Am I in the Place of God? NO
Matthew 18:21-35
17 September 2017 – Redeemer
Joseph of Old Testament fame was a blessed man. Do you remember all that God gave Joseph? He was given his father’s favor and his brother’s hatred, his special coat and an orange prison jumpsuit, prison and a palace, sold into slavery and raised to second in command, seven years of abundance and seven years of drought. He was even given his brothers and his father back. Since his brothers were the cause of his worst troubles is it any wonder they are afraid for the lives when father Israel dies. They need not fear. Joseph sees this all as God’s gift, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. .. Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” Everything in Joseph’s life was God’s gift which meant everything in his life belonged to God so Joseph used it joyfully and gladly to give to his brothers forgiveness for their sins.
That Old Testament story is a great setup for the parable Jesus tells in the Gospel reading in answer to Peter’s question, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Peter must have forgotten the story of Joseph so Jesus tells him and us a new story, but it really is the same old story of God’s Word.
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts. It’s year end. Time to balance the books, set the tax rates in the Kingdom and make sure the economy is growing. I think it is likely that the King called in his biggest debtor first. This servant has a staggering amount of debt – 10,000 talents. A talent is 20 years wages for a common laborer. That makes his debt 20,000 years of wages. How could a man get into that kind of debt? Well, how do most of us get in debt? We take advantage of our credit cards. We don’t pay attention to our bills. We think that that super-duper low interest rate means I can buy whatever I want when I want it. I’m quite certain that even on a Sunday I could probably spend more money than I have – on credit alone. And until my creditors started calling I wouldn’t feel a thing (except perhaps my wife’s wrath.)
Martin Luther said this is how it is with sin. Sin is fun. The devil will tell you it’s free. You feel no guilt or no shame until someone calls you to account. Your sin is enjoyable until your mom catches you. Your sin brings you pleasure until your pastor preaches against it. That new toy is super fun until your wife says, “What is that?” Sinning is great, until someone says “You’re going to have to pay for that.” That accounting might not come until death, but hopefully for you it will come sooner because if you’re dead it’s too late for the debt of your sin to be paid.
The servant was going to have to pay for it, but he couldn’t. The King orders him to be sold with his wife and children, and all that he had. His debt costs him everything he has. It is lost forever. But before he is carried away to prison he falls on his knees before the king, imploring him, begging him, “Have patience on me, and I will repay you everything.” Sure. Right. Was it because of his plea that the King was moved? No. The King could have had eternal patience, 20,000 years of patience and that man could not have repaid him. Jesus tells us what the King had. He had compassion on the man. And out of pity for him, the master of the servant released him and forgave him the debt.
Here Jesus gives us the sum and substance of the Kingdom of heaven. It is entirely the King’s work. He takes the hit for the servant’s debt. So your father in heaven takes the hit for your debt of sin. You get off completely free. You have nothing. You can give nothing to God. That means there is nothing in you that moves God to be merciful. For some odd reason His heart goes out to you, which means His Son comes out of heaven for you.
The Son of God became a real man, flesh and blood, to bear not only your sin, but your real debt. He came to suffer, to endure God’s anger and to die. You did nothing but sin and have nothing but debt. Christ did everything to forgive you. Your forgiveness is complete and as real as Christ’s death on the cross and His empty tomb. It is as real as the water of your baptism that drowned you with Christ and raised you to new life. It is as real as the Word you heard this morning in the stead and by command of your Lord Jesus – “I forgive you all your sins.” It is a real as His living and risen body and blood that you will soon receive.
What does Jesus want His disciples to hear in that parable? What does He want you to hear? You have been forgiven more than anyone else you know. Your 20,000 years of sins have been paid for out of God’s own pocket – with God’s own blood. He paid Jesus for you. You are forgiven and free to go.
But there’s a danger in getting something for nothing. Every parent knows this, every employer knows this. The government does not seem to know this. What is the temptation when you get something for free? You abuse it. You forget the value of it. You think it’s yours and that it doesn’t cost anyone anything. What happened when the banks were begging people to take out loans, when they made it sound like free money? People bought homes they couldn’t afford. Farmers bought expensive equipment they didn’t need. What happens when God gives heaven to you for free? You forget both your debt and the price He paid and you imagine it is your forgiveness to do with as you please.
One of the loudest arguments of the Roman Catholic Church against the teachings of Martin Luther was this – “you can’t just give forgiveness away for free. Do you know what people will do with that, what those “Lutherans” are going to do with free forgiveness? They will abuse it. Spurn the church. Love themselves more than the Word. They will sin boldly that grace might bound. They’ll give up doing good works. Luther himself witnessed this. He writes about one example in the Small Catechism. Once the Lord’s Supper was not required, once it did not earn salvation, but rather gave salvation freely, people quit coming to the Sacrament. He was so mad at the abuse he wrote, “If you don’t come to communion at least four times a year don’t consider yourself a Christian.” What did people do in response to that? They came exactly four times a year.
So the servant is spared an eternity of debt and before he gets home to tell the good news to his wife he runs into a guy who borrowed 100 bucks between paydays. A hundred lousy dollars. Should he even have asked the guy about that C note? No, he should have forgiven the guy before he even asked. But he doesn’t. Hey Bob I need my money. Sorry I don’t have it. I had to buy groceries for my family. Then he throws Bob up against the wall, demands his money, or it’s off to small claims court and jail. Bob drops to his knees and pleads with the very same words of the first servant, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” What would anyone listening to the story expect to happen next? A servant who has been forgiven 20,000 years of debt is now in the place to forgive 100 days of debt. What you would expect is, “Bob, forget it. I forgive you your debt. Let’s go have a beer. It’s on me.” But remember there is always a surprise in the parables and this is an unpleasant surprise, “He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.” (Matthew 18:30, ESV)
What does an unwillingness to forgive mean? It means you have begun to think forgiveness is yours to do with as you please. You have forgotten that forgiveness is God’s. He paid for it. The price was steep. The price was His only begotten Son. He paid for it so you could have it –20,000 years of sin paid off for you. You’re forgiven, but like Joseph of old, you need to ask, “Am I in the place of God?” Because that is who you pretend to be if you refuse to forgive those who sin against you and repent. You are a sinner made righteous, a poor indebted sinner made rich by God’s forgiveness. You’re forgiven and free to go – to go from sin, the devil, to leave your grave. This is God’s forgiveness. Don’t keep it for yourself – it isn’t yours. Forgive those who repent of their sins against you. Spread the wealth because there’s more than enough to go around. You should know. After all it covered the debt of all your sins. In the name of Jesus. Amen