The Shack by William Paul Young
Week 13: Chapter 13 — A Meeting of Hearts
Read Chapter 13 of The Shack.
Previewing Week 13 of The Shack
Read 3 of 7 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 20-week guide when you’re ready.
Mack's conversations with Papa, Jesus, and Sarayu converge as the question of forgiveness — the hardest question of all — finally comes into full view.
Discussion Questions
7 questions1.Papa begins this chapter by telling Mack that forgiveness is not about excusing what the killer did — "forgiving doesn't make it right." Why is this distinction so important? How does it address the common objection that forgiving an abuser or murderer is a way of letting them off the hook?
2.Papa says that forgiveness is first about releasing Mack from his own prison of bitterness — that it is something Mack does for himself, not primarily for the killer. Have you experienced forgiveness working this way in your own life? Does it feel selfish or liberating to frame it that way?
3.Mack initially resists forgiving the killer because it feels like a betrayal of Missy — as if forgiving means forgetting or minimizing what happened to her. How does Young address this objection? Do you find the answer satisfying?