Voice of the Day: 'he forgives us all'
Many find Jesus’ teaching on enemy love and forgiveness a stumbling block to faith. Because we find it too difficult to practice, we dismiss it as unrealistic and utopian. We should think again, and we should pray that it is not unrealistic, because this congruence of Jesus—the consistency between his teaching on forgiveness and his action on the cross—is really our only hope. It is all that stands between us and the consequences of our monumental frailty. Thank God today that Jesus died as he lived, because with those words, “Father, forgive...” he forgives us all, and he forgives us still.
Peter Storey
Listening at Golgotha: Jesus’ Words from the Cross
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Jesus also said, "Father, why have you forsaken me?" on the cross. I would compare Akiva's execution to Jesus's.
It has always seemed to me to be a very conditional form of love and forgiveness. At least as it has been presented to me that one has to accept Jesus as my saviour in order to be forigven.
Posted by: Susan | January 13, 2008 7:51 AM
I am interested in others' thoughts on this question, related to universal forgiveness:
Does a Literalist Interpretation of Hell Scriptures Foster Un-Islamic, Un-Christian or Un-Jewish Attitudinal Cruelty?
Here are two scripture passages I am pondering, with that query in mind:
Christian Sripture
(I do not know whether this parable reflects Jewish beliefs regarding Hell, either at the time of Jesus or more generally.):
"In hell, where he was in torment, [a rich and uncharitable man] looked up and saw Abraham far away, with [a poor beggar named] Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'
"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.
"And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'"
-- Jesus of Nazareth
Gospel of Luke 16: 23-26
(Bible translation: New International Version)
Muslim Scripture:
A veil will divide the blessed from the damned. The damned will cry out to the blessed, "Give us some water. Pour upon us some of the water that God has given you." But the blessed will reply, "God has forbidden water to unbelievers—to those who regard their religion as a hobby, as an idle pastime, and are seduced by the life of this world.
On that day we shall ignore them, as they ignored that day; they rejected our revelations.
-- Qur'an, Al-A'raf, Surah 7:50-51
David Hoffman
humanitycheck@earthlink.net
January 14, 2008
Posted by: David Hoffman | January 14, 2008 1:11 PM
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