What does the New Testament say about Forgiveness?
As I was watching the whole uproar over loan forgiveness, a pastor friend shared what was coming up in the lectionary for August 28. If you’re not familiar with the lectionary, the passages are chosen many years in advance. So this isn’t something someone just decided to use to address this issue.
That passage was Luke 14:1; 7-14. Here are vv 12-14 (NRSVue):
12 He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers and sisters or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
So here, in the words of Christ, we are called to invite those who can not afford the banquet to come, and to give to them freely. To provide for those who have need, who are rejected from society, who need help. The host is not to expect repayment. Not in this lifetime. That is literally what this says.
This is a hard word. How many people does this include? How much money does this mean I should spend? How often do I do this? What if they break things?
What if, what if, what if….
Feed them. Feed them. Feed them.
Not after they say a salvation prayer.
Not after they bathe and dress up.
Not after they pay off their loan.
Feed them now. Period.
The theme of loving your neighbor is seen all throughout the New Testament. It is one of the great commands that Christ gives us. It is one of the very first verses we memorize in church The Golden Rule is found in Matthew 7:12:
In everything do to others as you would have them do to you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
This isn’t hyperbole. This isn’t a suggestion. If you’re going to take anything in the Bible literally, it might be good to start here. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
If you had already paid back your initial loan but still owed that amount in interest, you would want someone to forgive it.
If you had to choose between feeding your family/paying rent versus paying the predatory interest on your loan, you would want someone to help you.
If you had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet because the college that gave you those loans was a scam, and didn’t help you earn more, you would want help.
One of the most valued words of the New Testament says that loving our neighbor is the goal. And, in fact, these words about loving others are words we find in most major religions. For the world to function well, we have to love others as we love ourselves.
Loving our neighbor this way means we have to stop and think through what that means. Love others as we love ourselves. There’s some complexity here that forces us to not only look outward but to look inward as well.
How are you doing with loving yourself? I know there are days I’m not great at that. What does it mean to love and care for yourself in a healthy way? For many of us coming out of evangelicalism, we weren’t taught to love ourselves at all. We were taught that it is prideful and selfish and sinful. There’s a difference between loving and accepting yourself and narcissism.
So when we talk about loving ourselves we mean: knowing that we have value, that we’re worthy of love the way we are, that we are deeply loved by others and by God. It is possible to love and value yourself without it turning to a twisted view of misplaced self-righteousness. But it takes intention, vulnerability, and connection.
We are also called to love others. There are lots of things that can get in the way of that. Here are just a few that apply to this particular issue.
A scarcity mindset. The idea that there’s not enough to go around isn’t included in this command. One reason we feel this right now is that there are a small number of people hoarding tremendous amounts of wealth —like more money than you could spend in many lifetimes. When we allow this kind of imbalance to continue, we perpetuate this problem.
A supremacy mindset. The idea that only certain people deserve what they need isn’t included in this command. We are humans. Humans need to eat, have shelter, and have clothing. And in today’s world, humans need healthcare and the internet. These aren’t things only certain people deserve, these are things we need to live.
A denial mindset. Denial is a river in Egypt is one of those funny puns I actually get. And I think it fits here. We’re in denial that life on planet earth is getting worse in some ways. Pandemic, climate disasters, food and supply shortages - all these things are easier to deal with if we just deny them. But when we do that it’s really hard to tap into our creative natures to work to solve them. Denying that these loans were deeply unfair and harmful, and that we allowed it to happen, is much easier than cleaning up the mess. But in doing that, we deny our neighbor. We banish the other behind a screen of fear and anger when, if we would engage the problem, we can find meaningful solutions.
I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I need to remember, and I think it helps us all to remember, that we’re all interconnected. There isn’t any way to live my life without affecting the lives of those around me. And forgiveness is an essential part of making this human experiment work. Anger and hatred, when unpaired from forgiveness, lead to destruction. Forgiveness can be really, really hard work. But, when we practice forgiveness, whether personal, corporate, or through loan repayment, we shorten the gap between ourselves and our neighbor.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.