Lenten Bible Reading: Week 1, Tuesday

During the season of Lent, I am attempting to follow a Bible reading plan and offer reflection on the Scripture text.  Today's reading is from Tuesday in the first full week of Lent.  (And while this is the first posting of the series, the actual start of Lent was last Wednesday.  I am going to try to work my way back to the start of the reading plan as well as move forward towards Resurrection Sunday.)  I welcome feedback.  What are these Scriptures saying to you?

Matthew 18:21-35

Common English Bible (CEB)

Parable of the unforgiving servant

 ²¹ Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Should I forgive as many as seven times?”  ²² Jesus said, “Not just seven times, but rather as many as seventy-seven times.  

²³ Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴ When he began to settle accounts, they brought to him a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold.   ²⁵ Because the servant didn’t have enough to pay it back, the master ordered that he should be sold, along with his wife and children and everything he had, and that the proceeds should be used as payment. ²⁶ But the servant fell down, kneeled before him, and said, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ²⁷ The master had compassion on that servant, released him, and forgave the loan.
 

 ²⁸ “When that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred coins. He grabbed him around the throat and said, ‘Pay me back what you owe me.’
 ²⁹ “Then his fellow servant fell down and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I’ll pay you back.’ ³⁰ But he refused. Instead, he threw him into prison until he paid back his debt.
 ³¹ “When his fellow servants saw what happened, they were deeply offended. They came and told their master all that happened. ³² His master called the first servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you appealed to me. ³³ Shouldn’t you also have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ ³⁴ His master was furious and handed him over to the guard responsible for punishing prisoners, until he had paid the whole debt.
 ³⁵ “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you if you don’t forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

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I have to confess something: this is NOT one of my favorite stories told by Jesus.  First off, the servant is an idiot!  He has squandered his master's resources - not just a little bit, but a lot!  The Common English Bible translates the amount owed as ten thousand bags of gold.  That's a pretty nebulous figure.  How big are the bags?  How much weight is in each bag?  Some commentaries that I've read on this passage talk about the amount owed being the equivalent of the entire gross domestic product of a country like Ecuador or Guatemala.  Granted, those are rather small nations, but this is ONE DUDE wasting the economic output of a whole country!  So ... this servant is an idiot for squandering those resources!

 

But this servant is an idiot for an entirely different reason: he begs for mercy from the master, gets that mercy, then goes out and grabs a fellow servant who owes him something along the lines of $4000.  I don't know about you, but for me, $4 grand is a significant sum.  So its understandable that he wants it back.  But the way that he goes about getting it - what cold, calculating, heartless, and calloused behavior by a person who's just been forgiven an unimaginable debt!  So ... this servant is an idiot for demanding repayment!

 

And this servant is an idiot for another reason: he made his demands on his fellow servant out in front of everybody else!  Perhaps he thought the public humiliation would increase the chances of the other guy coughing up the dough.  But the second guy doesn't have the ability to repay.  He begs for mercy - out in front of everyone - and reveals how desperate he is for another chance.  All this done in the midst of the public square.  If the first servant thought he was getting public opinion on his side, then his plan backfired - in a big way!  To think that bullying would garner respect, and perhaps power based on fear, makes this guy a triple idiot! 

 

He's a total loser!  Out of control!  He deserves all the punishment the master hands down on him at the end.  Good riddance!  Whew ... now I can relax...

 

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Wait a minute...   Who is this first servant?  What does he represent in Jesus' story?  Hmmm ... he might just represent me!  Ouch!!  Yes, I've been a triple idiot.  I've taken the great gift of mercy given to me by my Heavenly Father and turned around and blasted someone else who asked for mercy from me. 

Holy God, Jesus nailed me in this story.  Maybe, if I'm totally honest... that's why this story makes me so uncomfortable.  I owe a debt I cannot pay; Jesus paid a debt he did not owe.  And somehow in the busyness of life - even as a pastor (!) - I can forget that.  Thank you for the reminder today that there's an expectation of response from me in accepting your grace.  Continue challenging me, and pushing me into greater expressions of mercy, so that I continue to be humble, willing to be changed, and ultimately transformed into the likeness of Jesus himself.  I pray this in his name.  Amen.


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