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Sermon Text: Matthew 18:21-35
Why does Jesus tell this parable? Because we need to hear it! Jesus tells this parable the way he does, with intense situations and outcomes, because the point of the parable, the point of the chapter is of major importance and we need direct guidance from Jesus. This parable, while intense in content and instruction afterward, is the culmination of a series of teachings about caring for each other’s hearts and souls with love. This, not just the steps of church discipline we so often reference, but seeking and finding lost, not leading anyone into sin, especially the greatest in the kingdom, the children and those like children in faith, is the point of Matthew 18. Jesus starts the discussion of love and care for the souls of others by defining who the greatest in the kingdom is.
As Jesus is teaching all this, especially after he finishes the part about lovingly talking about sin to lead to repentance, forgiveness, and restoration, Peter says what many, most, are thinking, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Matt. 18:21. This isn’t a trivial number! Seven is the number of perfection! It’s a big number! Right? It’s patient, but it’s also realistic because after a while, forgiveness just enables people to sin, so there’s a cut off. Right? “Wrong! 70 or 490 times!” says Jesus. There is no such moral arithmetic and record keeping among God’s people. What there is, is forgiveness and in forgiveness, very meaningful love and care is shown to the greatest in God’s kingdom as often as they need it which is all the time. To that end, Jesus tells a story to show the limitless nature of forgiveness he, the Son of God has and gives, and that we, having received it from Jesus the expectation is that we share it others.
There was a king who settled up accounts with servants and one had an astronomical debt, an amount of money that’s so huge it makes a person wonder what in the world he did to rack it up. 10,000 talents he owed. A talent weighed like 75-100lbs, so owing 10k of talents of gold is a sum I can’t imagine. That’s Jesus’ point. He couldn’t pay, so the king said he, the family, and the things would be sold to repay. Can you imagine the shriek for mercy? “Be patient and I’ll pay it all back!” Desperation leads us to impossible claims. If given 10,000 lifetimes he wouldn’t be able to repay it. Knowing that and imagining the suffering this fella had deservedly coming, the king felt compassion for him, real feelings in the pit of his stomach, and forgave the debt. Wiped that huge number out! Shocking turn of events! Elation for this servant! New lease on life! Right? Wrong! That servant found someone who owed him 3 months’ pay, ignored the exact same plea for mercy, started choking him out, and had him tossed in prison. 100 denarii, 3 months’ pay, isn’t nothing, but in comparison to what he’d been forgiven it is paltry. The other servants recognized this, were of course bothered, and let the king know who exploded into anger throwing him to torture, “ ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” Matt. 18:32-33. Yes! Jesus makes it abundantly clear. When those who have been forgiven much do not themselves forgive and in so doing abuse the loving kindness and generosity of the Giver, this awaits, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from the heart.” Matt 18:35.
Why does Jesus tell this parable, give this instruction? Because we need to hear it. We so often forget just how forgiven we are and what that really means as it pertains to our standing atop so many heaps of nothingness. What really is our standing? Deep indebtedness to God, owing God a sum we can tabulate to payback over a span of time we can’t fathom. When we forget just how much God has forgiven us, we do the mental/spiritual equivalent of choking someone out because they’ve sinned against us! US!!! You are forgiven. Remember that! Remember it first for yourself because when you do, you find humility from the need, then peace in having it. When you know that God’s grace given to you in Jesus has covered your sin as water covers the depths of the sea, you can be free from the fear of owning God anything. Jesus paid it on the cross, he covered you, forgave you. The debt you’ve accrued is gone, Jesus dealt with it and lives as the proof. It’s good to remember that because salvation, but also because it’s your purpose right now.
You are forgiven to do some forgiving! That was the very obvious assumption of the king in the story! “I forgave. Shouldn’t you be moved to do the same by my compassion?” A million times, yes. Forgiving is what Jesus made you to do when he made you a child of the Father. Forgiveness is who you are. Famously, a prince in a story who was made to feel that he did something terrible, but didn’t actually, ran away, and was going through an identity crisis where he didn’t know what to do until his dad miraculously appeared and told him to remember who he was. Yes, I’m talking about Lion King and Mufasa appearing to Simba because remembering who you are in this case, the case of caring for the hearts and souls of the greatest in God’s kingdom, God’s children, is of vital importance!
Forgiveness, taking it to Jesus and letting it go, is love in action, and love covers over a multitude of wrongs, it leads to life! Forgiveness from the heart is a reflection of Jesus on the cross, and I can think of no better person to at no more significant time to imitate when it comes to showing mercy. “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.” I’ll never come close to a passable imitation, but by God’s grace I and all of us are gonna keep at it. We won’t sweep sin under the rug, but having received limitless forgiveness from God, we are able to by that grace forgive the debts of sin people owe to us. This leads to unity in the body. When we begin to wonder, “To what level?” Ephesians is helpful, “Forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Eph. 4:32. So forgive repeatedly, over and over, fully and freely, as frequently as needed.
Anyone feeling like Peter right now? “Really? That’s a lot of forgiveness! Won’t I just enable them after a time??” Not if we stick to the other instructions Jesus gives in Matthew 18. “This is all just hard! How am I supposed to forgive this way?” Right. It is hard, but you don’t drum up the strength to forgive of yourself just like you don’t do that for any other endeavor of Christian living. You remember your position, who you are. You are God’s child. You are brought before the Father having been washed by Jesus blood, having been declared forgiven by the Lord of Life himself. You are a person who exists in the reign of the Resurrected Redeemer which means that you exist in a state of forgiveness and never run out of forgiveness to give because you aren’t the source. Jesus is and the Spirit connects you to him. It’s God at work to bless you and others when you forgive. Jesus tells this parable so we know how valuable God’s compassion is and what it means for us, and how precious it is in God’s sight and how important it is for others when we forgive without limit. Amen.