Matthew 18,21-35.
This gospel passage is part of Matthew’s fourth collection of Jesus’ teaching (Mt 18,1-35), and is chiefly about relationships within the Christian community, the Church. The first part of today’s gospel passage is an answer to Peter’s question as to how often one should forgive a member of the community who wrongs them? Peter suggests seven times. Jesus requires that one forgives seventy seven times. Some biblical experts suggest that he said seventy times seven. The message is quite clear that where forgiveness of personal grievances is concerned no limits should be set, as with the petition in Lord’s Prayer – “forgives us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” (Mt 6,12). Commenting on the duty to forgive, (Mt 6,16) ,states “If you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.” Both the request in the Lord’s Prayer, and Jesus’ comment on forgiveness, inseparably link God’ forgiveness of us with our forgiveness of others. Our own experience of forgiveness enables us to share what we have received. Our being forgiven and our forgiving of others are both gifts from God.
The parable about forgiveness in today’s gospel gives an example of a forgiving king who was so moved to compassion by his servant’s humble pleading that he cancelled his whole debt and released him also from the penalties that would result from non-payment.
That same servant failed to extend a similar kindness and mercy to his fellow servant who, unable to pay, pleaded for more time to pay the debt, exactly as he himself had done. This unforgiving servant had a very short memory of the kindness he had received and not a jot of Christian compassion for his fellow servant.
One can easily understand the outrage his fellow servants felt at the callous way he treated his fellow servant, and the action they took to highlight the matter with the king to get redress for the unfortunate servant.
The last line of today’s gospel is addressed to Christians of all time: “this is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother/sister from your heart.”
Forgiveness is not turning a blind eye to some wrong we have suffered. In the very act of forgiving, we acknowledge the wrong done to us but forgive the person for doing it to us. It is the person who does the wrong that we forgive rather than wrong they have done. In many religions forgiveness is on condition that offender repents for the offence caused. In Christianity, we are required to forgive whether or not the offender repents.
We forgive because Christ asks us to forgive. We forgive because we ourselves have been forgiven by God even before we ask Him. Through the death and resurrection of Christ all sin has been forgiven and reparation has been made for all sin. Asking for forgiveness is really accepting what we have already been given. Forgiveness of another is giving to them what we have already received from God. Being forgiven and forgiving is a grace of God. We should pray regularly for both. Karl Jung the great psychologist reminds us that one we most often neglect to forgive is ourselves. It is important to do that, as well. How easy do you find it to forgive others? To forgive yourself? “To err is human, to forgive is divine.”
Fr Geoff O’Grady