The
Twenty-Second Sunday after Trinity
The
Collect.
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ORD we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in
continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all
adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of
thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
21 Then came Peter to him, and said,
Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven
times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say
not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a
certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought
unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord
commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and
payment to be made. 26 The
servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience
with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then
the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave
him the debt. 28 But the same
servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an
hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying,
Pay me that thou owest. 29 And
his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have
patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into
prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So
when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and
told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O
thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy
fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the
tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto
you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matt 18:21-35)
Peace of mind is one of the fruits of
forgiveness. Even when we are sure in our minds that we have been irreparably
wronged, there is a sore spot in our hearts that says, FORGIVE.
The
wrong done you will not result in the loss of an arm, or of one's life. Go to
that person who has wronged you. He is hurting more than you are. Frankly
forgive him in the same way Christ forgives you.
A tree grows and produces fruit because of
the outward benefit the leaves provide through the process of photosynthesis to
the inward tree, just as the inner tree gives growthe to the leaves. If we take
away the leaves, the inner tree will die. Forgiveness is the leaves of the tree
of our hearts.
Peter seems to be the spokesmen of choice for
the disciples. He is fearless in being open and frank. One of the others most
likely planted the question in Peter's mind – most likely Judas – the least
forgiving of all. So Peter frames the question in a manner consistent with the
law of Moses. He feels that seven times is a large number, but Christ gives him
an answer that is intended to indicated that, like love, there should be no
bottom to our forgiveness.
There are three stages of forgiveness that are consistent with
the manner in which God forgives.
1)
When a brother, not one of the
world, offends me, I should forgive that person in the silent chambers of my
heart , but not yet openly. And be ye kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath
forgiven you. (Eph 4:32) The bitterness of unforgiving spirit is then
taken from our own hearts.
2)
I do not inform him of my
forgiveness for him since that would not be consistent with the manner in which
God forgives. I
must go to him, in love, and rebuke him for his offense. Take
heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass
against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. (Luke
17:3)
3)
Immediately upon the friend's
apology, you must inform him that he is forgiven. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times
in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:4)
22 But I say unto you, That whosoever
is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the
judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of
the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest
that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before
the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come
and offer thy gift. (Matt 5:22-24)
There are reasons for righteous anger and
indignation. It spurs us to action to remedy a wicked circumstance such as
rape, murder, molesting little children, etc.
We now have the parable of the Kingdom involving a King. That King is
God the Father.
24 And when
he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand
talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not
to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all
that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The
servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience
with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then
the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave
him the debt.
In the days of this accounting,
the amount of ten thousand talents was an enormous amount – more than
$20,000,000.00. The King in this story represents God. The debtor – you
and me. Without the remission of our debts (sins) we are sold off into slavery
and bondage to Satan. In fact, we sell ourselves out to that merciless master.
We
may deem it a simple thing for a great King to forgive even an enormous debt,
and feel that we are justified in demanding the last cent owed us by a poor
man; but though God is a great King, He has a great Heart and is willing to
forgive. It was no simple thing for Him to forgive our sins and remit them. It
cost Him the life-blood of His only Begotten Son!
A
minister was discussing forgiveness with some school boys one day. One of the
boys was incensed that his friend had struck him on the playground. The
minister asked, "Jimmy, do you think, in view of the Scripture passage we
just read on forgiveness, that you could find it in your heart to forgive
another boy who hurt you, or struck you, on the playground?" Jimmy
responded, "Y-e-e-s-s, Sir, I suppose I could," and then added,
"I could if he was bigger than me!" Well God is bigger than all of
us. But He desires that we love others as a measure of our love for Him.
The debtor in the parable
pleads for patience. Apparently, the King has long exercised patience with this
man, and there is no more time for it. God's Spirit will not always strive with
man. And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for
that he also is flesh (Gen 6:3) God cannot renew an unwilling spirit to
reconcile that spirit to His own Spirit of Righteousness. Those whose hearts
are not full of love and forgiveness do not belong to God.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his
fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and
took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and
besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into
prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So
when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and
told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then
his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I
forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy
fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And
his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all
that was due unto him.
See
how this unworthy servant has received such a mighty forgiveness, and at
enormous cost (as you and me through the blood of Christ) – yet cannot forgive
even a small debt (100 pence or three months average wage at the time) of a
fellow servant of less means. He will sell him into bondage! This is not
God-like. This is not Christ-like! This is very much like the devil that
deceived Eve.
You
may have had a dear friend spite you in a small matter, but the resentment has
built in your heart – it has grown beyond the proportions of a normal Mustard
Tree and taken over your whole heart. You are weary day by day and avoid even
looking into your dear friends eyes. He is hurt by your behavior, but who
suffers more: the offender, or the victim. Seeds of wrath in the heart bare
trees of hatred and misery.
We
have all fallen so very short of the righteousness of God that it is completely
beyond our sight, but Christ gives us the means to assume that righteousness of
His own. He forgives our sins, washes us clean, and is ever ready to renew our
hearts when we repent of every offense. He suffered intensely for you and me.
Can we not overlook the smallest infraction by a friend?
The
criminal has no rest of conscience in constantly contemplating his being
discovered. Many would find greater joy in confessing their faults and paying
debt than in whiling away in constant fear. The sinner suffers no such dilemma.
The King stands at the ready to forgive promptly and completely every sin
confessed, and those unthought of sins unconfessed. We need only remove the
shroud of false pride and bitterness, empty our hearts of hate, and come to Him
seeking forgiveness in repentance. There is no cost to the sinner for such a
benefit for the cost has already been paid by the King's Son. If you have
resentment and hate in your heart growing from unforgiven offences, open you
heart to the Dipper of Love in God's Hand and forgive all. Then you may have
rest to your souls. Amen.
