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Matthew 18.21-35
Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Once again, we are given an example of the need for infinite grace and forgiveness. Seventy times seven is not enough. This is a difficult concept for our finite natures to grasp. Our minds keep a ledger of debts, deals, and balances. Of course, we should be generous, but not too generous. We don’t want to be considered weak or a “push over” or an “easy mark”. Somehow, the sticky wicket of fairness clouds our judgement. Isn’t forgiving seven times plenty? No, this scripture makes it very clear, it is not enough.
These days, I am working with a group of high school seniors who have not done well with remote learning. They are missing required credits. Their chances of graduating this May are bleak unless we can convince some very stressed and irritated teachers to give them additional opportunities to make up these credits. This is a challenge, but I feel there is a connection between this scripture and my students need for another chance, a time extension or an alternative assignment. They need forgiveness, not because they deserve it, but because we all need such forgiveness every day.
I think my reflection on this scripture today is really a prayer for help. Lord, help me guide and inspire these students to ask for grace once again and help me support their teachers to grant them the grace of a “retake”. Don’t we all need those “retakes”? Amen.