"Kind and Merciful God"

 

 "The LORD is compassionate and gracious; slow to anger, abounding in love... He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities." -- Psalm 103:8, 10

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

"For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -- Matthew 6:12, 14-15

 

            At the Covenant Annual Meeting a few weeks ago, Efrem Smith, the new Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference, spoke at the ordination service. Efrem is African-American, and he began by reflecting on some of Covenant history, that we were originally called "Mission Friends." He said that the black church has traditionally used the language of family, rather than friendship, in relation to one another. So there is a greeting of "brother and sister" that is very meaningful and deeply held. I think he senses a polite but guarded friendship in the Covenant Church and he is encouraging us to move from being friendly churches to becoming family. That does increase responsibility and also vulnerability. He feels it is necessary if we are to live out our commitments in the years to come. I suspect he is on to something there.

 I feel that as a church we are in some ways family, and I see definite evidence of brother and sister relationships as people care deeply for each other. But I also see us in some ways still content with being just friendly and perhaps a bit fearful and what becoming family might mean.

            The point today is that the early church chose brother/sister relationships -- or maybe it was not a choice, but was given to them from the very beginning. Verse 15: "If a brother or sister sins, go and point out the fault." Verse 35: "This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive a brother or sister from your heart." So the church began as a family community, and that meant they were more vulnerable to internal conflict, offense and sin in the community.

 For example, if you hold season tickets for a football team or a concert series, you will sit with the same group of people each week, and you will be friendly, but you don't have to get involved in conflicts or resolving personal issues. If someone behaves inappropriately, you just call the usher to deal with it. But when you are in a family, then there will be conflicts to resolve and hurt feelings to work through and sin to confess and forgiveness to extend.

            Jesus teaches about this reality even before the church is formed. This section in the Gospel of Mathew contains a combination of teaching about both discipline and mercy among believers. In chapter 18, there is a paragraph about causing others to stumble. Jesus is saying that we are responsible for our actions in the church and their effect on others, especially the young. There also can be in the church those who hide evil actions behind displays of righteousness. Jesus says, there will be accountability for sin in the church, and it is imperative if you are causing harm to others, for you to discover what is causing your actions and to correct them.

            Then Jesus talks about those who wander off and get lost. God wants lost people found. So there is a commitment to restoration in the church. Next Jesus gives a process of how to deal with sin in the church. It is a process of discipline that protects the offender and seeks restoration, but also has consequences if there is no repentance.

            Peter then asks a question about how many times to forgive someone. This is a management question. Peter wants to know where the boundaries are in forgiveness. Jesus says there are no limits in forgiveness. In fact, Peter may have asked the wrong question.

            Jesus responds to Peter's question by telling a story, and it is not about how many times to forgive, but it is about the source of forgiveness. It is a story about a great debt that is cancelled, and a small debt that remains. Many people have noticed that the ministry of Jesus seems like the proclamation of the Old Testament concept of Jubilee. Every 50 years Israel was to proclaim a Jubilee, when all debts would be cancelled and all property would revert to the original owners. The problem was that as far as we know, they never called a Jubilee year. They were waiting for someone who had authority to proclaim it. Jesus went about healing diseases, freeing people from demons and forgiving sin. These are things that cannot be purchased with any amount of money. They are signs of Kingdom authority. Jesus helps people live in the nearness of the Kingdom of God; he is the one who proclaimed Jubilee.

            This background is helpful in understanding the parable. A parable is a story with realistic elements, but also with a surprise or two that takes you to the intent of the story. So this story has kings and servants, debts, days of reckoning and the threat of debtor's prison. People were very familiar with all of these. But the surprise comes in the amount of the debt, and then in the compassion of the King.

            The debt was enormous. A talent was the largest denomination of money known, worth about 6,000 denarii. One denarius was a day's wage for a worker. Ten thousand was the largest numeral used, called a "myria." So the point is that the debt is so large, it is impossible to ever pay back. The debt refers to sin. We often live like we can pay for our sins, but that is to fool ourselves. We stand in need of a Savior to lift the great debt of sin.

            The King acts with compassion. When he sees the servant's position and hears his plea, it says literally, "his heart goes out to him." Klyne Snodgrass writes, "The parable's picture of astonishing forgiveness reflects expectations associated with end-time Jubilee. The enormous, unpayable debt of sin is met with God's stunningly gracious forgiveness. This is the forgiveness that Jesus is dispensing in his ministry."

            But then the forgiven servant shows no mercy to a debtor, even though the man begs for mercy in the same way he did before the king. Snodgrass points out that if the two parts of the parable were switched, if the servant met the king after his encounter with the debtor, the audience would approve of what he did. It was perfectly acceptable to demand payment. But the prior mercy of the King in his life changes everything. What had been an acceptable practice now is completely out of place. The King's action of mercy and forgiveness is to be extended to other people. Verse 33 reads literally, "Is it not necessary for you also to show mercy to your fellow servant as I have shown mercy to you?"

            In light of God's forgiveness, we are to forgive. The mercy which marked the ministry of Jesus is to be found in his followers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying we are to forgive our brother or sister from the heart.

            So in the church forgiveness is always offered in view of what we have been given by God. We do not offer forgiveness on the basis of what we have to give. If we focus first on our own resources, or on our own sense of being hurt, or on what it will cost us to truly forgive, then we will not forgive. When we have been wronged, we must go to God, and then act on the basis of what he has given to us. The one who has forgiven you can also provide for you. That is where trust comes in. The issue of forgiveness is really the issue of trust. Do you trust God to provide for your need, to heal your hurt, to uphold you in justice? God not only removes the great debt caused by sin in your life, he also provides the cost of your forgiving your brother. If we could extend the parable a bit, if the servant had forgiven the smaller debt owed him, the King would have seen that too, and given him the lost sum of money. There is the connection. The God who forgives also restores.

            The parable raises some question for us. Do you want to be part of the family? Do you want to become a brother or sister rather than just a friend? What can you do to help this church become a family? Is there someone in the family you need to forgive from your heart, and if you do that, what will it cost you?

            Do you trust God to provide for you? Do you trust God to pay the cost?

            Amen.