Peter came and said to [Jesus], “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

Matthew 18:21-22

Let’s talk about forgiveness. It is one of the most important topics in our Christian life together, and it’s the theme of all our readings today. Especially our gospel reading (Matthew 18:21-35). 

Forgiveness is also one of the most important themes in our worship service, each and every Sunday. Think about all of the moments in our worship service every Sunday where forgiveness is the theme. 

It begins at the beginning, with our order for confession and forgiveness. We literally begin our worship together by confessing our sins, and being forgiven. “Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves … For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us.” And together we hear the wonderful words I am called to speak: “In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins.” 

I have a Lutheran pastor friend who did not grow up in the church, but when he was invited to a Lutheran church by his high school friend, he was blown away by this part of the worship service, became a Christian, and eventually a pastor. Why? Because he had never heard the truth that he is captive to sin, but that in Jesus Christ his sins are forgiven. 

One of my preaching professors at seminary was known to say that there were many Sunday mornings when the highlight of the service was this first part, the order for confession and forgiveness. It is a powerful and meaningful way to begin our worship together. 

But it is not the last time in our worship service that we are reminded of the importance of our sins being forgiven. We also are reminded of this every week when we confess our faith through the Apostles’ Creed: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins.” We believe in the forgiveness of sins. Because we believe in a God who is eager to forgive sin, and we believe in the Holy Spirit, who has called us to this community, to this church, to receive the forgiveness of our sins. 

But even this is not the last we hear of forgiveness in our worship service. We hear it again every Sunday with the words of institution spoken from the altar: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.” 

And then, finally, there is one more time when we hear and speak about forgiveness every Sunday, and that is in the prayer our Lord taught us, which we pray together every Sunday: “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

Forgiveness is at the heart of our worship, and at the heart of what it means to be the church. If the church can be thought of as being in any kind of business, it is clearly in the forgiveness business. We come here to confess our sins, to be forgiven, and to be reminded and encouraged to forgive each other, just as we have been forgiven by our loving and gracious God. 

Today’s Gospel Reading

Okay. Why all this about forgiveness today? Because forgiveness is also at the heart of today’s gospel reading. This reading continues a conversation that Jesus is having with his disciples that we heard about last Sunday. Last Sunday, we heard Jesus teaching his disciples about what to do when someone sins against you. How to deal with conflict and sin in the church and in our families. This Sunday, we hear Peter asking a question about all this, a question that leads Jesus to share a famous parable about forgiveness. 

How Often Should We Forgive?

This reading begins with Peter asking Jesus how often he should forgive someone. As many as seven times, he asks? Many rabbis at the time taught that three times was sufficient. So I’m sure Peter thought that he was being quite generous, just as Jesus would want him to be. Let’s double the usual, and add one for good measure. Seven times. Very generous. 

But Jesus offers Peter a surprising answer, that we should forgive someone not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Which basically means that we should forgive someone until we lose count. Because forgiveness really isn’t about math; it’s about mercy. And it’s about doing for others what God does for us. There’s no end to how many times we should forgive, because there’s no end to how many times God has forgiven us. And to reinforce this point, Jesus then goes on to tell a very interesting and challenging parable. 

A King Forgives an Impossible Debt

There is a slave, Jesus says, that owes his king ten thousand talents. Now, a talent is the biggest possible monetary unit that exists. It would take a typical worker fifteen years just to earn a single talent. And this slave owes the king not just one talent, but ten thousand talents. Ten thousand is the biggest number that exists in their language. So ten thousand talents, in other words, is an impossibly large number. It’s kind of like saying that the slave owed the king a trillion dollars. Something so big that no one in the world could ever possibly repay it.

This slave, in other words, is in a hopeless situation. And he knows it. All he can do is fall on his knees and plead for mercy. Which he does. And the king, shockingly, decides to forgive this slave his entire debt. 

So, before we move to the next part of the parable, think about what Jesus is teaching us here. The king in this parable is like God. And the slave is like us. And this parable reminds us that what we owe God is beyond what we can ever hope to repay. That’s the nature of sin. We can’t repay God for our sins against God. One sin is more than we can possibly repay. 

Each and every one of us owes God ten thousand talents and more; and not a single one of us can repay this debt. But just like the king in this parable, God chooses to forgive us. God forgives us all of our sins, all of our debt. No matter our sin; no matter how much we have sinned; no matter how often we have sinned; God chooses to forgive it all. The forgiveness that God offers to each of us is more than we can possibly imagine.

The Slave Refused to Pay It Forward

So, what does the slave in this parable do, now that he has had his life changed by being forgiven this debt of ten thousand talents? As he is leaving the king, he encounters a fellow slave who owes him just a hundred denarii. A tiny amount compared to ten thousand talents. And he throws this slave into prison until he pays the debt. And we can’t help but wonder – why would the slave not forgive that small amount after the king has just forgiven him this huge amount? That, to me, is the key question this parable asks of us. And my best guess is that this slave either expected the king to forgive him, as though he deserved to be forgiven; or this slave didn’t really believe that his ten thousand talent debt had truly been forgiven. If he didn’t expect it, but now truly believed it, then it seems to me that he would gladly forgive his fellow slaves of the measly amount they owe him. But instead, this slave lives his life, after receiving this miraculous gift, without changing, and without forgiving. And the king finds out, and hands him over to be tortured until he repays the entire debt. And you can’t blame the king, after what he has done for this slave. He’s forgiven him ten thousand talents, and this slave can’t forgive a fellow slave a hundred denarii?

And Jesus concludes this parable by warning us that God will do the same to us unless we forgive one another as God has forgiven us. God has forgiven each and every one of us a mountain-size debt. And when we realize it, and don’t take it for granted, then we really can’t help but forgive others the same. 

It’s Not About Math; It’s About Mercy

Today’s gospel reading, when all is said and done, is not about how often we should forgive, or how much we should forgive. Again, it’s not about math. It’s about mercy. Seventy-seven times is a lot, but it’s nothing compared to how often God has forgiven us. Ten thousand talents is a ridiculous amount that the slave is forgiven. But it’s nothing compared to how much God has forgiven us. God’s forgiveness can’t be counted, or added up, or quantified at all. It’s endless and infinite. And given freely to us all.

Whatever you have done, or not done, that is contrary to God’s desire for you, God has forgiven. We believe in the forgiveness of sins, because we believe what the Bible teaches us. And when we really get our minds around how much God forgives us, and how much God still loves us, and how much God wants us to do the same for others, then there is no wrong, no injustice, no slight, no sin against us that can hold a candle to the wrongs, the slights, and the sins we have done against God. And forgiving that person is simply a small way to pay it forward. 

Closing

That’s really what this gospel reading is trying to teach us today. Just how much God has forgiven us. And just how much of a difference we can make in the world by paying this forgiveness forward. One person at a time. 

When you think about it, every Sunday in worship we are basically re-enacting the parable Jesus tells in today’s gospel reading. We come to this place, as slaves to the king, to settle our accounts. But we remember, once here, that we cannot possibly pay what we owe. It is too great. Every sin we commit is a sin against God, and there is no payment that we can make that will forgive that sin. We fall on our knees, figuratively speaking, at the beginning of our service, in our order for confession and forgiveness. “Have patience with us,” we pray. And every Sunday, out of pity and in great love, the king releases us and forgives us our debt. We are debt-free. The ten thousand talents that we owe have been completely forgiven. All ten thousand sins forgiven. Now, what are we going to do with that? Share this gift with others. To the glory of God. Amen.