Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

1. Human community is to be constituted and maintained by forgiveness and reconciliation instead of violence and threat of violence. Only the judgers are judged.

The explicit teaching of Jesus and the sign of the crucifixion and resurrection demonstrates that a new fundamental principal is affirmed.

After the crucifixion, Jesus does not retaliate against the disciples who failed him or even those who put him to death. Jesus' prayer is, "Forgive them." Instead, he comes to usher in by the Holy Spirit a forgiven and reconciled community. That community, shedding its fear, goes so far as to invite even those who condemned Jesus.

The practice of reciprocal revenge stops with Jesus. The crucifixion and resurrection does not evoke God's wrath, but God's invitation into a new way of life.

Jesus' teaching, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount, makes plain that we are not to return evil for evil, but return good for evil. Jesus calls on his followers to love even rivals and enemies. These are remarkable commandments.

While it is true, that much of human society appears to function on peaceable agreement, this is in some way an illusion based on relatively calm circumstances. It is also a consequence of persons in communities wishing to avoid shame and judgment. While it may be that people behave well without explicit, violent coercion, the threat of punishment stands at the back of civil society.

The new community, into which Jesus invites us, is the beloved community in which the goal of reconciliation replaces the pursuit of retaliation.

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