveness even in the last hour. Then let’s resolve to search out hearts for where bitterness has taken root and when we are holding on to unforgiveness and let’s choose to be reconciled and made right with one another.