Dear Christian friends:

A woman described what happened to her on the bus one morning on the way to work:

"I boarded the bus at my stop and, seeing an empty seat, walked toward it. When I began to sit down another woman bumped me with her shoulder and took my seat while I fell in the aisle. ‘I became very angry and called her an "animal" and other bad names. While I was still feeling angry at the woman's rudeness I also began to feel guilty and ashamed because I had lost control of myself and blew up. But what can I do when someone acts mean like that woman? How can I show love and kindness and right spirit when everywhere I go I meet such wrong behavior? What's wrong with the world? I know that Jesus said we must "turn the other cheek and love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us," but I find it hard to forgive and forget. I feel to get sweet revenge."

We can all agree with this woman's feelings of anger and revenge. I am sure that you also have had similar experiences in your lives. Daily we experience various persons who do wrong against us and make us feel angry and feel to get "sweet revenge."

Perhaps we doubt that Jesus' way is the right way to live in this wicked world. Maybe we should be mean and tough like everyone else.


Can we trust Jesus' Word here in our text? Peter came to Jesus and asked Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Seven times enough? Jesus replied, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." This means that God puts no limits on our duty to forgive others. Peter's question was a very dumb question, as dumb as if he had asked Jesus, "How often shall I breathe?" We cannot live without breathing in air into our lungs. And without forgiveness in our heart we are spiritually dead, estranged from God. "Lord, how often shall we forgive? Seven times enough? I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." This is the Lord's clear and true Word; you can't argue about it or change it: Either you trust it and obey it or you doubt it and live like the world and Satan.

Jesus says that we must become like little children if we want to enter into God's kingdom. Jesus meant that we must be humble and trust God like children trust their parents. We must trust God's Word here that the way to live in this wicked world is with mercy and forgiveness toward those who sin against us. We must not live with hate and revenge for those who do wrong against us. We must trust God that His way is the right way.

Man's failure to trust God is his basic, original sin. All that Adam and Eve needed to do to remain in Paradise was to trust God. It was that easy. "I am your Creator, trust Me, depend on Me, and Paradise is yours," God said to Adam and Eve. But they refused to trust God. The Bible says that they wanted to be like God. They did not want to trust. They did not want to depend on God. They wanted to be boss or God. They wanted control. And so they rebelled. That is the basic sin. And that is also the basic sin in everyone of us. That is why we are not now in Paradise. It is the reason why natural man is estranged from God.

Since Adam and Eve rebelled, God has been working to correct or heal this enmity between Himself and natural man. At last He sent Jesus Christ to us. St. Paul calls Jesus the "Second Adam." (Romans 5:12-21) Jesus did what the first Adam refused to do. Jesus lived in total dependence upon God. The whole Bible history or drama is about this topic: First, Adam refused to trust God, then came Jesus Christ who perfectly trusted God, even accepting the shameful death on the cross, and thereby Jesus opened Paradise again for us. St. Paul writes, "By the offense (sin) of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's (Adam's) disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one(Jesus) many were made righteous." (Romans 5:18-19) Therefore, if we accept Jesus for our Savior, we are reunited with God through the forgiveness of sins and we can trust Him again.

Now, by looking to Jesus on the cross we receive God's love and mercy, and can show mercy and forgiveness to those who do wrong against us. By looking to Jesus we receive faith and trust to pray: "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." (The Lord's Prayer)

Jesus says, "Love your enemies...that you may be children of your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:44) This means: "Don't be the children of Satan who hates and kills and seeks revenge; be the children of God; join God through Jesus in His love, mercy and forgiveness to others!" Trust God's way and you will be walking with Him here in this wicked world, and then He will at last take you to his holy place in Paradise where there is no more wrong doing or hate or revenge, but only love and true glory forever.

In the Garden of Eden, the first Adam made the original, basic mistake, not trusting God, trying to be God. In the Garden of Gethsemane, the second Adam, Jesus, corrected that mistake for us. He prayed, "Father, ---not as I will, but as Thou wilt." Then He went and died on the Cross. And on the Cross He continued to trust His Father in heaven. He prayed for His enemies, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." (Luke 23:34) Praise Jesus for His trust and obedience. He is our beautiful Savior!

May Jesus live in our hearts now so that we can trust God and forgive those who do wrong to us.

Amen.