Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

Matthew 18:26 – “Please be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.”

Our gospel story begins with what Peter thought was a generous offer of forgiveness. The number Peter placed on forgiving was seven times. The accepted norm in the Jewish religion was four. But Jesus’ response blows Peter’s offer out of the water. Jesus expands forgiveness, telling Peter that we must forgive up to 77 times. This is an extravagant amount of forgiveness – one so vast that we really cannot wrap our heads around it. To illustrate the need to forgive again and again and again and… Jesus tells a story. He begins with these words: “The kingdom of heaven is like…”

One day the king starts settling accounts. A servant is brought before him that owes “ten thousand bags of gold.” This would be worth millions upon millions of dollars today – a vast amount of money. The servant falls down and begs, saying, “Please be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.” The king shoots right past patience, landing instead on compassion. The debt is forgiven. This extravagant amount of forgiveness is one we struggle to wrap our head around. It is almost unimaginable.

This man then goes out and runs into a fellow servant that owes him 100 coins – a relatively very, very small amount. He harshly demands repayment. The servant falls down and begs, saying, “Please be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.” There is no patience. The second servant is thrown into jail. It’s hard labor until the debt is repaid. Their fellow servants are “deeply offended.” The king is informed and he hauls the first servant back in. He is reprimanded for his lack of grace and is thrown into debtor’s prison, basically forever. Jesus brings the story home with this reminder: “My heavenly father will also do the same with you if you don’t forgive a brother or sister from the heart.” Yes, Lord. May we be people of grace and forgiveness.

Prayer: Lord God, we experience such grace from you. We should be gushing grace back out into the world. Yet as abundant as your grace is with us, we can be pretty stingy with ours. Lord, open our hearts to the generosity of grace that is demanded in the kingdom of heaven as it is here on earth. Thank you. Amen.