Sermon 16th September 2020
Text: Matthew 18:21-35 – A Second
Chance
For some weeks now the questions have
been asked. Whose fault is it that we are still in lockdown while the rest of
the country has opened up? Whose fault is it that our churches are still
closed? We want names – we want jobs – we want someone held accountable. That’s
how it goes, doesn’t it? We want offenders punished.
But Jesus said, forgive not seven
times, but 70 times seven.
OK, let’s count it up; we must be way
beyond that limit now. But if we’re
honest, we know when Jesus said “70 times seven” he was using it to mean
“always.” You must always forgive. And
not only that, with God there is forgiveness of sins whereby he “remembers our
sin no more”. So really there just needs to be forgiveness once and then it
resets because God, unlike us, can and does forgive and forget.
Have you ever tried to forgive AND
forget? When St Paul said – love keeps no record of wrongs – it seems the more
you love someone the deeper the hurt and the harder it is to forget. Jesus
tells a parable about the wicked slave who is forgiven a huge sum by his
master, but then goes out and throws a fellow slave in prison for being owed
just a fraction. We hear that the wicked
slave then gets his just punishment. As
we hear this parable it is easy to respond with - “Good, He deserved that! We might forget that he was punished not
because he owed money, but because he didn’t forgive in the same way that he
had been forgiven. In fact, the amount he was asked to forgive was pittance
compared to what he was forgiven.
Jesus is very serious about forgiveness and we
are reminded that it was while WE were yet sinners that Christ died for us. So
how can forgiveness be achieved if our hearts are so hurt that we are unable to
forgive from the heart – unable to forgive and forget – which is what Jesus demands at the end of
this parable when the unmerciful servant was thrown into prison – never to be
released. He says: so my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if
you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.
It is possible – and what does it
look like? What does God’s forgiveness look like for us? God’s forgiveness is
about cancelling crippling debt that gives a 2nd chance. It’s not about
excusing wrong behaviour but allowing a person to rebuild their life and live
again. As Christians we have an opportunity to example that behaviour to the
world. And the example that we have as Christians is the knowledge that Jesus
from the cross does not ask his Father to avenge his death on us – but forgive
them Father.
Sadly we live in a world where that
is becoming more and more unlikely and we face the latest phenomenon that is
called “Cancel Culture”. What cancel culture is that if a person is discovered
to have done something wrong – no matter how long ago it was – then they must
be punished for it and their future cancelled – hence “cancel culture”. So
instead of looking for a 2nd chance – there is no 2nd chance with cancel
culture. There has been many examples of public profiles where people have
searched and searched going through years of history to find some dirt on a
person and then making it public to shame that person so much that they have to
resign. Their future is cancelled.
On the contrary, with God, we see
mercy at the heart of his actions. The first servant had an unpayable debt.
But the king is prepared to forgo
punishment for the debt. To give the unmerciful servant a 2nd chance – which he
is unable to give to a fellow servant.
In our forgiveness what we are doing
is forgoing our own need for retribution as the king did and to give a 2nd
chance. Forgiveness doesn’t remove the pain we feel but it means we can begin
to heal.
Unforgiveness allows the injustice to
keep hurting us through anger and unresolved bitterness.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean justice does
not need to be carried out but it means we hand it over to God and his justice.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean that those causing hurt must not be stopped by our
forgiveness of them.
There is something very powerful
though when we forgo the right to achieving justice by our own hands. As St
Paul says in Romans 12: Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do
what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends
on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge but leave room for
God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the
Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,
give him something to drink. In doing
this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but
overcome evil with good.
I particularly find Paul’s comment
interesting in that when we forgo repaying evil with evil we “heap burning
coals on their head”. That’s not the reason we do it but it is hopefully a
teaching moment for them also. But even more so is that when we forego our own
vengeance, it allows God to do his work of justice which is not always retribution but a good that can come out of
it – as we see with Joseph and his brothers. What they did to Joseph was
reprehensible – some might even say – unforgiveable. They sold him as a slave
to Egypt and told their father that he was dead causing hurt not just to Joseph
but to his father Jacob and brother Benjamin. But when Joseph had the
opportunity for revenge he did not take it because God had used his situation
to prevent world-wide starvation by elevating Joseph to 2nd in charge in Egypt.
So Joseph says to his brothers: Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?
Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good.
Friends, it is natural to want to
blame someone for the situation we are currently in. We wanted to blame Wuhan
China for the origin of the coronavirus. We want to blame our Premier for not
supervising the quarantine situation. We
want to blame the Black Lives Matter protesters. But God directs us a different
way.
We don’t like the lockdowns and the
lack of liberties we have now. We don’t like that our church doors are shut and
our inability to have Holy Communion. We don’t like that weddings and funerals
and Baptisms are no longer celebrations as they were. But we have to keep
trusting God – that if there is evil behind this – and I’m not saying there is
– remember we live in a fallen world. But whatever the source of our situation
is – we are not in the place of God.
What anyone or anything else has
intended for evil – to do harm – God can and will use for good. We have seen
some of that good in that the internet is being flooded with church services
online from around the world spreading the gospel faster than any cat video can
do. But we have to keep trusting God. And in trusting God then we are forgoing
our own need to exact justice. There are many who are hurting – who have lost
lives and livelihoods. But that too is an opportunity for us – for the church –
to do God’s work in feeding the hungry. The road map out looks confusing and
really not all that inspiring for the resumptions of church services but
remember – we know the way that we are going because Jesus is the way and the
truth and the life.
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