Trinity 22 November 13, 2022
Matthew 18:21-35
Forgiving the Unforgivable
v.32-33 Then his master summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?"
Dear friends in Christ, hold on to your hats, because it's going to get real here, very quickly. This text before us today cuts to the quick. It teaches us in no uncertain terms what, and how, and how often, we, as Christians, are to forgive our neighbour who sins against us. For with hard-hearted refusal to forgive a fellow sinner comes some of the harshest words our Lord ever spoke, "In anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt (which would never happen--this is hell--for all eternity). So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
Ouch Jesus! Couldn't you have given us something a little bit easier to do? Something more manageable, like cut off our finger or something? But to truly forgive our neighbour from our heart--for every sin--every time? Now that's tough!
But this is so very important for us Christians to deal with, isn't it? After all, what is the Christian church all about? Social programs and soup kitchens? What about Bible study? How about organ music during worship services? No, of course not. As important as some of these may be, at its heart and soul, the Christian church is, of course, about the Christ, Jesus--and the forgiveness He brings to the world through His suffering, death, and resurrection.
As usual, we have someone to blame for this hard teaching of Jesus--St. Peter. Yeah, that's right, him…again! After hearing Jesus finish talking about how we are to deal with someone who has sinned against us--by going to them, privately and personally, and then bringing a couple of witnesses, before bringing it to the church--Peter can't just leave well enough alone! No, he's always asking questions. Ugh. "So, Lord, when my brother sins against me, how often do I have to forgive him, up to seven times?"
To be fair, Peter is asking a good question--an important question. We know that we daily sin much, not only against God, but against each other. Therefore, we also ought to think about how often we are to forgive those who sin against us. But Jesus' response to Peter's question is a killer. "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." That's Jewish code-speak for an unlimited number of times--thanks a lot Peter!
Seriously, however, Peter asks a good question, but he is expecting a much more reasonable answer--a limited answer to the amount of times one must forgive one's neighbour. He wants a solid, concrete, easily-within-reach answer that we can wrap our brain and our hearts around. But this is not the way Jesus operates. He deals in holy truths--He gives an unbelievable answer--77 times!--an answer that is hard both on our brains and on our hearts--that makes no sense because it is so radical in its scope. We are to forgive without limit--fully and freely.
To drive His point home, Jesus then tells the parable of the unmerciful (unforgiving) servant. A master had a servant who owed an enormous debt--like bigger than the Gross Domestic Product of most nations kind of debt--in our terms today 10 000 talents was akin to trillions of dollars! This worthless servant crumbles before his master and begs him to have patience with him so that he might repay the debt. Yeah, right, this master didn't just fall off the turnip truck! There was no way that this man could ever hope to repay even the smallest portion of what was owed. Yet, in seeing this man's plight, his desperation, hearing his pleas for mercy, the master is moved to have compassion and pity upon him (splangthnizomai). Rather than just reducing the debt--making it more manageable--the master simply forgives it all! Every last penny! Forgiven. He and his family are now free and clear! It is unbelievable! It is pure grace.
But when this forgiven servant went out and encountered a fellow servant who owed him a few hundred bucks, he demanded what was owed of him according to the law. No one is surprised. No one is aghast--yet, even though he began by choking him! Now when this fellow servant speaks up and uses the exact same words that this forgiven servant had used to the master, the forgiven servant refused to have mercy and threw him into prison until the debt should be paid.
It is here where things go sideways. Those witnessing this exchange are deeply distressed and run to the master to tell him what has happened. The master calls the forgiven servant into his midst and declares him wicked for he did not show mercy, as he had been shown mercy. He then is delivered to the jailers and Jesus warns us that the same will happen to us if we fail to forgive our brother from our heart.
The point here is that our debt of sin before God, the Master of heaven, is massive--beyond calculation. Yet God, in His compassion, has had mercy on us--and forgiven us the entire debt--free and clear--all because of Jesus and His shed blood on the cross. Therefore, we, too ought to forgive our neighbour who has sinned against us (which in comparison to the sins we have committed against God, are relatively minor in comparison). But therein lies the problem. We don't see it that way. And so this is far easier said than done.
As we have been redeemed by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we are to forgive, without number--without limit--no matter what was done--no matter how many times it was done--fully and from the heart. And yet, even though we are God's people--even though the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts--boy do we struggle with this! Our frail flesh holds up the sins of others before us and our hearts harden and we desire to lay hands upon them and cause them to suffer for the hurts and the wrong that they have inflicted upon us or those whom we love! "It's only just!" we cry to ourselves. "It's only fair and what is right!"
That may be true, but it is not mercy. It is not grace. And that is what we have received freely from the hand of our heavenly Father. He did not deal with us according to justice (by which we would all end up in hell), but rather according to His undeserved favour and kindness. Nonetheless, we look at the sins that have been committed against our neighbour--and we think to ourselves, "How can God expect us to forgive people who do wicked things to others? That's unforgivable!"
