Debt Forgiveness - Matthew 18:21-35

What are the consequences in modern life of the failure to forgive those who are indebted to us, or who transgress against us, whether in personal or business affairs, whether at church or in civil society, whether in community interactions or in international conflicts?

In every aspect of life the failure to forgive others exacts a heavy toll. We see the consequences both in the parable and in the daily news of the failure to forgive others leading to: enslavement, futile bargaining, defaults, bankruptcy, family-wide bondage, confiscations, evictions, homelessness, humiliation and begging. These all result in over-promising to repay impossible amounts, double standards wherein the debts of some are forgiven and the debts of others are not forgiven, distress, corruption, the loss of dignity and humanity, and as we see in the parable, even torture.

As communities, nations, and a global village, we are increasingly confronted with debts that are not easily repaid, disagreements that are not easily resolved, transgressions that are not easily excused; also matters of justice and injustice, prosecution and imprisonment, life and death, peace and war. We are confronted with outstanding balances on our moral and ethical accounts as individuals, as a church, and even as a nation that a simple installment plan will never erase. We are confronting conflicts that require more than a few diplomatic interventions or international resolutions. We are confronted with the hard core consequences of human sin and imperfection at its worst —of which we are all a party; and which nothing short of forgiveness can erase.

Each of us has to apply this parable to our personal lives, and to national and global circumstances . Most of us can recall what we were doing when particular acts of human evil occur. However, as Christians, we must never confine our reflections to where we were when certain acts of evil or harm occurred. Our process work is not complete until we ask the critical spiritual question, “Where are we today?”

Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness and his own example of forgiveness challenge us to move beyond our stations of greatest pain and grief to a place of healing and forgiveness…especially when the offenses are great, when the debts are extraordinary, when the transgressions are egregious, and when the transgressors can never possibly make it right. Thus the King looked on the servant who owed him greatly and took (active not passive) pity on him. And lest we think this is some sheepish morality that is okay for Sunday school but irrelevant to real life; we need to recall that those were real lashes that Jesus received on his back. That was a real crown of thorns that was placed on his head. Those were real nails they drove into his hands and feet; and that was real forgiveness he extended to his enemies from the cross, when he uttered, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Had Jesus not forgiven his persecutors from the cross, then Christianity would have become a very different movement over the past 2000 years. Had Jesus called upon 10,000 angels to avenge his killing, or had he called upon his disciples to be vigilant in the fight against the enemies to the Christian movement, and to never let up in the face of threats from their opponents, then such a summons would have constituted a call for holy war by definition.

To the contrary, Christianity is a religion of love and peace, justice and forgiveness. At some point the revenge has to end, so that forgiveness can begin. We are not justified in simply drawing a line in the earth between us and our fellow humanity, and saying never again. Instead, we must answer God’s call to forgive our transgressors in the same way God forgives each of us. As individuals, as a church, and as a nation under God we must take Christ-like actions in the face of incomprehensible transgressions against us; thereby releasing the power of God’s love to overcome a multitude of faults.