Months after the devastation of the September 11th terrorist attacks, a New York City firefighter made a remarkable discovery in the rubble of the twin towers. He found a twisted piece of metal on which was fused a page from the Bible. The heat of the destruction had glued that page right to the metal. Do you know which page from the Bible it was? Matthew 5, including these words from Jesus: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). Powerful words!
Do you think Jesus’ words of forgiveness apply even to the terrorists who carried out those terrible attacks? It sure doesn’t seem like they should, does it? Some people don’t deserve to ever be forgiven, right? Forgiveness and murder should never be mentioned in the same sentence, right? Instead, we want revenge. We want justice. We want the people who do wrong to pay dearly.
Turn the other cheek? Really? It sounds foolish, unless you know Jesus. Reflecting on the 9/11 attacks this month has led me to go back to God’s Word. Please, dear Christian friend, realize that forgiveness is at the heart of the gospel message. As Jesus faced his own death at the hands of blood-thirsty, godless men, remember what he prayed? “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). As the apostle Paul reflected on God’s grace in his life, he wrote, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15).
Chief of sinners though I be, Jesus shed his blood for me. Jesus’ forgiveness is at the heart of Christianity. Forgiveness for people as sinful as me and you. Forgiveness for people as sinful as persecutors and murderers and terrorists. There is power in Jesus’ forgiveness! Power to change hearts. Power to change lives. Maybe God was telling us something with that single Bible page fused to a melted piece of steel: “If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” No matter what you’ve done, no matter what’s been done to you, Jesus died to forgive it. That’s the power of Jesus’ forgiveness!
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