Let’s Get Healed - A Reflection on Matthew 18:21-19:1

 

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.

Of all the things that God asks us to do, forgiving people who have hurt us is probably the hardest. Part of the reason for this is because the wounds that people cause are often very deep. When they hurt us repeatedly, the wounds get deeper and deeper, and the pain just makes us want to hurt them back. I guess this is understandable, but unfortunately for us, this doesn’t bring healing to the wounds. On the contrary, they begin to fester, and like a virus, they infect the mind, the spirit, the body, and ultimately the soul.  

So, what does one do? Well, wounds to the heart are pretty much like wounds to the body. If we graze our elbow against a rough wall and get a few scratches, a little massage to the affected area will ease the pain and in a few moments it is forgotten. If we cut a finger slightly while chopping onions we apply a little antiseptic, put on a bandaid, and in a couple of days the finger is as good as new. But if we suffer from serious injury, like a deep gash to the thigh, we’d be fools to self medicate. Yes? So what do we do?

We go to a doctor, who examines the wound, asks us a few questions, then cleans it, dresses it, bandages it, prescribes some medicine before sending us off with instructions to come and see him again in a couple of days. And we continue with treatment until the wound is healed. Eventually even the scars fade away. Emotional wounds are like that. Some are mild. Say a joke cracked at our expense. It stings, but we have forgotten it in moments. Some are not so mild. Somebody loses his temper and says something in heated anger, and this hurts, but is forgotten in a couple of days. 

Some wounds however, are deep. We can’t self-medicate. We need to go to the doctor. And who is the doctor? Well, it’s Jesus. He’s never been called The Good Doctor, but that is what he is. And like a good doctor, he will ask us about how it happened. We tell him, instead of keeping it bottled up in our hearts. Then he will treat it, showering us with the tenderness he is famous for. Then he will prescribe medication, which requires us to forgive our offender. Then he tells us to keep coming to see him until the wound is healed. And eventually it WILL be healed. If we are lucky, even the memory of the pain will disappear. But nothing will happen until we go to the doctor.

Let us go to Jesus today, and even though it might hurt to bring painful memories to the surface, let us do that, because otherwise the wounds will only fester and mess us up completely. Once we expose our wounds to Jesus, then he can bring the healing we so desperately need. And even as he starts the process of healing, let us make conscious efforts not to hurt others. We often forget the pain WE cause other people. They hurt too, you know, just like we do. And if we all start doing this, this world might actually be a better place to live in than it is right now. Yes?

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/i0Ug6-ooSTY