Debts Cleared For You, By You

 Debts Cleared For You, By You

Trinity 22 T Matthew 18:21-35

INI

Our introit for today quotes a Psalm that I think can leave people confused. It says – “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared (Ps 130:3-4).” Forgiveness produces relief, joy, and freedom. But we think of fear producing the opposite of that – distress, terror, and enslavement. Since the Lord has the ability to forgive sins, shouldn’t that make us love Him, not be terrified of Him?

         Well of course, we’re not terrified of God – for we have the gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation. But of course, we should fear if we take these gifts in presumption and pride and decide to do whatever we want. Jesus illustrates the meaning of the introit in our Gospel lesson today. In the parable of the unforgiving servant, we joyfully learn much about the nature and the effect of God’s forgiveness towards us. For we are in such a great debt towards Him, yet it’s all paid through Christ. However, the expectation is that He transforms us to be forgiving as He is forgiving toward us.

         I love this parable because it shows that sin is much more than just moral failure. We often perceive of sin as moral failure, or ‘missing the mark’ as the common Greek word translates. And if we only think of sin in this way, then we won’t always see or feel the effects of our sins. Because moral failures can sort of be made up if we do good things. And that tends to be how people think of salvation – that if my good deeds done in faith outweigh my bad moral failures, then salvation is made complete.

          This parable demonstrates that sin is debt towards God. And that paints a completely different picture and outcome. So, each sin we commit daily is credited to our account and accrues over our lives. And as the parable shows, one day, the judge, or the master, will call us up to settle our account. And so, we may not think the little moral failings we have here and there are all that bad. Or the impure thoughts or desires we have are all that bad because ‘I’m not acting on them’. But if sin is seen as debt, then any little debt added up over a lifetime adds up to an amount that we could never pay off before God. And we’d find ourselves in the same predicament as the man in the parable, who owes 10,000 talents – an amount that no person could ever possibly pay.

         Even though we don’t think much of our sins, God thinks much of our sins. And the truth is, we don’t have the currency to pay God off. All we could offer to Him is material stuff. But that’s no good. Because He’s the creator of the whole world. All the things we see are already His. So, maybe if we just grovel before Him, will that impress Him? Well, as Luther says, repentance without contrition and faith isn’t really God-pleasing repentance. An empty performance of our groveling or even our empty words aren’t impressive to God. And the debt still remains.

         So, what does pay off the debt? There’s only one currency God accepts: mercy. And of course, this is what the Divine Service completely orients around – the reception of God’s mercy in Christ Jesus our Lord. This mercy isn’t something that we have to pay for with our good works, our words. Rather, it’s all a gift given by God. And it’s received by faith.

         Throughout the service, we ask for God’s mercy. We start with Confession and Absolution – putting to words the contrition in our hearts. Then we move to the Kyrie, where we ask for God’s mercy in Jesus. In the next biblical canticle, the Gloria in Excelsis, we recognize the presence of God amongst us in the service and ask for one thing: mercy – we say “thou that sittest at the right hand of the God the Father, have mercy upon us.” And then at the service of the Sacrament we sing the Agnus Dei – “O Christ, Thou Lamb of God, that takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.”

         We ask for mercy not because that’s just the magic formula to pay off all our debts, but because God’s Law shows us the truth about ourselves –  that we are indebted to Him, and only His mercy can make us whole. We don’t have the currency to pay off such an enormous debt. That’s why we need the mercy of Christ. And His mercy only comes in the form of a gift – just as the servant’s impossible debt was wiped away not by his pleading, but by the sheer mercy and compassion of his Master.

         We saw the perfect illustration for this grace today. Jakk was baptized by God. He was given a great gift. There’s nothing that Jakk could ever do to impress God enough to have the debt of his original sin and actual sins committed since to be paid off. No confession he could muster could ever be enough. No good work could ever be enough. No amount of groveling could ever be enough. Only an act of mercy from his Master and Creator, could forgive his debt.

         This teaches us much about the nature of God’ s forgiveness toward us. It’s not dependent on anything WE could ever do or accomplish to please God. He doesn’t see someone in humility or deep need and grant half-pardons. He doesn’t just pay 50% of the debt or put you on any kind of payment plan. Christ paid for the FULL payment of your debt at the cross. His currency wasn’t gold or silver, but it was His holy precious blood shed on the cross. Jesus has purchased and won you from sin, death, and devil. Not because you’ve earned it. No, He sacrificed His life even WHILE YOU WERE STILL A SINNER! He didn’t limit His death to a chosen group or cancel the debt of only those who measured up. He paid off the debt of the WHOLE WORLD. He won it for you!

         And then through the institution of Christ and by the power of His Word and promise, He grants FULL grace and mercy through baptism, absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. He completely wipes our accounts clean – and what great freedom and joy that brings! We’ve done nothing, and He’s done everything!

And that was the problem with the unforgiving servant in the parable. He thought he deserved something. He took advantage of the free grace given to him, by exacting payment of a much smaller debt that his neighbor owed him. That tells us this – he never really was terrified about his debt. He never really understood the weight of his predicament. He operated in presumption and pride. And sometimes, we do too. At worst, we think we deserve God’s forgiveness. At best, we rightly receive God’s forgiveness. But then we refuse to be like God. We’re quick to hold other’s debts against them, yet slow to mirror God’s mercy by forgiving those who’ve sinned against us.

Through this parable, Jesus warns us: we cannot expect God to forgive our sins if we refuse to forgive others. That’s the effect of receiving forgiveness: we are changed to be merciful towards others, just as our Master was merciful towards us. Vengeance and revenge and grudges cannot ever be in the mind of a Christian.

You should FULLY forgive as you have BEEN fully forgiven. No half measures. No stopping at forgiving your neighbor at 7 times as Peter sought to do. Your forgiveness shall be full AND limitless, for God’s forgiveness is full and limitless towards you.

I don’t love the phrase ‘forgive and forget’ because it can be misleading, especially in situations of physical harm. For example, if a husband beats his wife, she can and should forgive him in her heart. But true reconciliation and a life together aren’t possible unless he repents of his sin. In such cases, she cannot truly ‘forget’ what happened until that forgiveness is met with change.

Yet the phrase ‘forgive and forget’ can be helpful in reminding us to not enslave others with their past mistakes. Once a wrong has been forgiven, we don’t demand repayment out of anger or frustration. It’s like clearing a debt from a friend’s ledger – once it’s wiped clean, you don’t keep bringing up the old balance. True forgiveness means refusing to weaponize the past, even when anger tempts you to do so. For if we hold grudges, the Lord warns that our own past will be held against us.

And that’s why the introit rings true – “If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared (Ps 130:3-4).” He’s feared because He’s the Master. He can forgive debts, and He can demand they be paid.

The Lord’s call for you is simple. Yet, it’s impossible for us apart from His grace. His call? ‘Forgive as you have been forgiven.’ Jesus didn’t offer you a partial pardon. Nor does He bring up your old balance when you fail again. He’s cast your sins into the depths of the sea, never to be found again. And so, when you forgive – yes, even those who’ve wounded you deeply – you aren’t pretending the hurt never happened, and you’re not excusing their evil. However, you’re refusing to live as a debtor or master over another soul. You are letting the cross – not your anger – have the final word. For the One who forgave you fully lives in you, shaping your heart to be like His own, so that your mercy overflows to others.

In God’s kingdom, forgiven people become forgiving people. May God grant us such hearts, as we receive God’s mercy and grace in Christ.

INI

Pastor Joshua Ralston