The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Rev. George Pejakovich, Assistant to the Dean
Grace Cathedral
09/11/11

Matthew 18:21-35
The audio version of this sermon is not available.

THIS IS THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT HORROR FILLED DAY WHEN TERRORISTS MURDURED SO MANY OF OUR FELLOW CITIZENS. WE ALL LIVE WITH THE MEMORY OF SEEING THE TWIN TOWERS FALL, THE BURNING HOLE IN THE PENTAGON, AND THE CRASHED PLANE IN A FIELD IN PENNSYLVANIA. FOR SOME OF US, THE HORROR WAS VERY PERSONAL, AS FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES WERE GONE IN AN INSTANT. I LIVE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE THAT THE PLANE THAT HIT THE PENTEGON WENT INTO THE WINDOW OF THE OFFICE I OCCUPIED FOR TWO AND A HALF YEARS. FOR ALL OF US, THE ATTACK WAS PERSONAL IN SOME WAY, BECAUSE IT WAS AN ATTACK ON ALL OF US. WE WERE ATTACKED JUST BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE; BECAUSE OF OUR RELIGION, OR OUR PRESUMED LACK OF THE RIGHT BELIEFS; BECAUSE OF OUR WAY OF LIFE; BECAUSE OF THE PERCEIVED INJUSTICES WE ALLEDGEDLY COMMITED AGAINST THOSE WE DID NOT EVEN KNOW ABOUT. THE ATTACK WAS PERSONAL, BECAUSE IT CONTINUES TO AFFECT ALL OF US WITH THE NEED FOR HEIGHTENED VIGILLANCE, INTRUSIONS INTO OUR PRIVACY, AND THE BURDENS OF SOMETIMES EXTREME SECURITY MEASURES. BECAUSE OF THAT DAY TEN YEARS AGO, OUR SENSE OF COMFORT AND SAFETY HAS BEEN TAKEN AWAY, AND OUR WORLD HAS BEEN CHANGED; NOT FOR THE BETTER.

I HAVE PREACHED ON THE GOSPEL FOR THIS MORNING ON MANY OCCASIONS OVER MY YEARS OF MINISTRY, AND I MUST CONFESS HOW DIFFICULT IT IS TO CONSIDER FORGIVENESS ON THIS PARTICULAR DAY. TO REMEMBER THE EVIL DONE TO US TEN YEARS AGO, TO MEMORIALIZE ALL THE INNOCENT LIVES LOST BECAUSE OF THE TWISTED BELIEFS OF OTHERS, WHILE CONSIDERING THE QUESTION OF FORGIVENESS IS A DAUNTING TASK. THE QUESTION OF PETER OF HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I FORGIVE BECOMES, INSTEAD, THE QUESTION OF “HOW CAN WE FORGIVE?” THE GOSPEL IS, INDEED, A TWO EDGED SWORD, AND, HERE, ON THIS DAY, IT CUTS US TO THE HEART.

IF WE PLACE THE QUESTION OF PETER IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT JESUS HAS BEEN TEACHING, WE SEE THE QUESTION FOR WHAT IT IS. PETER IS TRYING TO GET BACK INTO THE GOOD GRACE OF JESUS BY SHOWING HIM HOW WELL PETER WAS LISTENING TO HIM AND ABSORBING HIS TEACHING. THE RABBIS OF THE TIME SAID THAT ONE SHOULD FORGIVE THREE TIMES. PETER DOUBLES THE NUMBER TO SIX, AND ADDS ONE MORE TO MAKE SEVEN, THE PERFECT NUMBER. IF ONE FORGIVES SEVEN TIMES, PETER IS IMPLYING, WOULD THAT NOT BE THE PERFECTION OF FORGIVING? NO, JESUS SAID, NOT SEVEN BUT SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN. NOT SEVEN, BUT FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY; AND EVEN THAT IS NOT ENOUGH. TO ILLUSTRATE, JESUS TELLS PETER, AND US, THIS REALLY DISTURBING PARABLE.

WHEN THE KING CALLS FOR AN ACCOUNTING, HE FINDS THAT ONE OF HIS SLAVES, PROBABLY HIS FINANCE MINISTER, OWED HIM TEN THOUSAND TALENTS. A TALENT WAS THE LARGEST SUM OF MONEY AT THE TIME, AND THE ENTIRE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT OF THE FIVE REGIONS OF PALESTINE WAS EIGHT HUNDRED TALENTS A YEAR. TEN THOUSAND WAS THE HIGHEST NUMBER ABLE TO BE CALCULATED BEFORE MODERN MATHEMATICS, SO WHAT JESUS IS SAYING, IN A HYPERBOLIC WAY, IS THAT THE DEBT COULD NEVER BE PAID. IT WAS IF HE SAID THAT YOU OWED THE ENTIRE NATIONAL DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES. WHEN THE SLAVE BEGGED HIS LORD FOR PATIENCE SO HE COULD REPAY THE UNREPAYABLE DEBT, THE LORD, OUT OF PITY FOR HIM, FORGAVE THE DEBT; HE CANCELLED THE DEBT IN FULL. HAVING JUST BEEN FORGIVEN AN UNREPAYABLE DEBT, THIS SAME SLAVE WENT OUT AND ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER SLAVE WHO OWED HIM ONE HUNDRED DENARII. THIS WAS ONE THIRD THE ANNUAL WAGE OF A WORKER; IN CURRENT VALUE ABOUT SIX THOUSAND DOLLARS. GRABING HIS FELLOW SLAVE BY THE THROAT, THE FORGIVEN ONE DEMANDED IMMEDIATE PAYMENT, AND, WHEN HIS FELLOW SLAVE BEGGED FOR MERCY, HE HAD HIM THROWN INTO PRISON UNTIL HE COULD REPAY THE DEBT. WHEN THE KING HEARD ABOUT THIS, HE HAD THE FORGIVEN SLAVE HAULED IN FRONT OF HIM AND PUBLICLY CONDEMNED HIM; “SHOULD YOU NOT HAVE HAD MERCY ON YOUR FELLOW SLAVE, AS I HAD MERCY ON YOU?” THEN THE KING HANDED THE SLAVE OVER TO BE TORTURED UNTIL HE WOULD PAY HIS ENTIRE DEBT; WHICH WAS GOING TO BE FOREVER. TO THIS, JESUS ADDED, “SO MY HEAVENLY FATHER WILL DO TO EVERY ONE OF YOU, IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER FROM YOUR HEART.”

