CAN'T FORGIVE? What’s the scariest verse in the New Testament? For me, it’s not Jesus’s prediction of the end times in Luke, or even the apocalyptic prophecies of John in his dotage. It’s that little sentence He slips in after explaining to his lads how they should pray, by way of emphasizing the only way we can receive the Father’s forgiveness: “If you do not forgive others, you won’t be forgiven [see Matthew 6:15]. Now that’s something to worry about! Do I harbor a few scraps of unforgiveness in my heart toward ANYONE? Are there one or two crumbs of bitterness left after trying to clean my house of the remains of my past? Guess what? I won’t be forgiven MY sins! What does that say about my chances of eternal life? Where does that leave me? Is it worth the risk? Are we sure our side of the street is clean? We all know that forgiveness is for the benefit of the forgiver, not the forgiven—it gets a monkey off his back. If we need a push, remember what the One whose birthday we’re celebrating this season begged for his torturers—”Forgive them, Father, because they don’t know what they’re doing.”