Or, to make it even more real, what about those who have sinned against your family--your loved ones? What about the man who assaulted your daughter? Turned your son into a quadriplegic while drinking and driving? What about the person who stole your car? Beat up your sister? "How can God expect us to forgive such a person? That's unforgivable!"
What about the sins committed against our person? The gossip in the lunch room? The spouse who cheated on you? The friend who betrayed you? The parent who abandoned you? The person who abused you as a child? "How can God expect me to forgive that person? That's unforgivable!"
And so you see, beloved, that by our very response to these situations and so many more, we prove ourselves to be the wicked servant of the parable. We are the ones who refuse to forgive--who enjoy inflicting pain upon those who have hurt us so deeply and profoundly. We fail to forgive because, ultimately, we fail to believe that we ourselves have been fully forgiven as God's Word tells us. We don't believe the radical nature of God's grace and so imprison people in their sin against us, even as we believe we are imprisoned by our own sin.
But this is not so! You have been set free by the blood of Jesus. Your sins have been fully and completely forgiven by Jesus' work on the cross to redeem you and all others--even those who have so hurt you by word and by deed. Your sins are unforgivable--according to earthly standards. But with God all things are possible. And in Jesus Christ's shed blood you are forgiven and the debt is eliminated. You have been forgiven because the Father has sent His Son, Jesus our brother--to forgive us from His spear pierced heart. Not only did Jesus die for the sins you have committed against Him and your neighbour, but He has also suffered for the sins that your neighbour has carried out against you. Jesus bled for them, too.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that there are not earthly, temporal consequences for sin--for example, the sin of infidelity can often lead to divorce and the breakup of a marriage; drunk driving causing bodily harm can lead to jail sentences, as can theft or any other number of sins/crimes. But, this does NOT mean that we are not to forgive. Though forgiveness be granted, there may yet be consequences this side of heaven.
Yet we are to be mindful that from the heart of Jesus hanging on the cross flowed blood and water. The water flows into the Baptismal font wherein each of you has been washed clean of all sins and bathed in the blood of Christ. The blood trickling from His side has flowed into the chalice from which you drink on the Lord's day. A cleansing tide that changes your hearts from hardened stone, to softened flesh, delighting in the mercy of God, and in extending that mercy to others, as hard as that is, at times.
Chief of sinners though you are--Jesus Christ has died for you. He has forgiven the unforgivable--through the unbelievable act of His sacrifice in your place on the cross. Redeemed by His blood. Changed by His mercy. You, too, may now in humility, learn to forgive, even as you have been forgiven--and live freely in His radical grace. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Matthew 18:21-35
Forgiving the Unforgivable
v.32-33 Then his master summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?"
Dear friends in Christ, hold on to your hats, because it's going to get real here, very quickly. This text before us today cuts to the quick. It teaches us in no uncertain terms what, and how, and how often, we, as Christians, are to forgive our neighbour who sins against us. For with hard-hearted refusal to forgive a fellow sinner comes some of the harshest words our Lord ever spoke, "In anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt (which would never happen--this is hell--for all eternity). So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
Ouch Jesus! Couldn't you have given us something a little bit easier to do? Something more manageable, like cut off our finger or something? But to truly forgive our neighbour from our heart--for every sin--every time? Now that's tough!
But this is so very important for us Christians to deal with, isn't it? After all, what is the Christian church all about? Social programs and soup kitchens? What about Bible study? How about organ music during worship services? No, of course not. As important as some of these may be, at its heart and soul, the Christian church is, of course, about the Christ, Jesus--and the forgiveness He brings to the world through His suffering, death, and resurrection.
As usual, we have someone to blame for this hard teaching of Jesus--St. Peter. Yeah, that's right, him…again! After hearing Jesus finish talking about how we are to deal with someone who has sinned against us--by going to them, privately and personally, and then bringing a couple of witnesses, before bringing it to the church--Peter can't just leave well enough alone! No, he's always asking questions. Ugh. "So, Lord, when my brother sins against me, how often do I have to forgive him, up to seven times?"
To be fair, Peter is asking a good question--an important question. We know that we daily sin much, not only against God, but against each other. Therefore, we also ought to think about how often we are to forgive those who sin against us. But Jesus' response to Peter's question is a killer. "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times." That's Jewish code-speak for an unlimited number of times--thanks a lot Peter!
Seriously, however, Peter asks a good question, but he is expecting a much more reasonable answer--a limited answer to the amount of times one must forgive one's neighbour. He wants a solid, concrete, easily-within-reach answer that we can wrap our brain and our hearts around. But this is not the way Jesus operates. He deals in holy truths--He gives an unbelievable answer--77 times!--an answer that is hard both on our brains and on our hearts--that makes no sense because it is so radical in its scope. We are to forgive without limit--fully and freely.
