Genesis 50:15-21
Psalm 103
Romans 14:1-12
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 
22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Conversation
“What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?”
Who knows the story of Joseph and his brothers? Why might the brothers worry that he still bears a grudge against them?
“We are here as your slaves.”
Why do the brothers see themselves as slaves?
“Am I in the place of God?”
What is God’s place in the story?
Sermon
How often should I forgive? Seven times?
How often when we listen to people talking about another person… who has frustrated them… do we hear the phrase something like this: “It was the last straw…or it was the straw that broke the camel’s back.” We have a limit past which we no longer are able to overlook things which bother us. When another person continues to sin against us and cause us distress…there comes a time we refuse to forgive them even when they ask for it.
In last’s week’s lesson Jesus gives a prescription on how to appropriately respond when another person sins against us. His says go in person…with a loving heart. The purpose of going is to regain what was broken by the sin…The purpose is to regain a mutual loving relationship. And in order to repair the fractured relationship… both people have to work on the reconciliation. Forgiveness has to be both offered and accepted before love can return.
After a number times…we sometimes grow weary of the continued need for repairing the relationship… and for us it is the last straw. As Peter asks we too ask Jesus: “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? till seven times? Like Peter we believe that there must be a limit. We want to know what the maximum limit is… before we can refuse forgiveness. So Jesus tells an unbelievable and irrational story of a forgiving master… showing us how much we owe God. In telling the story Jesus uses terms we can readily understand… He puts a monetary value to Peter’s question. But before we get too excited about how much forgiveness from God cost we need to translate the values into modern day amounts.
We have heard the story regularly and have been told the differences in what is owed…but sometimes forget…how big the differences are. One denarius was worth one day’s labor working in a vineyard… On the other hand…One talent during Biblical times was equivalent to what a laborer received for a life-time of work… about 9000 days. So when we look at what the two slaves owed… the first one owed an amount impossible to comprehend… an amount worth 90 million day’s of work… while the second one owed 100 day’s of work.
Jesus uses astronomical monetary differences between what the two slaves owed…for comparing the differences between what we owe to our God… and what we owe to each other.
It is hard for us to understand how we could owe so much to our God. So let us consider it for a moment…through the words of today’s Psalm 103. It lists many but not all the benefits that come from the LORD. The premiere benefit is “life”…and everything that makes life possible. God satisfies our every need necessary for sustaining us for every moment of life. God feeds us, clothes us, and gives us shelter. God heals us, vindicates and gives justice to the oppressed. And God forgives our every iniquity. Without God we would not be. And in case we interested the Psalm tell us why God does all these things. Three times we are told variations on this phrase: “The LORD is merciful and gracious, abounding in steadfast love.” We easily forget the unbelievable and uncountable blessings which our God gives to us.
On Mother’s Day request programs on the radio…one song is invariably requested…which is similar to the parable Jesus tells to Peter… It is called; “No Charge”. In the song a young boy comes to his mother with a list of things he has done for her like cleaning his room, baby sitting, mowing the lawn. Attached to each item is a charge. His mother responds with a list of her own; 9 months of carrying him, nights of doctoring and praying when he was sick, toys, food and clothes, and many more items. Behind each item she writes; “No Charge” …and at the end of her list she writes; “The total cost of my love is no charge.”
We are very often like the first slave in Jesus’ parable or like the young boy in the song…we see the world only from our perspective. We forget the blessings which we have received from our God. We forget that we could never begin to repay God for the benefits and blessings we have received from God gracious hand. God gives everything we have our lives and our possession come from God’s generous and loving hand… We forget about God’s mercy, gracious, and steadfast love for us. We forget that, similar to the way the king forgives the debt for the first slave, and similar to the mother’s answer of “No Charge” for her son… God’s steadfast love is immeasurable and everlasting. We forget that God’s steadfast immeasurable love is not just for us…it is not just for the people who are members of the church, our community, or our country. God’s immeasurable love is for everyone…even for the ones who sin against us. And as God graciously and mercifully forgives our iniquities … God’s forgiveness also applies to everyone else…even for sinners. Too often we see the world from our own view…and not from the view of our God.
Today Jesus encourages us to see as God sees… Jesus uses an unbelievable story to show us God’s generosity and mercy. Even though the first slave has not asked for total elimination of the debt…the king forgives his total debt… Jesus invites us to compare how our mercy and forgiveness pales in comparison to God’s steadfast love and mercy. He challenges us to see how small the sins which others have committed against us are small… in comparison to the total sins we have committed. Jesus calls us to open our minds.
But Jesus does not leave us with the comparison… He goes much further than we want him to go. He shows us how God feels when we refuse to forgive…another who God wants forgiven. He wants us to offer forgiveness from our hearts even before a sinner asks for it. But here is the hard part… forgiveness from our hearts is a necessary part for our own forgiveness. This is consistent with the words we pray in the Lord’s Prayer taught by Jesus. “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” We pray for forgiveness in proportion to the way we forgive. “Ouch”
So today let us once again first see God’s grace, mercy and steadfast love for us in everything God does for us… especially forgiveness. Let us see the immeasurable debt we owe God… in proportion to what others owe us. And let us forgive as God forgives. Thanks be to God. Amen
Out of the Wilderness 