I’ve recently been studying the historical events that transpired between the Old and New Testaments (also known as the Intertestamental Period or Second Temple Judaism). This study has been motivated by the desire to have a clearer image of the context in which Jesus ministered during his short lifetime. This time period was nothing short of chaos and the relentless flexing of human,imperial muscle.
During this time period Israel went from being under Babylonian control, to Persian control, to Greek control, to Hasmonean control, to Roman control all within a few centuries. There were many battles and many lives lost because of human hunger for power.
In fact, there was a particular time period that Israel suffered terrible injustice. One Seleucid ruler (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) slaughtered tens of thousands of Jews because they rejoiced about a rumor that he died in battle (he was essentially trying to eliminate Judaism altogether). There was even a great deal of internal fighting among the Jews themselves. This difficult time created unprecedented tension, bitterness, resentment, a sense of injustice, pain, and desire for retaliation among the Jewish people. It was in the midst of this climate that Jesus showed up and started telling everyone that the key to the Kingdom of God was repentance and forgiveness.
I can’t help but think that this is the message that American needs more than ever today: repentance and forgiveness. As I follow the news from afar (living in Haiti), and reading about rioting and racial tension and injustice, my heart groans for my own people to repent and forgive. As I’m living among a people who have suffered arguably more injustice than almost any nation on the planet, this prayer is one close to my heart.
One of the issues that arises with the call to repent and forgive is that people didn’t like hearing this. There was one instance in which Peter asked Jesus, “How many times should I forgive?” Imagine Peter’s context for a moment. Image Peter, a first-century Jew who has suffered tremendous injustice at the hands of political rulers and religious leaders, one who has been wronged over and over again, asking Jesus, “How much injustice must I suffer! Certainly you’re not suggesting to forgive the Romans?!” Jesus’ response was perfect, “Seventy times seven!” (Matthew 18:21–22) In other words, Jesus was saying, “never refuse forgiveness!”
The message is the same today as it was two thousand years ago: the key to healing, the key to reconciliation and moving forward is repentance and forgiveness. For the wronged and for those who wrong, the key is forgiveness and repentance.
The concept is brutally simple, but devastatingly difficult. Do you know why it’s so hard, but at the same time so effective? Because it requires humility. Forgiveness and apology require us to deflate our ego; not only to deflate our ego, but to deflate our ego in front of our enemies, those who have caused us injustice, and say, “I forgive”.
This makes perfect sense. It makes sense because the bottom-line is that the problem behind the problems during Jesus’ historical context and the problem of our context today is human pride. It stands to argue that the solution is doing away with pride and ego and considering others better than ourselves.
