Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

70 X 7=Perpituity
St. Matthew 18:21-35

A recent Washington Post feature article was headed, "God Speaks From Above."

The article described a national public service campaign in which messages from "God" are displayed on billboards and bus-shelters in various cities. The campaign was sponsored by an anonymous donor who contributed $150,000. In the donor's words, "I wanted to remind people of God, especially people who used to go to Church and for some reason don't go anymore, which is a good-sized group."

Among the billboard and bus-shelter messages from "God" that already have appeared:

"I don't question your existence!"

"Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage."

"Have you read My number 1 bestseller? There will be a test."

"Will the road you're on get you to My place?"

"That 'Love Thy Neighbor' thing, I mean it!"

On an Erdman Avenue billboard in Baltimore, where commuter traffic is at its heaviest, passing motorists were admonished, "Keep using My Name in vain and I'll make rush hours longer."

On one huge billboard, in plain white letters on a stark, black background, these four words appear: "We need to talk!" The message is signed, "God."

And a coming message reportedly will consist of the last six words contained in today's Gospel Message:

"FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER FROM YOUR HEART"

The parables of Jesus are appealing word-pictures of his teachings on all sorts of subjects. However, some of Jesus’ parables are hard to understand, so that the disciples have to ask Jesus to explain what he means. This parable, though, is straightforward. There’s not much explaining that needs to be done. The answer lies in that question of the king to the servant, "Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?"

Whether the point of the parable is addressed to Peter, to a member of Matthew’s community, or to modern readers, there is no escaping the conclusion: God’s mercy and forgiveness are incalculable, and our behavior must be in response to God’s forgiveness.

This section of Matthew is about church and community relations. All sorts of issues are dealt with: true greatness; temptations to sin; the care of God for the least of the members; and true forgiveness. When told they are to work out their disagreements and settle their disputes for the sake of the community, Peter quite magnanimously asks, "How many times do I forgive? 7 times?" He was going beyond the rabbinic teaching of forgiving a brother or sister 3 times for an offense. Seven times seems a gracious plenty, doesn’t it? What is your limit for aggravation and hurt? Would you even make it to 7 times?

As always, Jesus’ answer cuts through all attempts at self-justification and rationalization:

"I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven." Oh man get out the calculator and a piece of paper! A quick calculation shows we can forget about forgiving on the 491st time! I know of a lady who kept her own record. The church was voting on giving the pastor a raise. This lady stood and said "I have a book and in it is written every single thing I have ever seen this pastor do wrong!" That lady and that book split the church. But, inside, we know that is not what Jesus means. He doesn’t give us a license to be unforgiving, at any time! No, in Jesus’ arithmetic, 70 x 7 =Perpetuity! Meaning forever and ever with no end in sight!

At issue is forgiveness itself, and the very life and unity of the Christian community. Forgiveness is indeed one of the difficult issues of the Christian life. Frequently sermons and discussions of the issue leave more questions than they answer. Yet, nowhere is our personal or corporate faith more seriously tested than with the issue of forgiveness. Without genuine, free flowing forgiveness, there can be no authentic Christian community.

As you know in October we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of our church. I am very excited about the individual who will be speaking to us that Sunday morning. His name is Dr. Daniel Vestal and he is the Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship worldwide. When I attended the conference in Birmingham I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Vestal speak. The subject of his address was our response to the take over of the Southern Baptist Convention. These were his words:

"Let me say that by God's grace we as a fellowship must have a forgiving spirit to those who planned and performed the takeover of the SBC," Vestal said. "Those who fired professors and presidents, changed the character of institutions and to this day falsely accuse us of all kinds of practices - we must offer forgiveness."

"This does not mean that we forget what they did or pretend that it did not happen. This does not mean that we give up our conscience or convictions and keep silent in the face of injustice. But it does mean that in the words of Roberta Bondi we do not seek revenge and that we genuinely seek the welfare of those who harm us. We incarnate the mind and heart of Christ, who prayed for those who were crucifying him, 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'"

A former pastor, Vestal used an illustration about the time his family's home was broken into while the family was at church. One of the items stolen was one of their two boys' piggy bank. A few days later while tucking the boys into bed and beginning the ritual of nightly prayer, Vestal suggested the boys pray for those who broke into the house. "Do you mean you want me to pray for the men who stole my piggy bank?" asked his son, Philip, then 7. After Vestal replied, "yes," Philip noted the perpetrators were going to hell for their deed, and the 5-year-old, Joel, asked if hell has real fire.

"I'm afraid that our inclination is to do what my sons did - either harbor resentment and revenge in our hearts or want to get into a theological discussion that avoids responsibility. In either case, community is lost."

Forgiveness is needed within families and within the body of Christ. Often we tend toward being critical and caustic of each other, he Some of us are grouchy. Others of us are compulsive and competitive. Still others of us are tentative and timid. And none of us is perfect.

We are at different places on the journey, so let us do toward each other what St. Paul admonishes, "Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

If we are going to be Jesus’ disciples we MUST forgive! I will be the first to acknowledge that sometimes it’s easier to forgive than it is at other times. Often the hurt and the pain leave scars that last a lifetime. But the body of Jesus bares scars does it not? Even in His darkest hour, as He hung on the Cross, Jesus' prayer was "Father, forgive them" (Lk. 23:24).

"Be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

Say those first words with me this morning: "Be ye kind one to another." Again: "Be ye kind one to another." Again: "Be ye kind one to another."

Let us pray:

"Lord Jesus teach us to forgive even as you have forgiven us. Amen."

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