Trinity 22, 2021
Rev. Thomas Van Hemert
St. Matthew 18:21-35
Trinity 22
October 24, 2021
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit.
During the time of the Reformation, our Lutheran Fathers wrote thus about the Church and what the Church is: “The One Holy Church is to continue forever. The Church is the congregation of saints, in which the Gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. They also teach: that although the Church, properly, is the congregation of saints and true believers—that is, an actual physical gathering of people, so no, online church is no church at all, just as much as online communion is not communion at all—nevertheless, since in this life many hypocrites and evil persons are mingled therewith, it is lawful to use the Sacraments administered by evil men, according to the saying of Christ, “The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat.” Both the Sacraments and Word are effectual by reason of the institution and commandment of Christ, notwithstanding they be administered by evil men. They—our Lutheran Fathers—condemn the Donatists, and such like, who denied it to be lawful to use the ministry of evil men in the Church, and who thought the ministry of evil men to be unprofitable and of none effect.”
Now you might ask, “What does this have to do with the Gospel reading?” Well, it has everything to do with the Gospel reading. The Church is the place where the Gospel is rightly preached and the Sacraments are rightly administered. Through these things, through means, through instruments, forgiveness of sins is given and imputed to you for free. For it is by grace you have been saved, not by works. You cannot boast in yourself because you are not saved by your works. You are saved by grace. You are saved by Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who descended to earth and became a man so that He might take up your place as a sinner though He knew no sin and die, thus quenching His Father’s burning anger and wrath. Because of this, you are forgiven. You are forgiven because He loves you. You are forgiven by God, even though you were once children of wrath and enemies of God. But there is nothing left to do. There’s nothing left undone. Your Father in heaven forgives you freely because Jesus stands between you and the Father. He is your Mediator and He speaks “Peace.”
You were born into this Church by Holy Baptism. Through water and God’s Holy Word, you were born anew, born again to live now a life of faith as a Christian and a child of God. Part of living together in the Holy Christian Church is dealing with one another even though we might not always agree with one another or may even dislike each other at times. No one is perfect. So first remove the log that is in your own eye and then you can remove the speck that’s in your brother’s eye. We all get angry when we shouldn’t. We all hold grudges. We even talk about our brothers and sisters in Christ behind their backs. We even roll our eyes at certain people because we think they’re annoying. You may not think anyone notices, but trust me, you are noticed. You are not as sly as you think you are. You aren’t that cunning. Unfortunately, even we in this church aren’t immune to this sinful behavior. Admittedly, sometimes, however, we are wronged, we are sinned against. We live together in faith, in the Church as yet sinful people. We haven’t shed our sinful selves completely, our Old Adams, because we live in this life waiting for Jesus to come again.
Yet at the same time, we are different from those outside the Church. We have been bought with a price and have received eternal life and forgiveness through faith. We are forgiven sinners who yearn for the things of God. Our desire is to live like those redeemed by God. And because we are members of this body, the Church. We ask for forgiveness when we sin against each other and we give forgiveness freely whenever an apology is made. Every single time.
Well “every time” seems like a lot. In fact, this is what Peter’s question deals with that he brings to Jesus “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” This question is a good question. Peter’s question stems from an earlier teaching of Jesus immediately prior to the Gospel reading. Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. He says between you and him alone. He doesn’t say to remain anonymous and send someone else as a messenger to confront someone for you because you’re too much of a coward to do so. Oh how we need to remember this in our day. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Then, Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Some Rabbis had taught that 3 times was the most you were required to forgive someone who kept sinning against you. But Peter, in his piety, ups it to seven times. But even that is still not enough. Jesus responds and says, “Not seven times but seventy seven times.” Now, of course, we know that Jesus is not speaking literally here—that we need to keep a running tally and once someone gets to seventy seven, we can no longer forgive them. Jesus is using hyperbole, an exaggeration to make a point. Every time your brother or sister in Christ sins against you and they are truly repentant, you are to forgive them!
Thus, Jesus tells this parable, “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed ten thousand talents.” We don’t use the measurement of a talent in commerce and trade today. But the first servant owed the king ten thousand talents. To put this into perspective, ten thousand talents equates to 200,000 years of labor or roughly 60,000,000 days of work. This is an incalculable amount of debt. The point is that this man owes so much that it would be impossible for him and his children and grandchildren, centuries after he is gone, to pay off this debt. It is a debt that we can’t even imagine. We think student loans are difficult to pay off. Well this man owed exponentially more.
But Jesus continues, “And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” Just like that, millions and billions of dollars forgiven. But the king does not care. The king had pity on the man. He showed him mercy by not selling this man and his family into slavery, which was his right to do, but instead forgiving the debt completely. This is what mercy looks like. This is what forgiveness looks like.
“But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.” A denarius is the wage you receive for a day’s labor. So if you earn $20/hour and you work an eight hour shift, before taxes you have grossed $160. Take this times 100, because the other man owed 100 denarii and the total is around $16,000. So after being forgiven millions and billions of dollars, the servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him $16,000. A measly sum compared to his own debt. “And seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ The first servant refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.” Imagine that, if you will. This first man has been forgiven the greatest debt known to man but immediately goes and treats his fellow worker harshly, he throws him in prison, even though he owed him a fraction of his own debt that had just been forgiven. He wants to gain what is his by right—he wants to force his own way. Well this didn’t sit well with those who saw what happened. “When his fellow servant saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt.” Jesus says this is what his heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Forgiveness is free. We’ve done nothing to deserve it, yet it is ours. It didn’t cost us anything but it cost Jesus everything. We were enemies of God. We owed our lives for our sin. But our heavenly Father forgave our incalculable debt by sending His Son to make payment for us. We pray “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” and we ought to mean it. When Jesus hung upon the cross, many people called out and reviled Him. Yet, He asked His Father to forgive them. That love on the cross is ours by grace. We love because He first loved us. We forgive others, because He first forgave us. And we deal with each other on a personal level—not behind phones and screens but in person. Not behind messengers or by remaining anonymous. We deal with one another in person, in Christian love.
So watch over yourself. Monitor your actions and your feelings so that you don’t fall. Because if you are so obstinate in your ways, if your heart is so hardened in anger and rage that you refuse to forgive your repentant brother or sister in Christ, forgiveness will be taken away from you and all that will be left for you will be to face God’s just wrath and anger without forgiveness.
Forgiveness is free. Let us treat well with each other. Let us speak kindly with and about each other. Let us put the best construction on everything. And finally, let us also forgive one another as we have been forgiven.
In +Jesus’ name.
