“My God My God”: The Foundation of Forgiveness-Pt. 2

Last updated on: June 24, 2015 at 9:04 pm by Andre E. Johnson

“My God My God”: The Foundation of Forgiveness-Pt. 2 2015-06-24T21:04:04-05:00 Andre E. Johnson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

*Below is a portion of the sermon I preached Sunday in response to the terrorism that happened in Charleston, South Carolina at Emanuel AME Church. Read part 1 here.

In my previous post, I asked what if Jesus, by saying Father Forgive them, was showing us what to do when we can’t forgive the hurt and pain that others have caused in our lives? I argued thatwhat if Jesus, at that moment, knowing that forgiveness maybe is the right thing to do; it’s the right thing to pronounce; but as he was hanging on the cross and thinking about all that has been done to him in the name of religion; in the name of faith; in the name of ideology; in the name of the Empire, what if Jesus could not find a way to articulate forgiveness at that particular moment, but instead, what if he had to turn it over to God? In asking, maybe the first foundation of forgiveness is to acknowledge the fact that it’s hard and one should not rush to forgiveness too quickly.

But there is another part to this foundation—Jesus, while on the cross did not only say, Father forgive them, but he also yelled, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me. Jesus’ execution was not pretty; blood and sweat everywhere, folks laughing at you, your friends gone, and the authorities celebrating that fact that they solved another problem. Instead of suffering with dignity, instead of suffering with grace, instead of suffering quietly; instead of being the perfect paragon of respectability politics, Jesus on the cross yelled out, “My God My God, why have you forsaken me?”

As the frustration sets in and the anger mounts, I hear somebody saying, “But they were at Bible Study, my God my God, why have you forsaken me? They welcomed the stranger, my God my God, why have you forsaken me? They were praying to you and studying your word, my God my God why have you forsaken me. I thought they were at a safe place, my God my God why have you forsaken me?” What if again, Jesus was teaching us that in order to get to the road of forgiveness, one of the first things one must do is to cry out to the Lord or just let out a lament!

In other words, what if to have authentic forgiveness, one first must get angry—because forgiveness is not forgetting; because in order to forgive, I must remember what you did to me. And while I think about what you did to me, when I think about the pain that you brought to me; when I think about the sadness you placed upon me; when I think about how you made me feel, I get downright angry and I want to yell and scream!

I think a good example of someone who tried to get on the road to forgiveness came in the form of Esaw Garner, the widow of Eric Gardner, the man who Officer Daniel Panteleo choked to death with cameras rolling. When a reporter asked her, just days after her husband’s murder, does she accept the officer’s condolences, remorse and apologies; she put her hands on her hip and said,

“Hell No! The time for remorse would have been when my husband was yelling to breathe. That would have been the time for him to show some type of remorse or some type of care for another human being’s life. When he was screaming 11 times, he can’t breathe. So there is nothing that him or his prayers or anything else will make me feel any different. No, I don’t accept his apology, no I can care less about his condolences, no I can care less. He is still working, he is still getting a check, he is still feeding his kids and my husband is six feet under and I am looking for a way to feed my kids now.”

Now for many, she was uncouth, she was out of order, she did not exhibit Christian values, and she was not respectable at that press conference, but one thing she was, she was real! And the way to get on the road to forgiveness is to get real with yourself and get real with God. And yes, sometimes that means raising your voice. Sometimes, that means crying aloud. Sometimes that means moaning and wailing loudly, and yes, sometimes its means not curse but cussing somebody or something out because something just is not right.

It’s not right for a racist shooter to tell you why he killed those folks and people still wondering why he did it. It’s not right, for little girls to get jacked up while trying to go to a pool party. It’s not right, for police officers under the guise that they fear for their life to shoot and kill black bodies and absolutely nothing happens to them. It is not right for a 12-year-old boy to be shot by police. It is not right for a man to be shot in the back, as he is not a threat and running away from the cop. And it is not right that the only way America may tolerate black people; show some empathy or sympathy, is if we act contrite and offer forgiveness for yet another tragedy, another shooting, another act of American terrorism that happened at the expense of black bodies!

We have a right to be angry, we have a right to lament, we have a right to cry out, we have a right to ask God to forgive or withhold our forgiveness when we are not yet ready to do so. And if anybody ask you why—just tell them Jesus cried out and Jesus asked God to forgive those folk and I am trying to be like him each and every day. I will get there, but not today. Not today, because my answer, in the words of the prophet Esaw Garner, “Hell No!”

Andre E. Johnson is the Managing Editor and Founder of R3

Previous Post

June 24, 2015

#CharlestonShooting: What I Did Not Hear-Pt.2

Next Post

June 25, 2015 #CharlestonShooting: Race and Religion

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Amy Steele Andre E. Johnson Book Reviews/Series Brian Foulks Call for Chapters Carol Howard Merritt Classes Conferences Contributors Crystal St.Marie Lewis Daniel White Hodge Earle Fisher Eulogy Fredrick Robinson Guest Contributions Henry McNeal Turner Institutes Interviews Joseph Boston Katherine Whitfield Kimberly Peeler-Ringer Lectures/Roundtables Natalie Bullock Brown R3 Book Series R3 Contributor Rashad Grove Readers Reflections Symposiums Teaching Traci Ellis Travis Harris Uncategorized Video

Select a Month June 2020 February 2020 December 2019 November 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 October 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz