En los primeros días después de los atentados, era casi imposible llamar a Nueva York. Aunque intenté comunicarme en repetidas ocasiones, era obvio que yo iba a tener que esperar para saber de esos familiares, si es que finalmente se comunicaban conmigo.
In the first few days after the attacks, it was near impossible to call into New York City. Though I repeatedly tried to get through, it became obvious that we would have to wait to hear from those family members—if they eventually reached out.
The same philosophy of ministry that was so inviting to the unconventional hippies who wandered the beaches of California in the 60’s and 70’s made its way into my East Coast, low-income housing sector by the mid-90’s. From hippies to the hood, the Calvary Chapel movement had a tremendous influence on shaping a generation of Christians of all different colors and socio-economic statuses, in countless geographical locations.
So much is happening in this passage. It can be easy to focus on the miracles described: Jesus knowing exactly where Peter had just been, knowing the conversation he’d had, and knowing about (or placing) a coin in a fish’s mouth for Peter to find. But the heart of these verses comes in a small and simple phrase: “not to give offense to them.”
One of Jesus’ most famous parables, known as the parable of the Prodigal Son, teaches timeless principles through highlighting three different characters: the rebellious son who blatantly dishonors his father and then repents, the “good” son who self-righteously despises his brother and grumbles, and the father, who demonstrates graciousness to them both.
I can forgive in the sense of intentionally striving to fend off the natural sentiments of anger and resentment that arise as a result of being wronged. In so, I surrender my “right” to be angry with the aspiration that my resignation of personal vindication would be a tangible example of the type of forgiveness people can receive by turning to God through Christ.
