Meet Me in Galilee

Last Sabbath I had my first sermon in Kamantian.I talked about the importance of forgiveness, and related the story of Darold Bigger, pastor/teacher at Walla Walla, whose daughter was raped and murdered. As a pastor he knew it was important to forgive, he was aware of texts like Matthew 6:14,15 which say, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive your sins.”

However when he was in the courtroom and he looked into the cold and indifferent face of the killer, he realized that he could not forgive him! He had seen the forensic photos that showed the tortured last minutes of his daughters life on earth, and he could only imagine her unanswered cries for help. How could he possibly forgive, yet as a pastor he knew that this was his duty.

This internal mental turmoil of grief, anger, and awareness of biblical responsibility lead him to do a study on forgiveness. With a team of researchers and financial backing from Loma Linda, Darold and his team researched the benefits of forgiveness. Through this process he was led to Galilee.

He was profoundly impacted by the way Jesus extended forgiveness to Peter. On the night of the last supper Jesus told his disciples that all would fall away because of him, but that after his resurrection He would meet them in Galilee. To this Peter replied, “Even if all others fall away on account of you, I never will...even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you” (Matt 26: 33,35). But before the night was over Jesus saw one of his best friends (Peter) vehemently deny him at the time when he could have used a friend the most. Peter's inability to stand crushed his own spirit and he “wept bitterly”.

However when Jesus was resurrected the message he imparted to Mary, through the angels was, “tell His disciples and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He said unto you.” Jesus specifically names Peter. “Since the death of Christ, Peter had been bowed down with remorse” (Desire of Ages 485). By calling Peter by name Jesus not only showed that He had forgiven him, the forgiveness extended to Peter also enabled Peter to forgive himself.

For Darold this story was profound because it shows that we are not the ones that do the forgiving. Darold said he could not forgive the man that raped his daughter. But the forgiveness that Jesus extends, reaches beyond us if we will allow His forgiveness to reach those we have been wronged by. All we have to do is meet Jesus in Galilee, “His grace is sufficient, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor 12:9) Forgiveness come from God, not from us and is initiated by Him not by us. Forgiveness is God's gift, not our work.

As I was relating this story the little church in Kamantian began to get pummeled with a torrential rain. The rain pounded so loud that despite my best impersonation of a loud baptist preacher the words I was saying were not reaching the back. We stopped for a little while and then resumed.

Forgiveness is God's means of healing. Author and pastor, Dennis Smith says, “When we don't forgive and choose not to release the anger and bitterness that we feel, it is like drinking poison and then waiting for the other person to die” (Deliverance). That's not to say there is never a place for anger, there is such a thing as righteous indignation. The bible says, “In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold” (Eph 4:26-27). Its good to hate sin, we can be angry at rape and disease, but if our anger gives way to bitterness we drink a concoction that only harms ourselves. We know that Satan walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 4:8). And when we have been hurt, emotionally, physically or spiritually, this is especially when we can expect Satan to attack. Darold Bigger in his research has found that forgiveness is a powerful elixir for physical, emotional, and spiritual disease. Dennis Smith reports that, “Health professionals say that 80% of diseases have an emotional and spiritual root cause” (Deliverance).

I have also heard it said that 99% of all statistics are false. I don't know how we come to such set in stone numbers, but I do know that hardships and trials come to everyone from time to time. Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33) “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith” (1 Jn 5:4). When the rain comes and discouragement besets us, we may “weep bitterly” like Peter. However the restoration and forgiveness that was offered to Peter is also offered to us. We also can choose to meet Jesus in Galilee.