MATH OR MERCY?
a sermon based on Matthew 18:21-35
by Rev. Rick Thompson

It happened again. Stephanie’s sister, Samantha, had gotten into her clothes—again. Without asking—again. This time, Samantha had worn Stephanie’s favorite sweater to school—the same day Stephanie had planned to wear it. Now Stephanie would have to wait two weeks to wear it herself, or all her friends would notice she’s worn the same sweater as her sister.

Stephanie seethed about the sweater all day at school, and was fuming by the time she arrived at the supper table. “Mom,” she snapped, “Samantha wore my clothes again! She wore my favorite sweater without asking! I hate her! And I want her to stop doing it! That’s the fifth time this month and the ninth time this year! I’m sick of it. Make her stop!”

“I’ll stop when you do!” Samantha bellowed. “Last week you wore my favorite jeans. Two weeks ago you wore my Nikes. Last month, you showed up at school with my jacket, and my shorts, and my top on. And did you ever ask if you could wear them? No! And do you remember that time in third grade when you wore my dress, and it got all stained with Bobby Miller’s blood after that fight, and I could never wear it again? You promised to pay me for that dress, and you never did. And I’m sick of it. Make her stop, Mom!”

“Girls, Girls!” Mom insisted. Both of you stop—right now! You’ve both been wrong, and I want you to forgive each other, and start fresh!”

“Well, er, ah, I suppose you’re right, Mom.” Samantha managed to mumble the words without choking or gagging. Then to her sister: “I forgive you, Stephanie—but I get to wear something of yours one more time to make up for that ruined dress.”

“And I forgive you, Samantha,” Stephanie replied. “But I’ll never forget you took my sweater today! You owe me big time for that!”

Forgiveness. It’s so crucial to our relationships. So why does it have to be so difficult to let go of our resentments and our grudges?

Forgiveness. Jesus makes it clear today that it’s central to our Christian lives, doesn’t he. He tells that pointed story about a slave forgiven an enormous debt by his master, the king—but then the forgiven slave refuses to release a fellow slave from a tiny, little debt. And when the king hears about the first slave’s merciless behavior, he orders him thrown back into debtor’s prison. And Jesus issues this solemn warning: “So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Yes, Jesus is serious about the matter of forgiveness! Not only does he insist that it come from the heart; he’s also convinced that it’s at the heart—the heart of our life together as brothers and sisters in Christ. “Be reconciled with your brother or sister; then bring your gift to the altar,” Jesus says. “Forgive 70 X 7. Be merciful.” And today’s stern warning about the consequences of failing to forgive. Jesus is serious about the importance of forgiveness.

But doesn’t he know how hard it is? Can’t Jesus understand that we’re willing to forgive, but can’t always forget? Can’t always forget the hurt, and so we wait for another opportunity to get even. It’s just like an old farmer once told me, in reflecting on a long-standing feud between two farmers, “They buried the hatchet, all right—but they left the handle sticking out.”

We, too, want to leave the handle sticking out. And we want to make our willingness to forgive a matter of mathematics: “How many times,” Peter asked, “must I forgive? Isn’t seven enough? Can’t I start getting even then?” Or, like the sisters fighting over clothing, we want to negotiate deals around forgiveness—to offer forgiveness at a price, with strings attached. We want to keep score, even after we have forgiven—just in case we get hurt again!

But Jesus won’t hear of it. For him, forgiveness isn’t a matter of math. It’s a matter of mercy!

And it’s a darn good thing! Because, if God operated the way we do, we’d be lost forever!

That’s one of the points of this parable. As is often the case in parables, the authority figure—here, the king—represents God. The king has thrown his slave into prison for good reason—the slave owes such an enormous debt that he will never, ever be able to repay. He couldn’t repay it in ten lifetimes! All he can do is appeal to whatever mercy his master may possess. And, lo and behold, the appeal is successful! The king is merciful! He releases the slave from debtor’s prison, and the slave leaves a free man—with no debt, no probation, no criminal record!