ON THIS DAY, THESE WORDS BURN IN OUR HEARTS, AND RECALL TO US ALL THE TIMES WE HAVE PRAYED “FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THE TREPASSES OF OTHERS.” CLEARLY, IF WE ARE KEEPING SCORE OF THE OFFENCES AGAINST US, WE ARE UNFORGIVEN. CLEARLY, IF WE CAN NOT FIND IT IN OUR HEARTS TO FORGIVE ANOTHER, WE ARE UNFORGIVEN. CLEARLY, ON THIS DAY, TO FORGIVE THE UNFORGIVEABLE IS THE STUMBLING BLOCK IN FRONT OF US AS WE TRY TO LIVE AND WALK IN THE GRACE OF GOD. IF WE CAN NOT GET PAST THE STUMBLING BLOCK OF FORGIVING THE UNFORGIVEABLE, WE NO LONGER LIVE AND WALK IN THE GRACE OF GOD. IF WE HAVE REJECTED GRACE IN FAVOR OF JUDGMENT, GOD WILL GIVE US EXACTLY THAT FOR WHICH WE ASK.

WHEN I WAS A BOY, OUR PARISH PRIEST AT SAINT SAVA’S SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHUCH WAS A FATHER FAMILIAN. HE WAS A GENTLE SOUL, BUT VERY DEMANDING OF HIS ACOLYTES; OF WHICH I WAS ONE. WE LOVED AND RESPECTED HIM, BUT WE JUMPED WHEN HE SNAPPED HIS FINGERS AT US DURING THE DIVINE LITURGY. HE ALLOWED NO FOOLISHNESS TO DETRACT FROM THE WORSHIP OF GOD. WHILE ON A TRIP TO A CHURCH CONFERENCE IN ANOTHER CITY, HE GOT LOST AND ENDED UP IN THE WRONG PART OF TOWN. HE WAS ACCOSTED BY A GANG OF YOUTHS WHO DEMANDED ALL HIS MONEY. AS AN ORTHODOX PRIEST, HE HAD ONLY A FEW DOLLARS ON HIS PERSON. ANGERED, THE GANG BEAT HIM TO THE GROUND, AND THEN KICKED HIM REPEATEDLY IN THE HEAD UNTIL HE PASSED OUT AND THEY LEFT HIM FOR DEAD. HE RECOVERED, BUT FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE HE HAD A SEVERE STUTTER. HE WAS ALL RIGHT WHEN SINGING OR CHANTING, BUT WHEN HE SPOKE HE WOULD OFTEN HAVE TO PAUSE IN A STRUGGLE TO GET THE WORDS OUT CORRECTLY. WHEN ASKED HOW HE COULD FORGIVE THOSE WHO DID SUCH A TERRIBLE THING TO HIM, HIS REPLY WAS, “HOW CAN I NOT, I AM A CHRISTIAN; CHRIST DIED THAT I MIGHT BE FORGIVEN.” WHEN HE DIED, SOME YEARS LATER, HE WAS THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX BISHOP OF AUSTRALIA.

IF ANYONE EVER TELLS YOU IT IS EASY TO BE A CHRISTIAN, FEEL FREE TO LAUGH; IT IS VERY, VERY HARD TO LIVE IN THE GRACE OF GOD AND TO DENY THE NATURAL DESIRES AND INCLINATIONS OF OUR HEARTS. THE HARDEST PART OF IT ALL IS TO FORGIVE THE WRONGS DONE AGAINST US, ESPCIALLY WHEN THE ONES WHO WRONG US REJECT OUR FORGIVENESS AND CONTINUE TO TRY TO HURT US. THEY MAY NEVER REPENT AND CEASE THEIR ATTEMPTS TO CAUSE US HARM. THIS WE MUST GUARD AGAINST AND PROTECT OUR SELVES AND THE ONES WE LOVE; BUT WE MUST FORGIVE THEM, WHETHER THEY ACCEPT IT OR REJECT IT.  ULTIMATELY, OUR FORGIVING OF OTHERS TRESPASSES IS FOR OUR OWN SAKE; FOR WE CAN NOT LIVE IN JUDGMENT AND THE GRACE OF GOD AT THE SAME TIME. IT IS A DAILY, EVEN MOMENT BY MOMENT STRUGGLE, TO FORGIVE FROM THE HEART; AND IT IS ONLY BY FORGIVING FROM THE HEART THAT OUR HEARTS CAN MOVE WITH THE FORGIVING HEART OF GOD.

MAY GOD BE WITH US THIS DAY AND BLESS OUR LAND. MAY HE BLESS AND COMFORT ALL WHO MOURN AS WE LIFT UP OUR PRAYERS FOR THEM AND FOR ALL WHO DIED. MAY GOD BLESS AND PROTECT ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO STAND BETWEEN US AND THOSE WHO WANT TO DO US HARM. MAY THE LOVE OF CHRIST DWELL IN OUR HEARTS THAT OUR LOVE MAY EXTEND TO ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH; EVEN, ESPECIALLY, TO THOSE WHO HATE US.

IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN.