Forgiveness: Too High And Difficult A Virtue? | Matthew 18:21-35 | Rev. John Arnold

This week, our usual Sunday evening service coincided with the beginning of Yom Kippur, the biblical Day of Atonement. On this day, people across the Jewish world read from the Scroll of Jonah, reminding themselves of the centrality of repentance in their walk with God. This centrality of repentance is not only tangible throughout the BIble but echoes throughout the New Testament. However, how often are we told by the world that forgiveness is contemptible? CS Lewis famously remarked, "it is not that people think this too high and difficult a virtue: it is that they think it hateful and contemptible." Turning to our Gospel reading in Matthew about the Unfaithful Servant, it is made perfectly clear that if we do not forgive, we will not be forgiven. In this week's sermon, John Arnold highlights the stark difference between the world's view of forgiveness and that of God's view, linking it back to demonstrate how we can see the fingerprints of this dichotomy in the traditional Jonah readings for Yom Kippur. Readings: Leviticus 23:26-32 •Isaiah 57:14-58:14 • Matthew 18:21-35 👉🏼 Blessed by our teachings? Consider saying thank you with a small (or large) donation. www.christchurchjerusalem.org/donate/ 
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