The king in the parable, like God in reality, operated not on the basis of math, but of mercy!

And it’s a good thing that’s how God operates, isn’t it! It’s a good thing God doesn’t act like we do! It’s a good thing God is not like Stephanie and Samantha, making the act of forgiveness a power struggle! It’s a good thing God is not like the forgiven slave in the parable, who receives the king’s mercy but refuses to pass it on!

Because, if God were like that, we’d be doomed—wouldn’t we? How could we ever even the score with God? How could we ever do enough good to erase the ledger of our sin? How could we ever get ourselves out of hock with God?

We couldn’t! We never will! It’s impossible!

But I have good news today. I have wonderful news!

God in Christ has done what we cannot do! God, in divine mercy, has released us from sin’s power and set us free! God has declared us innocent, debt-free, forgiven! All the things we’ve ever done to offend God, ignore God, snub God, disregard and disobey God—they’re gone and forgotten, like last month’s news!

Do you remember the names of all the Democratic candidates for President in the 2004 primaries? No? Neither does God remember your sins!

Can you name all the Cabinet officers during George W. Bush’s first term as President? No? Neither can God the merciful name your past sins!

Because God doesn’t operate on the basis of math. God doesn’t try to balance the books, doesn’t expect we’ll have good deeds than sins in the ledger when all is said and done—or else!

Our God operates on the basis of mercy!

And if you doubt that, etch in your mind the vision of God’s own Son, hanging on a cross, bleeding, dying, pouring himself out so that the power of forgiveness may be made real and released into the world.

And do you know what that means? When Jesus gives us this difficult teaching and stern warning about forgiving others, Jesus does know how hard it is to forgive. He knows, because he’s done it! He knows, because he’s given his own life to make forgiveness real for you and for me!

The forgiveness and mercy of God in Jesus Christ sets us free! His forgiveness sets us free, and empowers us to be merciful to one another!

Like Maud.

Old man Jansen was a mean, crusty old fellow. And he was a loner—had been for all his 75 years in that town. And everybody in town knew he’d bite your head off if you said one word to him.

But then Maud moved in across the street. She was a bright and cheery widow, who had just decided to retire in the community. She didn’t know Jansen at all when she moved in, but she found out pretty quickly!

Shortly after arriving, Maud walked innocently across the street to introduce herself. Instead of introductions, she received a flurry of colorful curse words. As she beat a hasty retreat home, she thought to herself, “He must just be having a bad day.”

The next morning, Maud tried again. After she mowed her own yard, she noticed Jansen’s yard needed a cutting too. She yelled across the street, “Can I mow your yard for you, sir?” This time the whole neighborhood heard his response, as he roared that he didn’t need her blankety-blank help, and she could stay in her own yard if she knew what was good for her.

But Maud was persistent. She puzzled over what strategy to use next, and finally decided to bake Jansen one of her special apple pies. Actually, she baked two, and later in the day, walked them across the street. Jansen wasn’t on the porch as usual, so she just left them there. “That’ll warm him up!” she told herself.

But what it did was heat him up! When he came out a few minutes later and saw the pies, he smacked them with his cane and sent them flying into the bushes. “Darn woman! Why doesn’t she just mind her own business!” he fumed to himself.

By now, the neighbors were noticing all this and talking among themselves. They’d know for years how cantankerous Jansen was, so they were puzzled by Maud’s persistence. “She’ll never change the guy. She may as well give up!” they agreed.

But Maud didn’t give up. She kept on reaching out to Jansen—and kept on getting brushed off. As she sat and thought about him, she said to herself, “One of these days he’ll come around. He must be hurting inside something terrible!”

Mercy, not math. That was Maud’s principle in dealing with Mr. Jansen.

That’s God’s principle in dealing with us.

And, because of the mercy God pours out upon us, that is our principle when it comes to dealing with others. AMEN.