The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Today our sermon series on the parables of Jesus continues with a look at the parable of the unforgiving servant. As we often have to do in working our way through these texts, we need to adjust for the passage of time. You see, today’s verses pick up right where last week’s left off. So even though a week has passed for us, very little time has passed in the text.

This helps us to understand and establish the context, which ultimately helps us to understand what is going on. Remember, last week we heard the parable of the lost sheep. Last week we heard Jesus talk about the love that God has for his people.  God loves all of us, not one is more important than the other.  There are differences, but different does not equal better. Therefore if your brother or sister sin against you, go to them to be reconciled.

After Jesus says these words, Peter comes up to him. “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Now, what Peter is doing here is being a normal human being. You want me to forgive? Really, Jesus? I mean what happened to an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?

We begin to think about the implications of this and what it all means, and it can make us uncomfortable and require that we find ourselves in uncomfortable situations. I mean it is just much easier to go and complain to some else about the person who sinned against me, than it is for me to go to them. But people like to know the limits. We want to know how far we can go before something is no longer binding on us.

So Peter asks about the number of times that we should forgive. Is it seven times? Now that number may seem kind of random to us. But in those days, the rabbis taught that you should forgive someone for the same sin three times. Peter has more than doubled that here. On top of that, seven is the number of wholeness and completeness. On the whole, this is pretty generous.

What is Jesus’ response? “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Hold on. Wait a minute. Time out. Seventy times seven? I mean that is a lot. It’s hard enough that when our brother or sister sins against us we have to go to them in order to be reconciled to them. We don’t go to them in order to condemn them or seek revenge on them, but to be reconciled. That is hard enough.

If we were only held to that obligation for the first seven offenses, that would be difficult enough, but what Jesus is doing here, is well, removing any kind of limit. You forgive as often as you need to forgive. Wow. That’s tough. I mean that is really hard. Why? What are you doing to us here Jesus?

The answer is simple. Jesus wants us to suffer and be miserable all the time. Right? The answer is really and truly, “No.” That is not right. In fact, if anything, in forgiving others there is freedom. Think about the people you know who hold grudges.  Would the word “happy” be an adjective that you use to describe them? Probably not.  When we understand that God is the ultimate judge, that he is the one who rights all the wrongs, and we allow him to do his job, we can enjoy the freedom of letting go of our grudges and offering forgiveness. Does that mean this is an easy thing to do? Not at all. It is difficult.   

Now let me clarify something here. When we talk about sin and forgiveness, it is important to make a distinction between sin and consequences. When we talk about sin from a theological perspective we are talking about that which separates us from God. Sin is an old archery term the means you missed the mark. If you aim for the bull’s-eye, whether you miss it by a little or by lot, you still miss it. So we say there is no difference in sin. One sin is not any worse than another.

But maybe you are thinking, OK, pastor, how can you possible suggest that stealing a candy bar is no different than murder? From a theological perspective, there is no difference. Sin is sin. However, there is a difference in consequences. While one sin may be no different than another, the consequences are where we see the differences. There are obviously different consequences for stealing a candy bar than there are for murder.

When we forgive someone for a sin; that doesn’t necessarily mean that the consequences are removed. So this is where the difference lies. Now, the reality of the situation is that most of the sins that we will deal with among ourselves are things that are not going to have long lasting consequences. However, sometimes, like in the case of an abusive relationship, we need to take action to ensure that we are safe. We may not be able to be around the person (that is the consequence) but we can forgive them. Does this make sense? Are you tracking with me? Forgiveness, forgives the sin, but it does not necessarily erase the consequences.

If forgiveness is something that is so difficult for us to do, and we know that Jesus doesn’t want us to just be miserable all the time, then why is this something to spend time on or worry about? Because forgiveness allows for healing, reconciliation and restoration. You see the effects of sin is separation. Sin separates us from God. It separates us from one another. It ultimately results in the separation of body and soul, which is death.

Sin breaks apart and destroys the creation that God loves so dearly and deeply. Forgiveness, on the other hand allows for reconciliation and restoration to come in and bring back together that which sin destroys. Forgiveness is very, very powerful. And, one day, when Jesus comes back, we will see the entire creation renewed, restored and it will be the way that God had intended it to be. There will be no sin or sickness or suffering or injustice. On that great and glorious day, then we will finally and fully see even the consequences of sin removed. And beginning with that day, we will live forever with our God on a new earth under a new heaven.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? So how is all this possible? If forgiveness is so difficult, where do we find the ability to forgive? That comes from our God. Because our God has forgiven us of so much, that anything we would possibly need to forgive one another for pales in comparison. That is kind of the point of this parable.

Two servants. One who owes a great debt. I mean this is a lot of money. This is more than anyone could pay off in a single lifetime. The amount is so great that he is at risk of losing everything short of his life. He goes to the king to ask for mercy.  And the king forgives his debt. Can you imagine the relief, the joy? What would you do if the banks called and said, don’t worry about your mortgage, car payment, student loans, or credit cards anymore, all is forgiven. You don’t owe us anything.

How would you respond? How would you react? What would you do? On his way home, the servant encounters another servant who owed him a much smaller amount of money. He demanded it. And when the servant ask for mercy, the first one refused to show it. He had been forgiven much. But refused to show mercy to another.

Remember, Jesus is answering Peter’s question about the number of times we should forgive. The answer is that we forgive as much as we are asked to forgive. Why? Because God has forgiven us. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came into this world in order to restore us to God. He took our punishment on himself on the cross. And rose victoriously from the grave. This means that we have forgiveness. This means that we have life. This means that we have salvation. This means that we have victory over sin, death and the devil.

We have these wonderful things, because of and for the sake of Jesus. And not only do we have them, but we are able to live in them too. We are to experience them now. We forgive because God forgives us. Now this is not a guilt thing. I better forgive you if I want God to forgive me. It doesn’t work that way. Instead it is that I can forgive you, I can find everything I need to forgive you, because God has forgiven me. And when I live in that forgiveness, I can live in freedom and have a sample of the reconciliation that awaits us on that day that Jesus comes back. This is not a we have to kind of a thing. This is a we get to.

When we live life together, in relationship with one another, in lives that are marked by forgiveness, when we live together in this way, we are giving a powerful witness to the love of God in Jesus. We are giving a powerful witness to the difference that it makes to have God in our lives. We are giving witness to the hope that we have in Jesus and Easter. That is why this is important. Because it is part of the witness that we give to the world around us. We live as God’s forgiven people, and as God’s forgiving people.

Isn’t it interesting that these series of verses would be on the calendar for today, as we remember the attacks from ten years ago. Having these verses read today was not done intentionally. It just kind of happened. But these words ask us to do a hard thing in that context too, forgive. Now, as I said before, that does not remove the consequences. But we can live lives marked with forgiveness. 

You see, if we have the attitude that we are going to treat people with love and respect, no matter what they say and do to us, if we determine that we are going to do this, because we believe that God loves these people; if we determine to do this, we will be living out these things in our lives as well. Don’t misunderstand me here. I am not suggesting that we throw common sense out the window. I am not implying that we should put ourselves in situations that can bring about harm or danger. I am simply saying that in general, in the ways that we talk to and about other people, especially those who are different from us, those who offend us, or scare us or hurt us, that we can and should talk with love and respect. Don’t stop talking, but talk with love and respect. 

I believe that in doing this we will show that we live lives that are marked by the forgiveness of our God. And in so doing, we will give a powerful witness to love that he shows us in Jesus and the difference that that makes.   Amen.