Forgiveness

Paul Tillich, the brilliant Protestant theologian, points out that Jesus says to “the woman who had a bad name in town” (Luke 7:37), “Your sins are forgiven” (47) and “Her sins, her many sins have must been forgiven her or she would not have shown such great love “. He does not say, as most presume, “I forgive you” (Note that she never says a word. She has been silenced by her life experience and only weeps). Somehow this woman “with a bad name in town” had already experienced absolute and divine acceptance! The distinction is important. The woman had already realized a foundational acceptance, a radical forgiveness for who she was beforehand, and that is what allowed her to boldy enter this judgmental company of men. It is not our seeming repentance that leads us to love and change, but it is being absolutely loved despite our inadequacy that leads us to grow, risk, and change. We always put the cart before the horse, for some sad reason. Absolute, divine, and free acceptance is what Jesus came to announce: Love is the deepest law of all Being, he seems to say, and this foundational Love will always lead to further love.
Rejection of who we are–from God, from others, or from ourselves only leads to stronger ego boundaries of self protection–but not the outpouring of vulnerable love that we see in this woman. We are all hostile and resistant toward any rejection, even from God. Thus it is only absolute and radical forgiveness that ever transforms people deeply. Tillich wisely says that we have largely destroyed the healing power of divine forgiveness by making it “because of” instead of “in spite of”! Divine forgiveness is always in spite of our inadequacy–never because of our perfect realizations, repentance, or response. Such grounding, unconditional, and absolute acceptance from God could still change most peoples’ lives! To help people ACCEPT THAT THEY ARE RADICALLY ACCEPTED is the only real task of Christianity. Without it, low self esteem sems to be polluting just about everything.