The circumstance of the scribes and elders reminds us not to judge ourselves as better than others. We also need to remember the concrete and literal message of the story: the Lord forgives us. Although, through baptism our sins have been forgiven, “One baptism for the forgiveness of sins,” our sins do weigh heavy upon us. For our own spiritual growth, we need to remember forgiveness is not a static, one time event; we find consolation and solace in being forgiven repeatedly, as we sin somewhat consistently and constantly.
This idea of not judging, not condemning others becomes difficult when we consider the global stage. War requires one or more of the players to judge themselves as ‘right’ and ‘better than’ the other players. If they did not, they would not feel justified in killing other humans.
To respond to war come and killing and terrorism, we ourselves take sides; it is sometimes necessary in order to decide on useful and appropriate action. While we vehemently disagree with the killing, we can avoid falling into this cycle and pit of judgment and condemnation if we forgive those we believe wrong at the outset. When we do so, our action is grounded in mercy and compassion, not anger and frustration.
Perhaps “One baptism for the forgiveness of sins” also means that our baptism bestows upon us the grace to forgive the sins of others.
© 2016 Marilyn MacArthur, all rights reserved
Writing to Pray 