LESSONS FROM THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT

A Modern Children’s Bible Illustration of the Unforgiving Servant

A SERMON FOR THE 22ND SUNDAY AFTER TRINITY (OCT. 27TH) 

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West) 

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to St. Alopen’s Church, where we are a community spanning many cultures, languages, backgrounds and denominational upbringings, learning from the Scripture and the Holy Spirit that God can do wonderful things to change us, give us unity, harmony and holiness, filled with compassion for one another and good works in our community. We are so grateful for our retreat this last week, meeting with brothers and sisters for a time of prayer and fellowship, and learning about God’s love and purpose for us here in East Asia, as we become a lighthouse to those bound in darkness and unable to live according to God’s purpose for their lives. I was overwhelmed by the good response that the brothers and sisters had to our marriage and family counseling sessions, and we were able to get through over 70 pages of detailed information regarding a Christian worldview of counseling and spiritual therapy. God is truly gracious to us as we work through these issues! 

READINGS 

Micah 3:5-12 

5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.

6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.

8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.

10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.

12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest. 

Philippians 1:3-11

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 

4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 

5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. 

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ. 

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; 

10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; 

11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

St. Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 

22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 

30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

SERMON 

Beloved in Christ, our lectionary this Sunday presents us with a simple, childlike, easily comprehensible approach to the heart of the Gospel — a call to forgiveness, love, and hope amid life’s unending trials. As we listen, we hear the unyielding echoes of justice and mercy, a theme woven through Scripture from the prophets to the words of our Lord Himself. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Christ tells the parable of the unforgiving servant, a story that reveals both the severity of divine justice and the boundless depths of divine mercy.

Micah warns against false prophets who say, “Peace,” when there is no peace, for their words are empty, serving their own interests rather than those of the Lord. They build up Zion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity. Yet, like a prophet seeing beyond the hills of his own time, Micah looks forward, and as St. Augustine reminds us, he sees “the true Zion, the City of God, which is built upon the foundation of justice, mercy, and love.”

St. Paul, writing to the Philippians, echoes this call. He prays that their “love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” (Philippians 1:9), a love that discerns, forgives, and endures. Here we are reminded that the Christian life, lived in Christ, is a process—a beginning that God Himself brings to completion. The good work He has begun in each of us will not be left undone, and this, my brothers and sisters, is our hope: He will perfect us in His time, in His place, through His means, as difficult and painful as they are to accept. Like a potter at the wheel, He turns us and churns us, cutting off pieces of our lives not fit to His purpose, and trimming away the excess that makes us unusable. 

In the Gospel today, Peter approaches Jesus, asking how many times he must forgive his brother. “Seven times?” he asks, perhaps thinking this was generous. But Christ’s response astounds him: “Not seven, but seventy times seven”— Seven represents perfection, and this large number of sevens signifies unending forgiveness. How difficult this teaching is! How we wish to hold on to our past offenses and justify ourselves by blaming others. And yet, it is not impossible, for the same Lord who forgives us also grants us the grace to forgive. We cannot hold anything back from Him. We must allow him to cut away our offenses, just as He cuts away our unprofitable works! 

To forgive, especially when wronged deeply, is to engage in a divine act, and herein lies a mystery and a power. Forgiveness is the outpouring of God’s love through us, transcending our human frailties. This brings to mind those powerful words of poet William Blake: 

“And throughout all Eternity, 

I forgive you, you forgive me. 

As our dear Redeemer said, 

This is the Wine, and this the Bread.”

Forgiveness binds us to one another and to Christ. For, as St. John Chrysostom reminds us, “nothing makes us so like God as our willingness to forgive.” We can not be forgiven unless we first forgive, as the Lord’s Prayer says. And while the act of forgiveness is difficult, even overwhelming at times, it is through such forgiveness that God strengthens us, restoring peace in our hearts and bringing healing to our wounds.

And what of those burdens, those anxieties and worries that crowd our minds in this hurried world? Life is hard, our days often filled with trials, stress, and, at times, an overwhelming sense of futility. We are fragile. Our days are as grass, this day coming up and tomorrow cast into the fire. But let us take heart, for God sees the secret struggles and knows the burdens we carry. He remembers us even as we struggle to remember Him. He has called us His own and assures us that we are never alone.

St. Paul, despite his chains, prays with joy for the Philippians. He is bound physically, but his spirit soars because he knows that “He who has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” This promise holds for us, too. We may not see the end, and often, our progress feels slow, but God is at work within us, bringing us step by step into the likeness of His Son.

In the face of the mundane or the overwhelming, let us rest in this knowledge. The Lord, who calls us to a life of godliness, does not abandon us in our weaknesses but strengthens us with His Spirit. “I am with you always,” He says, “even unto the end of the world.” 

So, let us continue in love, let us abound in grace, and let us forgive as we have been forgiven. For every act of kindness, every quiet moment of patience, and every prayer offered up in faith builds up the true Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem. And one day, when all trials are past, and this earthly journey reaches its end, we shall see Him face to face and know the fullness of His peace.

COLLECT

O LORD, we beseech thee to keep thy household the Church in continual godliness; that through thy protection it may be free from all adversities, and devoutly given to serve thee in good works, to the glory of thy Name. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who livest and reignest with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.