You can't spell forgiving without 'giv(e)'

Seeing as it is Friday, it seems appropriate to use our bible passage for the week, John 21 as my daily blog. I'm really looking forward to how this will play out with my small group tonight, although it is a kind of confusing example of forgiveness, it offers us an insight into the purity of the type of forgiveness Jesus espouses, and how far short every single one of us falls, yes everyone.

The first thing that stands out to me in this passage is that Jesus does not imply forgiveness with just a few words, he translates this into action, by not only giving the disciples the fish that they had been laboring for, but also by eating breakfast with them. How passively we can say 'I forgive you', but going the extra mile and showing this in our actions can feel like an insurmountable goal. Say for example you took someone you loved to to the top of a bridge to show them the beautiful view and they pushed you off. Assuming you survived, how likely would you be to invite them to that same place again? Offbeat example I know, but sometimes people tend to push our limits constantly, until eventually we want to push back. Finding the path to forgiveness when our patience is beyond tried can be frustrating to say the least.

I've noticed that this is a nation not big on forgiveness. We are gung-ho about suing constantly, and many support the death penalty with a fervor that borders on sick. Pedophilia is prime example of just how hard it can be to forgive someone. Jesus tells us it is better to tie a millstone around our neck than to cause one of these little ones to sin. It is perfectly natural and just to abhor the act of defaming the children of God like this, but is not justice ultimately in the hand of God? I began reading a book about the catholic church over break, and while it disgusts me how perverse its quiet support of pedophilia has become, seeking vengeance without forgiveness will do little to heal scars.

Moving on, the exchange between Jesus and Peter in verses 15-17 is really one of the most touching in all of the new Testament, I feel. As Jesus asks Peter 3 times if his love is really sincere, and not in the cliche-movie style we see everywhere today, you can almost feel Peter's heart breaking, as if his best friend did not believe his words. After the rather cryptic answer in verse 18, Jesus proffers the words that each one of us need to remember, when forgiveness seems like a bankrupt word and we have none of it left; "Follow me."