“Forgive From the Heart”

Matthew 18:21-35

Pr. Tom Schoenherr

September 13-14, 2008

      Let me begin by saying that we have been focused upon the topic of “forgiveness” for a few weeks. There are some churches in which the Pastor who is preaching chooses the texts based possibly on a series that is being done, or a particular liking of the Pastor for that text. Lutherans follow the Revised Common Lectionary, which is shared by Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and others. There are 3 series of readings and they have clear and original titles: Series A, B, C. We are in Series A in which Matthew is the dominant Gospel. The readings we use for our worship come from this series.

      What does it mean to forgive? The Biblical Greek meaning of the word is “to send away, release, pardon.” What does it mean to you? Forgiveness sends away everything that has been keeping people apart. There could, however, still be one of them who chooses to keep the wall up that separates them, making reconciliation difficult, if not impossible. In the context of this story from Matthew, forgiveness may mean “canceling the debt.”

      Two friends were talking together. One man said that when he and his wife have an argument, she gets historical. His friend corrected him, saying, “You mean she gets hysterical.” He said, “No; she gets historical, bringing up everything I have done in the past and holing it against me.” There are people who keep track of wrongs and won’t let go. There are those who, like Peter, want to keep track of times they have forgiven. Jesus may be saying that when we forgive, or cancel the debt, the debt is cancelled. He does not keep track, and why should we?

      One question I have in reading this story is that it seems that the king does not cancel the debt, and if the king or lord is supposed to represent God, it seems like the debt is not cancelled. There is also a terrible punishment that the king gives the slave, which does not seem consistent with God’s way. There are a lot of questions we may have in reading this Gospel message.

      One main point I see in the text is that Jesus calls us to forgive from the heart. I think that is our problem and our joy. It is a problem because we don’t want to cancel the debt for our brothers and sisters. We want revenge or retribution. If we choose this route, then we can expect the same judgment and revenge from God. If God acts toward us like we want to act toward our brothers and sisters who have sinned against us, then we can find ourselves locked away, our debt is piling up, and God’s hear may be cold toward us.

      We have a friend whose husband was a parole officer. He was going to the home of an offender to talk with him about the conditions of his parole, when the man met him at the door with a shotgun. Tom was killed, leaving his wife and two very young sons. The offender was eventually found and arrested. The mother of the offender later contacted Tom’s wife to apologize for what her son had done to her husband, but Tom’s wife would not speak to her. This happened over 25 years ago, but to this day she has never forgiven the offender or spoken to his mother. I can understand, because it is hard to cancel that debt, just as it would be hard for a wife or child who has been abused to forgive the abuser. But forgiveness also can send away the hurt and the darkness that holds our lives in pain.

      I have learned, and maybe you have too, that we do not have it always in our hearts to forgive from the heart others who have sinned against us. Our only hope is to have the heart of Christ who calls from the cross for the forgiveness of those who nailed him there, you and me. Forgiveness from the heart is also our joy. Jesus takes our debt of sin to the cross, and through his death and resurrection, our debt is cancelled. We are set free, and through faith in Christ, God is pleased with us. We are forgiven, healed, our sin is sent away, and we have new Christ-like hearts.

      No longer do we need to keep track of what our brothers and sisters have done to us, nor do we need to seek revenge. “Vengeance is mine,” God says. We are set free to be merciful to our brothers and sisters, generously forgiving as Christ forgave us. God’s mercy and love for us are beyond our understanding. It may not mean that we are the best of friends, but we can send away the sin and break down the walls that separate us.

      Thomas Edison was working on the invention of the light bulb. It took a whole team of helpers 24 straight hours to put just one light bulb together. When Edison was finished with one bulb, he gave it to one of his helpers, who nervously carried it up the stairs. The helper was so nervous about carrying the bulb that he missed a step and fell to the floor and bulb broke. It took the entire team another 24 hours to make another bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, the bulb was ready to be carried up the stairs. Edison gave the bulb to the same helper who dropped it before. Might that be what forgiveness looks like?

      Now, forgiven from the heart, we get to be involved in Christ’s mission in the world, of carrying the light of Christ into the world that God loves. God entrusts you and me with carrying the light of Christ. We are moving forward in mission in Sunday school, Youth Club, small groups and service opportunities as places for people to learn and grow in Christ; and we are trying to feed God’s people in the world through Feed My Starving Children. Forgiven from the heart, we want to forgive from the heart, and we are set free for God’s mission of loving the world God loves. Amen.