ILIZWI REFLECTIONS
BIBLE MONTH
Sunday, 17th September 2023
14th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Sirach 27:30–28:7
Psalm 103:1–4, 9–12
Romans 14:7–9
Matthew 18:21–35
UNLIMITED FORGIVENESS
‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ (Mt 18:32-33).
Today’s readings exhort us to forgiveness. A difficult act when one is faced with betrayal, unfaithfulness, injustice, and pain, especially from those dear to us.
Last Sunday in Mt 18:15-17 we read that if a brother sins against you and fails to heed your correction and that of the Church, he is to be excommunicated. This sounds like a contradiction to today’s message which calls for unlimited forgiveness.
Last Sunday’s message was focused on the wellbeing of the offending member, to prevent his loss from the community. This Sunday, the focus is on the wronged member, to prevent the poison of hostility in the community.
In the Old Testament, a wrong was to be avenged, 7 times in the case of Cain (Gen 4:13) and 77 times in the case of Lamech (Gen 4:24). Moses proposed a proportionate vengeance, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Ex 21:23f). What we call lex talionis.
Jesus comes and turns the tables upside down, ‘You have learned how it was said: “Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.” But I say this to you: offer the wicked man no resistance … Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ (Mt 5: 35,43).
Jesus was clear and consistent on the importance and indispensability of forgiveness among his followers. Since this call to forgiveness was so open-ended, Peter felt that there should be a limit and so he proposed forgiving 7 times (v.21).
The rabbis at this time of Jesus taught that one could forgive twice or three times. By offering to forgive 7 times (a perfect number) Peter thought that he was being very generous.
Jesus’ response is introduced with the formula that invites us to go beyond human wisdom or standards, “I say to you …” (v.22). Dear friends, our Christian calling goes beyond simple natural human responses to a situation.
Jesus says, not 7 times, but 77 times. There is a debate on this text, whether it is 77 times or 77×7=490. This debate misses the point, Jesus is simply saying, forgive without counting for one cannot keep track of this. Peter’s question was in fact wrong, if one is still counting, no matter how generous they are, one is not forgiving.
The parable shows us how unlimited forgiveness is possible for Christians. The first slave owed the master 10,000 talents. A talent was equivalent to 6,000 denarii. A day’s wage was one denarii (Mt 20). This means that he would need 164,000 years to pay the debt. In other words, this was a debt which could not be paid back.
The compassionate king forgives this servant (v.27) this whole amount. However, what does the servant do when he meets someone who owes him an equivalent of 3 months’ salary? He holds him by the collar and puts him in prison.
It surprises all of us how this 1st slave could do this. The reason is that the 1st slave simply had no idea of what had been done for him. Firstly, in asking for forgiveness he promises to pay back the debt. There is no way he was ever going to pay back. This already shows that he has no appreciation for what the king is doing.
In our own lives, it is the same. The reason we fail to forgive is because we lack appreciation of the forgiveness we have received from God. We forget the many grave sins we have committed and were forgiven.
What we are invited to forgive is so insignificant compared to what we have been forgiven. The moment we reflect on our own weakness and wickedness, we will be able to forgive our spouse, child, neighbour and friend.
In the parable we are invited to see ourselves as fellow servants in v.31 who are scandalized by the failure to forgive by the 1st slave. The climax of the parable then becomes v.35, where like in the parable of Nathan to David about the only lamb of a poor man, Jesus says, “You are the man”.
“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.” (v.35).
This parable on the reciprocity of forgiveness is consistent with the Our Father prayer, “And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors” (Mt 6:12). Take note of the insight that Matthew here uses the word debt to refer to sin!!
Forgiveness is reciprocal. The forgiveness we have received can be forfeited if we do not forgive. This is how high the stakes are. Mt 5:7, Blessed are the merciful for they shall be shown mercy. This means that a Christian who does not show mercy, cannot expect to receive mercy (James 2:12). The first reading questions, “Can one refuse mercy to a sinner like oneself, yet seek pardon for one’s own sins? (v.4).
Friends, we have been forgiven much – a debt we cannot pay. Our forgiving the other is simply an act of gratitude to God for what he has done for us. A Christian dear friends, is by definition a forgiven person. We are a community of the forgiven, and so we must forgive.
Even though Peter has asked a wrong question, in his letter he shows to have grasped this teaching, “Never pay back one wrong with another, or any angry word with another one: instead pay back with a blessing.’ (1 Pet 3:9). St. Paul adds, “Bear with one another; forgive each other as soon as a quarrel begins. The Lord has forgiven you; now you must do the same.’ (Col 3:12-13)
Sirach in the 1st reading is against the nourishing or nursing anger (v.3). For us to be able to forgive, he uses the term “to remember”. He says we are to remember that we will die, no one lives forever, so why have enemies! “Remember your last days and set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! (v.6).
“To err is human; to forgive is divine.” Today we are invited to share in this divine act. We pray for the grace to forgive. To forgive those who are especially dear to us.
In love with the Divine Word
ILIZWI BIBLICAL CENTRE
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
PLUMTREE
St John Chrysostom preached that there is nothing that makes the soul so truly wise, so truly gentle and compassionate, as the continuous remembrance of our own sins.
SVD JAMBO KENTAN 