If Forgiveness Was a Person
Dear church,
On Sunday, I preached a message on forgiveness from Matthew chapter 5 where Jesus announces a blessing:
“Blessed are the merciful for they shall be known mercy.”
Forgiveness, as the world understands forgiveness, doesn’t make sense. The world’s definition of forgiveness means that we absolve someone of their actions. It means we excuse their poor behavior. It means that we declare what they have done to us as something we now have accepted.
To be absolutely clear, this is not biblical forgiveness. Biblical forgiveness involves showing mercy and compassion towards someone when we are in a position to judge or punish. In a world where the echoes of pain often drown out the whispers of grace, forgiveness emerges as a profound act of defiance against darkness. Forgiveness is a legal transaction where you give up your right for retribution and turn it over to the feet of Jesus Christ. It removes you from the previous transaction that caused hurt and left wounds.
Jesus is the ultimate example of forgiveness. Throughout the Gospels, we see multiple instances where he extended forgiveness, mercy, and compassion when He was in a position to judge or punish. Outside of Jesus Christ Himself, if forgiveness could be embodied by the life of a person in modern history, that person would be one Corrie Ten Boom. I admire and love the life Corrie Ten Boom lived. But I confess, I’m not sure I’d want to live her life.
Mercy, as Corrie exemplified, transcends mere words; it is a transformative force that reshapes hearts and minds. Corrie understood mercy not as a passive sentiment, but as a dynamic expression of compassion and forgiveness, even in the face of overwhelming injustice. Her family's courageous efforts to shelter Jews during the Holocaust, risking their own safety, epitomized this radical embodiment of mercy when judgment loomed large.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Corrie Ten Boom’s place in history allow me to briefly introduce her to you. Corrie ten Boom was born in 1892, in Haarlem, Netherlands. She was a remarkable woman whose life was defined by courage, faith, and a profound commitment to forgiveness. Raised in a Christian family, Corrie was the youngest of four children. Her father, Casper ten Boom, was a watchmaker, and her family lived above his shop.
Growing up in the Netherlands, Corrie's family was deeply involved in social work and charitable activities, regularly opening their home to those in need. Their home became a hub of activity, offering a safe haven for Jews and members of the Dutch resistance during World War II.
When the Nazis occupied the Netherlands during World War II, the ten Boom family became actively involved in the Dutch underground resistance movement, using their home to hide and shelter Jewish refugees and others hunted by the Nazis. Eventually, their activities were discovered, and on February 28, 1944, the Gestapo raided their home, arresting Corrie, her father, her sister Betsie, and several others.
Corrie and her family were sent to various concentration camps, including Ravensbrück, where her beloved sister Betsie tragically died. Despite the horrors she endured, Corrie's faith remained steadfast, and she continued to share the message of God's love and forgiveness with her fellow prisoners.
After the war, Corrie returned to the Netherlands and dedicated her life to sharing her experiences and spreading a message of forgiveness and reconciliation. She traveled extensively, speaking about her time in the concentration camps and the power of forgiveness. Corrie authored several books, including her best-selling autobiography "The Hiding Place," which detailed her family's efforts to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. I cannot recommend her book highly enough. It is a must-read, in my opinion, for any follower of Jesus Christ.
The crucible of Nazi concentration camps tested Corrie's understanding of mercy to its limits. Amidst unspeakable horrors, she bore witness to the unfathomable depths of God's mercy, a sustaining presence in the bleakest of circumstances. In her memoir Corrie recounts the harrowing journey of forgiveness she embarked upon, including the pivotal moment when confronted with the opportunity to extend grace to one of her former captors. Through tears and trembling, she embraced the call of Ephesians 4:32 NIV,
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
The reasons Corrie articulated for showing mercy resonate with an eternal truth deeply embedded in the fabric of human experience. Firstly, she recognized that the boundless mercy of God towards us serves as a compelling impetus to extend the same to others. Corrie's unshakeable faith in God's relentless love and forgiveness fueled her capacity to forgive. As we embrace what Christ has done for us, it fuels our capacity to forgive others.
Forgiveness also combats resentment, the poison used by the enemy of our soul. Despite enduring unimaginable atrocities at the hands of her oppressors, she adamantly refused to succumb to bitterness. Instead, she chose forgiveness as a pathway to personal liberation, echoing the wisdom of Proverbs 17:9 NIV,
"Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends."
Perhaps the most convicting and challenging lesson Corrie embodied was that she embraced the humbling reality of her own need for forgiveness. In the aftermath of war, she embarked on a global mission of reconciliation, traveling the world to share her message of forgiveness and healing. One poignant anecdote from her life is when she encountered one of her former guards at a speaking engagement that Shirley Oudeans spoke about in a recent communion meditation during a recent service at our church. The initial shock and discomfort melted away in the warm embrace of forgiveness, illustrating the transformative power of grace and redemption.
Corrie Ten Boom's life stands as a timeless testament to the transformative power of forgiveness. Her unwavering commitment to mercy, rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, continues to inspire and challenge generations.
Sunday’s message was hard. It was difficult to deliver as I wrestled with the implications of the command in my own life. And I’m sure it may have been difficult to receive. As you and I navigate the complexities of our own lives, may we draw strength and inspiration from Corrie’s remarkable example, extending mercy and forgiveness to those around us, just as we have received from our gracious God.
As we prayed on Sunday…may we be merciful to others and may God have mercy on our own souls.
If you have a relationship where you are struggling to extend forgiveness I’d like to pray for you.
Email me at pastorpudi@gmail.com or text me at (541) 530-4912.
Blessings,
Pastor Daniel
