I grew up in rural northern Indiana where there was a fairly large Amish (and Mennonite) population. I had always admired them for their hard work, skills as cooks, craftsmen and farmers, and their tolerance of all the tourists that buzzed around them like bees. I had some trouble understanding all their religious views; for example, they would drive tractors and trucks (even having driver’s licenses) while working for non-Amish employers, but would not do so while working on their own farms. Nevertheless, I deeply admired the way they let faith help them live their Christian lives. This admiration was strengthened by a recent article in the Ocala Star-Banner.
On October 2, 2006 in Nickel Mines, PA, (near Lancaster) Charles Roberts walked into a Amish one-room schoolhouse and shot 10 little girls killing 5; he then killed himself. His parents thought that they would have to move from the small community because of the horror wrought by their son, but a few hours later an Amish man arrived saying that the Amish community in general, and the parents of the girls in particular, didn’t feel any ill will towards the Roberts and did not blame them for the deaths. Rather, they viewed the Roberts as grieving parents. At the funeral of Charles Roberts about half the mourners were Amish, and about thirty of them formed a wall to screen the family from the prying media. In the ten years since the shooting, the Amish community has accepted the Roberts almost as a part of their fellowship. When Mrs. Roberts was fighting breast cancer last year, one of the girls who survived the shooting came and cleaned her house. Some Amish men built a sun room onto the Roberts’ house. The Roberts have felt blessed because of the love of their Amish neighbors and have put up a plaque naming the room “Forgiven”.

The article was unusually complete. It not only related the above, but also gave an explanation as to how and why the Amish forgave. The decision to forgive (and even embrace) was individual, automatic, and not the result of a long agonizing decision. One of the Amish women was quoted as saying, “You mean that some people actually thought we had a meeting to plan forgiveness?” One of the fathers of one of the victims said,“Forgiveness means giving up the right to revenge.” To the Amish, forgiveness is a religious obligation. They point out that Christ told us to love our enemies. They say the strongest reason is given in the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” That is, part of repentance is forgiving others. We should emulate the Amish and let our faith put forgiveness on automatic pilot. We should then continue to forgive, again like the Amish. Recall that Jesus told Peter to forgive seventy-seven times (i.e. times without number).

Read Matthew 18:21-35, and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Jim

Today’s Reading: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18%3A21-35&version=NRSV