St. Matthew 18:21-35
Today we reflect on the ten year anniversary of the attacks upon our nation by a people who do not understand nor appreciate the freedom, heritage, and history of the United States. We can all remember what we were doing when we heard the news. We can, likewise, reflect on how it has changed our country in the last ten years. We look at the things around us in a different light. It has created a heightened awareness of our freedoms, and it has shown us that America is not immune to the issues that face the rest of the world. This is sobering. Looking at the chaos that happens in other countries due to religious strife, the Christian church cannot help but reflect on the church’s life and mission. How precious is the gift of faith and the freedom to worship. With the freedom always comes the threat that it could be taken away. Regardless of what is happening around us, nothing is more precious than the words of absolution and forgiveness from Christ. How fitting it is that the gospel appointed for today concerns the office of the keys. In chapter 16 Jesus announces the keys to Peter, “And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven: and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”(St. Matthew 16:19). Chapter 18 concerns itself with how these keys are used in the apostolic and pastoral office. Peter wants to know how many times he can forgive someone for a sin they commit--up to seven times? Peter wanted to know because the Rabbis would only forgive someone three times. Jesus response tells Peter that there is no end to forgiveness. But we must keep one thing clear. There is no forgiveness where there is not repentance. One cannot forgive a sin when the person does not recognize their sin to be a sin against God. God’s Word is clear that we are not to stray. In our culture today we treat sin too lightly. There are a few reasons for this. #1 We are numb to the sins against our neighbor. #2 We do not realize that all of our sins committed ultimately break the first commandment, the sin against God. We are so inwardly focused on ourselves that we, as a culture, pay little regard to others. We live out each day with this manifesto: “This day is about me and what I’m doing.” Another reason we are numb to sin is that we see everyone else doing it. We are surrounded by rampant sin to the point that it is the normal fabric of life. It is on TV and in movies; our best friends are doing it; our family members are doing it. Our business partners practice sin. Sinful living such as taking advantage of others becomes such the norm that we fail to realize that such lifestyles are absolutely contrary to God and the Scriptures. Take sex outside of marriage, for example. We can quote the sixth commandment. We can even talk about how it used to be dealt with in the church “in the old days” if people were having sex and living together, but we don’t know what to do about it today. We shrug it off. Everybody does it; they may even sight good reasons for doing it. Too often, we neglect the commandments by only looking at the commandments as sins against our neighbor(the second table of the law). Part of haphazardness in committing sin is that we fail to recall that any and all sins are sins against God and the first commandment......and unrepentant sin leads to death and damnation. Our sins against our bodies and against our neighbors are, in the end, a spitting upon the cross of Jesus. Notice that the Lord in the story calls the servant in order to punish him for the debt he owes. Sin is a debt we owe, and God expects repayment, because a sin is mark against the holy nature and essence of God. Punishment would have been the end of the story had the servant not begged. He wanted to pay for it all, but his debt was so large that it would never be repaid. He was done for. The Lord, hearing and seeing the contrition and repentance from the servant, had compassion. The Lord’s loving mercy brings pardon to this man. This mercy for us is procured because of the precious blood of Jesus. Christ’s bloody death and patient suffering paid for our debt. Christ’s compassion for the debtor is culminated in His crucifixion. According to Matthew 18, Christ’s crucifixion is implied in the Lord’s compassion for the servant. As a result, the crucifixion is the very picture of God’s love for us sinners. The story gets more interesting when that forgiven servant proceeds outside and finds one of his fellow servants (one of his equals), and wants a small debt paid. He grabs his fellow brother by the throat and demands repayment. The servant pleads for mercy, but no mercy is found: Punishment, hate, cruelty....and all for a minor debt. What has this first servant done but spit upon his lord who forgave his great debt. When the first servant’s lord finds out about the cruelty and lack of forgiveness shown, then his debt is renewed and the servant is bound and cast away. Jesus finishes the gospel with difficult words for us to hear: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” In both cases, forgiveness is to come when there is the cry for mercy and forgiveness. The difficulty that we face is that being a Christian in this world is no easy road. Unrepentant sin, in and around us, numbs us. It slowly puts us to sleep. It turns our hearts away from God. We are to be all the more diligent to look to Christ and the Holy Scriptures in order that we may order our steps correctly in this world. It calls for being honest about who we are and being sincere in our need for our Lord’s mercy for the debt that we owe. If we know that we owe a great debt, then we are more willing to feel pity for the small debt that others owe us. The office of the keys that is administered by the pastor goes with the authority from Christ and heaven. This is scary and blessed. It is scary if there is unrepentant sin, because the pastor binds the sins of the those who will not repent of their sins. This is seen in the pastor refusing to commune an unrepentant sinner. When the sacrament is not given, this is, in effect, the doors to heaven being closed upon that person. But, regardless of how many times a person commits even the same sin, where there is repentance, there is heard in the pastor’s words of holy absolution that the debt is forgiven. You, the sinner, upon your repentance, are pardoned and freed from the debt you owe the Lord. Your slate is wiped clean and you are as white as snow as Isaiah said. This is done in heaven. What is forgiven on earth is forgiven in heaven. The world may continue to accuse you. Satan may continue to hurl accusations at you. Satan may remind you of your sins from days gone by or you may have fallen in great weakness yesterday. But where you come to the Lord on your knees confessing your sin, it is put away and destroyed. Heaven does not acknowledge nor keep record where there is repentance. The blood that Jesus spilt on the hill outside of Jerusalem cries out in absolution for all the world to hear. No matter what our nation faces, no matter who attacks, no matter what freedoms we have, nor who threatens to take away our freedoms, the cry of repentance and absolution is for all. Crossing cultures, crossing nations, pushing past the barriers of language, and the world that threatens to numb us, the love of Jesus soars through the air in the midst of it all. Jesus comes through preaching and in the precious sacrament....and even in the pastor’s words of absolution to tend to the business of heavenly things. Your sins are forgiven. Your debt is erased. You are holy children of Christ. Amen. -- Rev. Chad Kendall Trinity Lutheran Church Lowell, Indiana www.trinitylowell.org http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=243282012833
