21st Sunday after Pentecost 18.10.15 Forgiveness
Today the Church acknowledges St Luke, known to us for the third Gospel.
There are certain passages unique to his Gospel, an emphasis on mercy:
The Magnificat – He has raised up the lowly; Jesus: He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free (Lk 4: 18). The “lost and found” stories (the stray sheep, the missing coin, the wayward son) are only to be found in Luke. Also: Repentance of Zacchaeus (19:1-10) Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (19:41-44) Meeting with "daughters of Jerusalem" (23:26-32) The good thief (23:39-43).
Today, however, it is a passage unique to Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 18,23-35) which also teaches about mercy – the abundance of God's mercy for us, and the necessity that we must be merciful with each other.
The first servant was forgiven, but somehow the experience did not sink in far enough to change his attitude to others.
We find it hard to forgive those who offend us. It should be easy but it is not somehow.
In really difficult cases we can do this through God’s infinite mercy. If He can forgive the one who offends me then He can help me to do what He is doing.
There are ways we can look at this, which will at least make it mentally clearer why we should forgive, even if there are still emotional blockages.
One image: we are all trying to escape a burning building. If I get outside I will not be trying to push you back inside.
Begrudging mercy to another is like this. Do I really want others to stay in their sins? It seems outrageous when we put it like that; but it is possible to resent the forgiveness of others.
At murder trials there is often someone in the gallery who will call out to the accused: I hope you rot in hell (or similar).
I heard of a woman who resented the fact that her husband made a deathbed confession.
We have the labourers in the vineyard parable and the prodigal son.
There is a resentment to those coming in late. It seems too easy to us who have been toiling away all this time. It offends our sense of fair play.
But we cannot complain. We are all treated better than we deserve, including the ones who have laboured longer in the vineyard. We have no strict right to eternal life; it is simply that God chooses to give it to us.
This is not a time for small-minded resentment.
If we are to ask for mercy it must be for ALL. Most of our prayers for mercy are in the plural, such as Forgive us our trespasses… pray for us sinners now…
We cannot say Lord have mercy on us, except this or that person!
We need to cultivate gratitude for the miracle of God’s mercy, which is so freely available.
Then we will be transformed enough to have goodwill towards everyone else, including those who have offended us.
The forgiveness takes root and changes us to a new person. We are not just freed from debt but actually a new person, able to do new things (like forgive others).
We want the other person to discover the same joy. So at the murder trial we should be calling out, I hope you go to heaven! It may take a long time for the other person to change, and maybe they never will, but at least we want it to happen.
Everything we need is in Christ. We call on Him at every point from the forgiveness of our own sin, to the right attitude towards the sin of others.
May the Mercy of God transform us all.
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