Matthew 18:21-35
“How Much Forgiveness?”
Last week I mentioned the preaching challenge of tying
together a number of seemingly disconnected thoughts in the Gospel
reading. Today, in the same chapter,
there is another preaching challenge.
This parable, called the parable of the Unmerciful Servant or the
Unforgiving Servant – is a tough one.
And I’d like to take an unusual approach to this reading today and work
backward.
It’s tough, partly, because it ends on such a harsh
note. “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not
forgive your brother from your heart.” Those
are tough words from Jesus. For several
reasons:
It’s a threat of punishment for being unforgiving. And we saints who are still sinners – don’t
always forgive as we should. This is
some harsh law for us. In the parable,
it meant that the wicked servant was thrown into prison until he could pay his
debt – which was really a life sentence since his debt was so great. But for us, the debt of sin would leave us
with an eternal sentence. We can never
hope to pay back our sin, our unforgiving-ness.
And so the punishment Jesus threatens is serious indeed.
But not only do we not forgive as often as we should, but he also adds this little qualifier: “From
the heart”. Stick the knife in
deeper, Jesus! For how many times have
you SAID you forgive someone, but you don’t mean it, not truly, fully, from the
heart. It’s an outward act of
forgiveness – done out of obligation, or so you don’t look petty before others
– but in your heart of hearts you hang on to that hurt. You nurse the little grudge and keep that sin
on your scoresheet.
The point of this parable is that this is not how it should
be for us. It’s a word of law – that
Christians ought to forgive. In fact we
must. Our Lord Jesus Christ is not in
the business of idle threats. His words
are true. But, of course, this isn’t the
only word on the matter.
Earlier in the parable we see another picture. It’s the man who had a great debt and begs
for mercy. The servant himself. Notably, he begs for time to pay – as if he
ever really could – he asks for patience from the master. But the master doesn’t put him on a payment
plan. He just forgives the debt. All of
it. Every last penny. He gives far more and far better than servant
asked. And he gives it freely. It is, of
course, a picture of how God forgives us in Christ Jesus.
What a picture of forgiveness! It’s very similar to the example we have from
Genesis this morning – where Joseph forgives his brothers. Joseph, who was sold into slavery by his
brothers, who then told his father Jacob he was dead. Joseph, whom God had blessed nonetheless,
even to the point of making him the second most powerful man in Egypt and
probably the whole world at that time.
Joseph who now stood in judgment over his brothers, the shoe on the
other foot finally, they found themselves literally at his mercy. He had forgiven them before – but now their
father Jacob was dead, and they feared Joseph would feel free to show his true
colors, to finally exact the revenge they knew they deserved. After all, we know how this works. You were being nice to us for the sake of old
Dad, right, Joseph? But now that he’s
gone… will you finally unleash your vengeance?
Will we see the grudge you’ve surely been harboring?
But in a poignant moment of brotherly reconciliation, Joseph
shows his faith by again forgiving his brothers. He comforts and cares for them, speaks kindly
to them.
What a picture of Christ!
The brother who loves us, though we have wronged him so deeply. The one who forgives us our sins freely,
comforts and cares for us. Joseph was as
good as dead, but made an amazing comeback with the blessing of Almighty
God. Jesus really did die – horribly so,
for the sins of the world, for the sins of those who crucified him. But even then he was praying for their
forgiveness. And then, Jesus was
restored, resurrected, ascended and enthroned on a throne much higher than
Joseph’s! And one day he will come to
judge the living and the dead. How will it be when his brothers stand before
him? Will he finally give us what we
deserve? Or will he welcome us, comfort
us, and speak kindly to us?
This is one of those passages that is unlocked by the
distinction of law and gospel. According
to the law, we must be lost – for we do not “forgive from the heart”. But according to the Gospel – we must be
forgiven, for Jesus Christ is the kind judge, king, master and Lord. He has paid the debt, canceled it and removed
it, blotted out our iniquities and forgiven our transgressions. Otherwise his cross means nothing.
And so, if we look at ourselves, our lives, our behavior,
our heart – we will see only judgment and death. We will have that threat of punishment ever
ringing in our ear. But if we look to
Christ – there is only love, forgiveness, and mercy. He forgives our every debt each time we fall
before him in repentance. Each time we
pray the prayer he gives us – and say – forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive those who trespass against us.
And working even further backward in the text, we come to
what precipitated this whole thing.
Peter’s question about forgiveness.
Dear Peter. Always
the first to speak and act, but not always to his credit. Yet his question here is instructive. Jesus had just been discussing forgiveness of
your brother who sins against you… and so Peter asks for clarification. “How
many times shall I forgive my brother, seven times?”
Now it’s often been said that Peter thought he was being
generous. How many wouldn’t even give
one shot at forgiveness? Or maybe once,
but then they won’t be fooled again. But
this is more. This is no
three-strikes-and-you’re-out standard of forgiveness. Peter picks seven – forgive the brother once
for every day of the week! But surely
there must be some limit, right Jesus?
Isn’t there a line, eventually?
And Jesus’ answer blows Peter out of the water. Not 7 but 70
times 7! Which is, not to say, literally
490. But that we should forgive and not
keep count. That’s kind of the whole
point of forgiveness – the sin is gone.
It’s off the books. Erased,
blotted out, forgotten. Forgiveness is
exactly the opposite of keeping score, tallying sins. It’s letting it go, and never looking back.
Such is God’s forgiveness of us in Christ. He remembers our sins no more. He separates them as far from us as the East
is from the West. He does not count
men’s sins against them, for if he did, who could stand?
We would need a number far larger than 490 or 490 million if
our sins were marked and charted. But
thanks be to God for the mercy of Christ, who takes them all away. Now Peter, now Christian, go and do likewise. Your debt is paid. Your sins are forgiven. Why would you hold even one sin against your
brother? If Christ has done so much for
you, why wouldn’t you earnestly desire to do the same for your fellow
Christian, especially?
Forgiveness is free and unlimited, or it’s not really
forgiveness at all. It’s not just the
quantity, either, it’s the quality. It’s
the big sins and the little sins, the few and the many. It’s the sins of thought, word, and
deed. The sins done and the sins of things
left undone. The sins against God, the
sins against neighbor, the sins against self.
All are forgiven in Christ.
Thanks be to God. Now go and do
the same for your neighbor. Forgive from
the heart.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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