A divine attribute (Matthew 18:21-35) Sunday 14th September 2014

Ten thousand talents today are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions! So it would be a foolish King who would allow a ‘servant’ to clock up debt to that mount (you would think!). Even though his debt is completely cancelled, the ‘servant’ is not so forgiving when it comes to his own household. One denarius would be the equivalent of the wages of a labourer for a day, so one hundred day’s wages is a drop in the ocean in comparison. Those who witness these events are ‘greatly distressed’ and decide to protest. You don’t have to look too far today to draw parallels to this parable.

Peter asks a vital question: how many times do you forgive? The answer may disturb some people but it can also liberate us if we allow it to: seventy–times– seven, i.e. an infinite number of times. This might seem idealistic and even ridiculous, but when we think more about it there is no other option. Without forgiveness we allow bitterness to engulf and torture us; zapping our energy; preventing us from being at peace with ourselves. When we only seek retribution, we enter into chaos.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.. When we forgive evil we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. We call it what it is, let its horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it.” (Lewis B. Smedes)

Fierce Friendship (Mk 2:1-13)

This is one of the many conflict stories in Mark where Jesus is challenged by the religious authorities. They are non-too pleased that he is forgiving sins because as far as they are concerned, only God can do that. It is easy for them to use the words of forgiveness, but how many of them can heal the paralysed man and let him walk? Jesus wants to heal the man but also to show people that he has authority! And what of the faith of the paralysed man’s friends ~ fierce friendship? They literally took the roof off so that they could get him to Jesus. You can imagine Jesus sitting there, teaching, and then the dust starts to fall…

“And I look out and I see paralysed men and women, paralysed congregations, paralysed ministries and I want to cry; ‘Your sins are forgiven. Rise, take up your bed and walk!’ And I treasure those moments of intrusion, when the heavens are torn apart and the Spirit descends and I rise from the water and I know there is hope” (William Loader).