Loving God, we sometimes lose sight of how amazing it is that you have forgiven us through Jesus Christ.  Help us to be aware of your grace this day, and empower us by your Spirit to treat others with that same grace; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    When it comes to situations in which forgiveness might be required, there are at least two different parts in the drama that we might play.  Sometimes we might be the ones who have done something to offend God or to hurt other people.  And sometimes we might be the ones who have been hurt, or the ones who are being asked to forgive.  It is this second situation that Peter is asking about when he wonders how many times he might need to forgive somebody who has sinned against him.  And so, Jesus tells a parable that seeks to put this whole question of forgiveness into perspective.

    In the parable, there is a servant who owes a ridiculously large sum to his lord and king.  In fact, he owes millions of dollars, or approximately 200,000 years’ worth of wages.  The first clue we get that perhaps this servant needs a reality check is his promise to pay the king everything that he owes.  “Please, my lord,” he says.  “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything” (Mt. 18:26).  It is a ridiculous promise that cannot be kept.  However, in spite of this, the king has pity on him and releases him from his debt.

    Then, having just been forgiven such an amazing debt, this same servant goes out and threatens one of his colleagues.  By contrast, this man owes him perhaps a few thousand dollars – still a lot, but payable if given enough time.  The servant falls down on his knees and pleads with him.  “Please,” he says.  “Have patience with me, and I will pay you” (Mt. 18:29).  However, the first servant refuses to listen.  He has his fellow slave thrown into prison, where he will stay until he has paid off his debt.

    Some others among his colleagues can’t believe what this guy has just done.  How could somebody who has just been forgiven so much refuse to forgive somebody else?  And then of course the king finds out, and anger ensues, as well as torture.  It might be worth noting that those in the parable that Jesus tells are Gentiles, as several of the things mentioned are not allowed under Jewish Law.  This includes selling a person’s family as slaves, as well as torture.  The conclusion, however, is meant for us and for all those who might have heard this parable.  The implication is that we are no better than this unforgiving and clueless servant if we do not forgive others from our hearts.

    Over the next few weeks, and particularly at our Wednesday evening services during Lent, we will be hearing about a number of different situations in which most of us would find it extremely difficult to forgive.  In fact, we could probably come up with quite a list this morning of situations where we would find it particularly difficult to offer any sort of forgiveness. [Possibilities: Somebody killed or hurt a family member; victims of abuse; kidnaped & killed by terrorists; falsely incarcerated; somebody torturing you]

    Our natural response to many of these situations is to be angry, and to want revenge, and to want to see those so-and-so’s get their due.  And so why does Jesus ask us to do something that goes against every natural inclination that we might have?  When we think about the parable that we heard today, it seems that Jesus is trying to get us to think about both ourselves and others in light of our relationship with God.

    When we think that we are pretty good, and have done pretty well at keeping the commandments, it’s pretty easy to sit in judgment of others and focus in on what they have done to hurt us.  However, when we realize that God has forgiven each one of us a debt that could never be repaid, it helps to put others’ offenses against us in perspective.  When I know that I have sinned, and I know that God has forgiven me, I become far less judgmental towards the sins of others.

    As for forgiving from the heart, this does not mean that we excuse the bad behaviour of others, or that we tolerate abuse, or that we deny the hurt that has taken place.  Instead, it means recognizing our own sin and brokenness before God, and how each of us are dependent on God’s grace.  “There but for the grace of God, go I,” right?  Being ready to forgive is an attitude on our part that mirrors God’s readiness to forgive us.  While we seem to like holding our grudges, in the end the only one we are hurting is ourselves.  Sometimes it’s not easy to tell why we would do this to ourselves.  It seems to be the case, though, that even in the church, people would much rather hold onto grudges than forgive.  

    There is a process outlined in today’s gospel for how to deal with it if another member of the church sins against you.  First, you go and speak to that person - just the two of you - and let them know how you are feeling and why.  The reason for doing this would be so that the two of you could be reconciled before God.  However, if you do this and the person doesn’t listen, then you would speak to them with two or three witnesses present.  Then, if they still refuse to listen, it is a matter that would be brought before the entire community.

    The thing is that I have rarely seen this happen.  I have seen people who talk to everybody else except for the person who hurt them.  I have seen people who simply stay away rather than allowing reconciliation and forgiveness to happen.  I have seen people who will refuse to talk to somebody or share the peace with them as a sign of their displeasure.  And all of these behaviours are aimed at holding onto a grudge rather than allowing reconciliation to happen.

    We seem to like our grudges, but ultimately it is our own heart that suffers.  Our relationship with God suffers when we are full of anger and unforgiven offenses.  Our relationships with other people suffer as well - as you will know if you’ve spent time around somebody who is angry and vengeful.  Just as loving God is linked to loving other people, receiving God’s forgiveness is linked to forgiving others.  And both things actually set us free.

    It is like a weight being lifted from you when the reality of God’s forgiveness sinks in, and it is also like a weight being lifted when another person forgives you.  The same is true when we forgive somebody else - or at least carry an attitude of forgiveness with us.  It sets us free from the hurt and the anger that can consume us.

    And so, as difficult as some of this might seem for us, it is for our own health and salvation that Jesus teaches these things.  God’s attitude towards us is always open arms and a readiness to forgive.  Jesus’ attitude towards us and others is the same.  It is an imitation of Christ when we also carry that readiness to forgive with us.

    Let us then give thanks today for the gift of forgiveness, and especially for God’s love an forgiveness offered to us through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Lent 1 (NL 1)                                Matthew 18:15-35
February 22, 2015
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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