Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 14, 2014

The Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35

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?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times [or: seventy times seven].

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents [a talent was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer] was brought to him; 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. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii [a denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer]; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 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. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Reflections: We are inclined to think of Peter here as making another, typical gaff: he is parsimonious with forgiveness by setting the limit at 7. But Fr. Madison pointed out in his sermon today that the norm at the time was 3. It was expected to forgive up to 3 times. Peter was being generous! Nonetheless, Jesus’ answer (whether 77 or 70 x 7 makes no real difference) is that it’s not about keeping score.

Still, two real problems arise when we sincerely try to follow Jesus’ teachings. First, Forgiveness: in our anxiety to be good Christians, we might try to force it before the heart is ready. Forgiveness is a process; it takes time for God to reshape our hearts. Forgiveness is also complex. To feel compelled to forgive before we are ready yields a thin, false forgiveness, scabbing over a deep wound that continues to fester in secret. Forgiveness also doesn’t mean papering over injustice, or pretending everything’s okay. And maybe hardest of all is forgiving ourselves.  Is it any wonder, then, that Jesus suggests we d?

Fr. Madison said in his sermon that we are called to become Masters of the Art of Forgiveness. The good news is that we get to practice our whole life long to.