Text: Matthew 18:21-35

Note: There was a Baptism at this Divine Service.

Louis Armstrong once said, “If you have to ask what jazz is, you’ll never know.” The question Peter asks shows that he doesn’t know what forgiveness is. Forgiveness doesn’t ask, “How many times do I forgive?” Love keeps no record of wrongs. Jesus explains this by means of a parable – a parable about a debt.

The national debt of the United States is currently $11,998,822,698,024 – give or take a few billion. It goes up close to $4 billion per day. Maybe it’s just me, but that seems like a lot of money. I’ve never studied economics, but I wonder how we’ll ever pay that debt. So I try not to think about it. Too depressing!

The man in today’s parable had been trying not to think about his debt. But the day of reckoning had come. The king was settling his books. The man owes 10,000 talents. A talent was worth about 6,000 denarii, and each denarius was about a day’s wage. So to pay a debt of 10,000 talents would take about 60 million days of work. Every time I read this story I become more and more curious – just how do you get that far into debt?

His pathetic groveling is laughable. Have patience with me? Right. I’m sure you’ll have it next month. As astonishing as the debt is, even more astonishing is the king’s response to this groveling. He doesn’t have patience. He simply forgives the debt! Wipes it away. “Go in peace.”

And that man turns around and shows absolutely no mercy, not even patience, with his fellow slave. Jesus emphasizes that term – “Fellow slave” – showing us that all of us sinners are in the same position before God. The person you have a hard time forgiving is your fellow slave – a sinner like yourself.

At the end of the Gospel, Jesus directs us to forgive our fellow slaves their trespasses. It’s not the usual word for sin. It means a fault, a mistake. Forgive your neighbor his failings, his stumblings. St. Paul uses it as a reference to the fall of Adam; we must forgive our fellow fallen humans their fallenness.

But the man in the parable does not. And the merciful King, the merciful God, became a God of wrath to him. That King – so merciful – can also be terrible in His anger. It should make us tremble, and fear. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you,” Jesus says, “if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespass.” The slave who showed no mercy is turned over to the torturers, with no hope of release. This is a picture of the second Advent – the return of Christ. We are called to live in anticipation of that Advent, of the final judgment. Fear His terrible judgment! Repent.

You have heard that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. That word is forgiveness. If you will not live by it, than you shall die by it.

So the hard, fearful lesson today is that we must stand ready to forgive. Perhaps you have someone who has harmed you, wronged you – someone that you would prefer never to see or deal with again. The thought of forgiving that person is difficult. But however badly they have wronged you, it is nothing compared to the forgiveness God has shown to our whole human race, and to you specifically. We who have been forgiven must also forgive. It is not easy. This is why the petition is given us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It is as though we are praying, “Please forgive me my many sins, dear Father, and also give me the strength to forgive my enemies, and the people who have harmed me.”

Catherine Magdalena entered into that life of forgiveness this morning. That’s what it means to be baptized. Forgiven. But also, forgiving. “Depart, unclean spirit, and make way for the Holy Spirit.” How we need to make way for the Holy Spirit still in our hearts and lives! For we stand in danger, when we are sinned against, to make way instead for the unclean spirit’s return, to become hard of heart, callous, ready to grab our neighbor by the throat and scream, “You owe me!” This is why the Lord has not only given us forgiveness in Holy Baptism, but keeps on dishing out forgiveness in Holy Absolution and in the Eucharist.  We have a hard time forgiving because we do not understand our own forgiveness. So meditate on these words as you receive this wonderful Sacrament: “Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran– Blood whereof a single drop has power to win All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.”

Help us, dear Lord, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and spare us Your great wrath, which we so justly deserve.

As a favor to a parishioner, we are singing Aquinas’ great Eucharist hymn, Adoro Te Devote, tomorrow at Divine Service. It actually fits nicely with the Gospel appointed for the day (Trinity 22), the Parable of the Unforgiving Slave (Matthew 18:21-35), especially in this line: “Blood whereof a single drop has power to win All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.”

Our wonderful choir director has taken to calling this hymn “The Pelican Song” from the reference in the sixth stanza. I fear it’s catching on!

I’ve published it before, but I will never tire of it. Here it is in full:

Godhead here in hiding, whom I do adore,
Masked by these bare shadows, shape and nothing more,
See, Lord, at thy service low lies here a heart
Lost, all lost in wonder at the God thou art.

Seeing, touching, tasting are in thee deceived:
How says trusty hearing? that shall be believed;
What God’s Son has told me, take for truth I do;
Truth himself speaks truly or there’s nothing true.

On the cross thy godhead made no sign to men,
Here thy very manhood steals from human ken:
Both are my confession, both are my belief,
And I pray the prayer of the dying thief.

I am not like Thomas, wounds I cannot see,
But can plainly call thee Lord and God as he;
Let me to a deeper faith daily nearer move,
Daily make me harder hope and dearer love.

O thou our reminder of Christ crucified,
Living Bread, the life of us for whom he died,
Lend this life to me then: feed and feast my mind,
There be thou the sweetness man was meant to find.

Bring the tender tale true of the Pelican;
Bathe me, Jesu Lord, in what thy bosom ran—
Blood whereof a single drop has power to win
All the world forgiveness of its world of sin.

Jesu, whom I look at shrouded here below,
I beseech thee send me what I thirst for so,
Some day to gaze on thee face to face in light
And be blest for ever with thy glory’s sight. Amen.