How much would forgiveness cost? How much would we pay to be forgiven? In the middle ages, members of the church in Europe purchased indulgences. Think of them as “get out of jail free” cards for the soul. People paid money to build St. Peter’s Basilica and received a guarantee of forgiveness for future sins. A friend told me that right up through the twentieth-century people still purchased indulgences. How much would we pay? To be clear, we do not sell them at Tallowood.
Esau had threatened to kill Jacob when he defrauded him twice. On his way back home, Jacob would have given all his possessions to receive his brother Esau’s forgiveness. He sent his herds ahead of him as gifts so that his brother’s anger might be appeased. Esau had no interest. He had already forgiven Jacob. Jacob said, “To see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.”
The face of forgiveness looks just like the face of God. God favors us with forgiveness not because of how we are but because of who he is. We cannot buy our own forgiveness, in part because it would cost too much (Psalm 49:7-9). In addition, the price has already been paid in full by Jesus on the cross. We cannot buy God’s forgiveness, but we may receive it, if we will. We can also share it with others. When we do, our faces will look a lot like our Father’s face.
