From the Daily Lectionary for Friday in the Third Week after Pentecost
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 should 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 should 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.”
When we think of forgiveness, we think of accepting someone’s apology after we have been wronged by them, or vice-versa. Certainly holding a grudge is a cardinal waste of energy. “How many times do we forgive?” the disciples ask… and in effect, Jesus’ answer is…. Always. We should know by now that our petty grievances are not worth the time and energy. That’s the classical reading of this passage, but I want to offer another interpretation.
I believe this passage is actually about debt forgiveness. You may remember that in Judaism after seven consecutive years there is a “Jubilee” year, a time in which debts were wiped clean. Not only was it an outward and visible sign of God’s generosity, it also had very practical implications for the social and economic well-being of the community. If one were not able to pay a debt after seven years, chances were that the debt would never be repaid. So why perpetuate the tension, the growing enmity? Remember that wealth was only held by an elite few in the ancient world. Only the wealthy elite could afford to loan money. Debt was a constant source of tension between the elite and the peasant classes. Moreover, debt gave power and leverage to the lender over the debtor. The Law (enacted by the elite) permitted the lender to imprison a debtor for default. This practice, of course, further hardened the intractable social and economic hierarchy, the system, that favored the rich over the poor. The Jubilee was an attempt to reconcile the community of the tension between the rich and poor; to level the playing field as it were; to restore the dignity and peace of mind of the less powerful. I was told by a banker once, back in my former life, “that there is no stress like financial stress.”
Jesus offers a parable about the slave whose debt was forgiven by his master, only to demand payment from a fellow slave who owed him money. Most interpreters of this parable consider it an allegory wherein God is the master who condemns his slave, the ungrateful sinner, for not showing the mercy that was shown to him. No doubt, a good lesson to learn. But there is more here. Matthew is condemning the system. A system controlled by wealth and power. Such a system, self-interest its calling card, will only shatter lives. We see all too clearly the shattered lives engendered by our own financial system. Bankruptcy laws were a paltry attempt to get at the problem; but anyone who has declared bankruptcy will tell you that the system just doesn’t work; that relief is a myth. Our financial system only reinforces the top down economic and social structure wherein the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. And now, in the grips of Capitalism, the future of the middle class is in dire straits, if only because of the student debt owed by the next generation… a student debt now in the trillions. That is a lot of stress.
Today is “Juneteenth,” the day we celebrate the emancipation of enslaved people following the Civil War… Slavery, the original sin of our republic. Many argued, in the South, that freeing the slaves would result in economic catastrophe (landowners would have to start paying their laborers). The Emancipation Proclamation was a Jubilee, an outward and visible sign of God’s mercy, and care, and generosity. But inhumanity finds a way to infiltrate our human systems. Jim Crow laws undermined the new found freedom. Civil Rights Laws and voting rights have been undermined. Some may say we have a “broken” system. The system, however, is not broken… the system is anything but broken. It is quite intentional and efficient towards giving undue advantage to the elite, to the powerful who occupy the apex of the social and economic pyramid.
Hear the judgement issued forth from this parable: If we perpetuate such a system, a system that disadvantages and abuses the least of us, then our society will be “tortured.” We are seeing the torture in our own day: A failed correctional system; a false promise to immigrants seeking a better way of life in a democracy of immigrants; an eroding financial safety net for the poor and the aging; unaffordable healthcare for many; our government now under the auspices of corporate profit; it is a long and tortuous list.
The salvation taught by Jesus of Nazareth is not personal, it is systemic. It is about how we live as a society justly. It is about equality, shared wealth, shared power, shared dignity. Love is engendered in community, otherwise it is a mere fleeting emotion. Debt forgiveness, freed slaves, The New Deal, Reparations, guaranteed income, all sound counter-cultural, unfeasible… socialist, whatever… but unless our democracy finds a way to take care of and respect our least, we will cease to be the egalitarian hope conceived in the minds of our visionary founders. I believe in the separation of church and state… but our elected leaders would do well to listen to Jesus’ summary of the faith: “Treat others as you would like them to treat you.” How long, O God? …How long?
A Prayer of Blessing (from Prayers for an Inclusive Church)
Most Holy God, who brings heaven close to earth: give truth to our judgement and flame to our longing that our hearts may be ready to be born again in Love; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen
