Investigating the Bible: Empty the trash basket

By DAVID CARLSON PASTOR

Journalist John Stossel interviewed Eva Kor, a survivor of the holocaust and Auschwitz. She and her sister had been test subjects of Dr. Josef Mengele when they were only 10 years old. Eva was used as a guinea pig to learn how much blood a person could lose and still live. Somehow, both Eva and her sister survived; however, her parents and other family members all died in the camp.

For years she hated Nazis, but then she changed.

Stossel asked Eva about this. She explained, “I forgive everybody. A victim feels hurt, hopeless, helpless, and powerless. A victim never has a choice.” Stossel responded: “You have a choice. You could be furious.” She asked: “Will that help me? Will it make my life better?” A Stanford University professor who studied revenge supports her question. He found that seeking revenge “… makes you much more likely to have heart disease. It increases your risk of stress-related disorders…Wanting to hurt somebody is like pouring Drano into your insides.” The Bible offers guidance on revenge.

Jesus set a challenging standard when “…Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22; English Standard Version unless noted.) Jewish laws of that day required that forgiveness be offered three times. The number seven for Hebrews was the standard number for completeness, equivalent to the number 10 in our time. Jesus expanded this to a number beyond reasonable tracking efforts. Forgiveness for others should not have limits.

How can a person have this wellspring of mercy? Jesus followed his instruction to Peter on forgiveness with the parable of the unforgiving servant. In his story, the servant somehow was responsible for a massive debt to his master of 10,000 talents. The ESV Study Bible said this would be equal today to $6 billion! When the servant begged on his knees, his master forgave him all this debt. Later, this same servant had a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii, which was equal to about $1,200.

“So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’” (Matthew 18:29). The forgiven servant refused and had the man thrown in prison. All this was reported to the master, who summoned him and said, “…You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.” (Matthew 18:32-35). The source of forgiveness for others in our own forgiveness from God.

David, the King of Israel, recognized his great sin when he committed adultery and murder. He prayed: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from sin! ... Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:1-2, 10-11).

The apostle Paul wrote: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32). In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus gave believers, he included this forgiveness principle: “…and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.” (Matthew 6:12, New Matthew Bible).

A four-year-old boy decided he’d make an attempt at reciting the Lord’s Prayer which he had heard in church. He got one of the words wrong when he said, “And forgive us our trash baskets,” he asked, “as we forgive those who trash basket against us.” There’s truth in his error.

Mr. Pastor (yes, that is his last name, not his profession) is a Polk County resident and graduate of Bethel Theological Seminary in Minnesota (M.Div., M.Th.).