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It may be wondered what Jesus meant by saying to his disciples
"If someone has sins and you forgive them then these sins will be
forgiven. (But) if you
withhold forgiveness for some sins then forgiveness for these sins will
be withheld." With regard to the underlying themes about Law and
Order, this fits in with the ability of a society to determine (to a
large extent) what is right and what is wrong. For example if I drive 100 km in a 40 km zone then
my society has a right to accuse me of wrong-doing. But if I am driving at the same
speed on a major highway this is a different matter.
By placing this saying of Jesus here in the text, John reminds
the reader that the "Authorised, Living Voice" is at work
within the church. The church
continues its right to exercise moral leadership, both within the public
forum and within the privacy of the confessional. At the same time one is
reminded that insofar as the "Authorised, Living Word" exists
within the wider community, then such a voice or word can also be
exercised by a legitimate authority,
for example in the law courts. It is up to a society e.g. the
society of a family which is a social organism based upon the natural
law, or a democracy which is based upon the urban society, to constantly
monitor 'the quality' of its judgments.
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