Posts
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
- Matthew 18:21-35
In yesterday's reading, Jesus continued His discourse on the "little ones" (begun in Wednesday's reading after the disciples asked, "Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"). He said, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish." Jesus then gave a system for mutual correction in the Church. He said, "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."
Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Peter's question comes after Jesus' teaching about mutual correction in the Church. Jesus gave a three-level system for addressing grievances or sins committed against another member of the Church (see above). Peter's question is logical, given what Jesus has taught: how often shall this happen? Seven is a number symbolic of fullness. Jesus goes beyond that, and gives the number seventy times seven -- meaning an unlimited amount.
"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt." Just as seven and seventy times seven are significant numbers, so are the numbers in this parable. Ten thousand talents is simply an astronomical sum, and more than any laborer could earn in several lifetimes, says my study bible. A hundred denarii is not a small amount of money, but about three months' wages. However, it's a tiny amount compared to the debt owed to the king in the first place. It's an illustration of our "debts" to God and God's forgiveness, by comparison to the debts (or sins against us) others owe us and our response to them. God's forgiveness for us is "up to seventy times seven" or unlimited. We in turn are required to forgive others.
"So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses." My study bible indicates that there are certain Church Fathers who give a spiritual interpretation of the punishment described here. The man would represent the soul, the wife the body, and the children represent a person's deeds or "fruits." In this perspective, the body and one's deeds are given over to slavery -- to Satan -- so that the soul might possibly be saved (see 1 Corinthians 5:5). That is, by putting a person outside the Church (excommunication), life is experienced without the protection from the destructive power of Satan. Evil or oppressive influences are like "torturers." The hope is that this experience of the difference between God's rule and Satan's will create repentance and thereby salvation. The punishment is clearly illustrative of a life outside of grace, in which what we "owe" by sinning against another is taken from us via the same, and a kind of "karmic" or juridical law applies.
It's interesting to think about what Jesus has taught, and what a life would be without forgiveness and without the power and understanding of God's grace. Jesus illustrates via this parable His repeated call for us to "be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (5:48) from the Sermon on the Mount. The king in the story forgave an overwhelming, unheard-of amount. But the servant fails to learn anything from this example. The spiritual interpretation of a life exempt from the working of grace, in which one fails to also forgive those who have recognized their sin or "debt," gives us a sense in which good can come even out of evil -- or a life subject to the "torturers," the influence of the bad or oppressive elements that do not know mercy. There are times when we may truly pay for our own mistakes, so to speak, as we enter into foolish engagements we know are wrong or unrepentantly carry out aggressive or destructive behaviors against others that may come back to haunt us through conditions created as a result. In this model, grace and forgiveness work hand in hand. Our capacity to forgive is linked to a holy and blessed life, in which what we do -- even the difficulties we go through -- instead become grounds for planting seeds of the Kingdom in the world. We can look to the Old Testament example of Job to teach us this, as well as those holy people who have suffered oppression and hardship but go through it with faith. This is a very important teaching for any of us who suffer unfairly in any way. So much depends on what we choose to have faith in, and how we carry ourselves through it. Let us note that in His system of correction, Jesus does not ask of us that we suffer needlessly from those who continually abuse us and fail to repent, via full reconciliation. His system requires acknowledgement of debts, our own and those of others. Reconciliation comes with acknowledgement. Rather, forgiveness is a system of giving debts to God -- that is, the sins committed against us, refraining from vengeance (such as is practiced by the "torturers"), and living a blessed life with grace. Bitterness comes from looking for "payback," but fullness is the life in God. All lessons to learn about walking in His Way, and releasing all things to God -- being "perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect."