To drive His point home, Jesus then tells the parable of the unmerciful (unforgiving) servant. A master had a servant who owed an enormous debt--like bigger than the Gross Domestic Product of most nations kind of debt--in our terms today 10 000 talents was akin to trillions of dollars! This worthless servant crumbles before his master and begs him to have patience with him so that he might repay the debt. Yeah, right, this master didn't just fall off the turnip truck! There was no way that this man could ever hope to repay even the smallest portion of what was owed. Yet, in seeing this man's plight, his desperation, hearing his pleas for mercy, the master is moved to have compassion and pity upon him (splangthnizomai). Rather than just reducing the debt--making it more manageable--the master simply forgives it all! Every last penny! Forgiven. He and his family are now free and clear! It is unbelievable! It is pure grace.
But when this forgiven servant went out and encountered a fellow servant who owed him a few hundred bucks, he demanded what was owed of him according to the law. No one is surprised. No one is aghast--yet, even though he began by choking him! Now when this fellow servant speaks up and uses the exact same words that this forgiven servant had used to the master, the forgiven servant refused to have mercy and threw him into prison until the debt should be paid.
It is here where things go sideways. Those witnessing this exchange are deeply distressed and run to the master to tell him what has happened. The master calls the forgiven servant into his midst and declares him wicked for he did not show mercy, as he had been shown mercy. He then is delivered to the jailers and Jesus warns us that the same will happen to us if we fail to forgive our brother from our heart.
The point here is that our debt of sin before God, the Master of heaven, is massive--beyond calculation. Yet God, in His compassion, has had mercy on us--and forgiven us the entire debt--free and clear--all because of Jesus and His shed blood on the cross. Therefore, we, too ought to forgive our neighbour who has sinned against us (which in comparison to the sins we have committed against God, are relatively minor in comparison). But therein lies the problem. We don't see it that way. And so this is far easier said than done.
As we have been redeemed by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ, we are to forgive, without number--without limit--no matter what was done--no matter how many times it was done--fully and from the heart. And yet, even though we are God's people--even though the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts--boy do we struggle with this! Our frail flesh holds up the sins of others before us and our hearts harden and we desire to lay hands upon them and cause them to suffer for the hurts and the wrong that they have inflicted upon us or those whom we love! "It's only just!" we cry to ourselves. "It's only fair and what is right!"
That may be true, but it is not mercy. It is not grace. And that is what we have received freely from the hand of our heavenly Father. He did not deal with us according to justice (by which we would all end up in hell), but rather according to His undeserved favour and kindness. Nonetheless, we look at the sins that have been committed against our neighbour--and we think to ourselves, "How can God expect us to forgive people who do wicked things to others? That's unforgivable!"
Or, to make it even more real, what about those who have sinned against your family--your loved ones? What about the man who assaulted your daughter? Turned your son into a quadriplegic while drinking and driving? What about the person who stole your car? Beat up your sister? "How can God expect us to forgive such a person? That's unforgivable!"
What about the sins committed against our person? The gossip in the lunch room? The spouse who cheated on you? The friend who betrayed you? The parent who abandoned you? The person who abused you as a child? "How can God expect me to forgive that person? That's unforgivable!"
And so you see, beloved, that by our very response to these situations and so many more, we prove ourselves to be the wicked servant of the parable. We are the ones who refuse to forgive--who enjoy inflicting pain upon those who have hurt us so deeply and profoundly. We fail to forgive because, ultimately, we fail to believe that we ourselves have been fully forgiven as God's Word tells us. We don't believe the radical nature of God's grace and so imprison people in their sin against us, even as we believe we are imprisoned by our own sin.
But this is not so! You have been set free by the blood of Jesus. Your sins have been fully and completely forgiven by Jesus' work on the cross to redeem you and all others--even those who have so hurt you by word and by deed. Your sins are unforgivable--according to earthly standards. But with God all things are possible. And in Jesus Christ's shed blood you are forgiven and the debt is eliminated. You have been forgiven because the Father has sent His Son, Jesus our brother--to forgive us from His spear pierced heart. Not only did Jesus die for the sins you have committed against Him and your neighbour, but He has also suffered for the sins that your neighbour has carried out against you. Jesus bled for them, too.
Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that there are not earthly, temporal consequences for sin--for example, the sin of infidelity can often lead to divorce and the breakup of a marriage; drunk driving causing bodily harm can lead to jail sentences, as can theft or any other number of sins/crimes. But, this does NOT mean that we are not to forgive. Though forgiveness be granted, there may yet be consequences this side of heaven.
Yet we are to be mindful that from the heart of Jesus hanging on the cross flowed blood and water. The water flows into the Baptismal font wherein each of you has been washed clean of all sins and bathed in the blood of Christ. The blood trickling from His side has flowed into the chalice from which you drink on the Lord's day. A cleansing tide that changes your hearts from hardened stone, to softened flesh, delighting in the mercy of God, and in extending that mercy to others, as hard as that is, at times.
Chief of sinners though you are--Jesus Christ has died for you. He has forgiven the unforgivable--through the unbelievable act of His sacrifice in your place on the cross. Redeemed by His blood. Changed by His mercy. You, too, may now in humility, learn to forgive, even as you have been forgiven--and live freely in His radical grace. Thanks be to God in Christ Jesus. Amen.