It's been a privilege and an honour to be with you this morning and to share God's word
!
Lord God, maker of heaven and earth, our help is in you. So may now by the power of your
Holy Spirit, will you come and speak to us through your word so that your Son, our Saviour,
may be glorified in our lives. And we ask this in his name. Amen.
On the 8th of November 1987, an IRA bomb exploded in the town of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh,
Northern Ireland. It was a Sunday afternoon and people had gathered in the city, in the
town centre, at the war memorial for a Remembrance Day ceremony. Eleven people were killed, 63
were injured. It became known as the Poppy Day Massacre. The youngest to die that day was
a young lady by the name of Marie Wilson. She'd just recently qualified as a nurse. After the
bomb went off, Gordon Wilson, Marie Wilson's father, lay under the rubble and shouted to
his daughter, are you all right? She found his hand and said, is that your hand, Dad? He said,
are you all right? And she said, yes. He asked her for a fifth time, are you all right? And she said, Daddy,
I love you very much. And those were the last words that she spoke. Hours later, Gordon Wilson gave an interview
with the BBC. I remember as a kid watching it on TV that night. He described with anguish in front of the cameras,
the conversation with his daughter and his feelings towards her killers. She held my hand tightly, he said,
and gripped it as hard as she could. She said, Daddy, I love you very much. Those were her exact words to me.
And those were the last words I ever heard her say. And then, to the astonishment of his listeners, Wilson said these words,
but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk of revenge is not going to bring her back.
I will pray for these men tonight and every night. Historian Jonathan Barlin recounts new words in more than 25 years of violence in Northern Ireland had such a powerful emotional impact.
A cup brimful of sweet water.
A cup brimful of sweet water when jolted only spills sweet water.
And that day, Gordon Wilson's cup was violently jolted.
And the only thing it spilled was the sweet water of forgiveness.
And the question is, what gives birth to that sort of forgiveness?
To that sort of quick and unconditional forgiveness?
Perhaps tonight you are here and you are someone who knows the pain of losing a loved one like Gordon Wilson at the hands of the evil acts of another person or group.
And I'm sure you know only too well how deep Gordon Wilson would have to have dug to say those words.
And to live them out in the days and weeks and years that followed.
But for the majority of us here, I imagine that the offenses that we have received are not on that scale.
And we should keep that in mind.
We should keep that in mind.
But they are nevertheless real.
They nevertheless hurt.
And forgiveness is never easy.
That comment that that person made to you that time.
That thing they did to you.
That thing they returned to you in bad condition but never acknowledged that they'd broken it.
That snub at church the other week.
That lie that they told you.
That, that, that.
We all have a that moment, don't we?
But whatever it is that that someone or some group has done to us, forgiveness is never easy.
It always costs.
But if we are Christians, if we claim to follow the Christ,
then forgiveness is not an option.
It's not something that you can choose whether you want to do it or not as a Christian.
Forgiveness is essential to the Christian life.
Martin Luther, the German reformer, said that the continual forgiveness of our neighbor
is the primary and foremost duty of Christians,
second only to faith and the reception of forgiveness.
Second only to receiving forgiveness from Christ.
The continual forgiveness of our neighbor.
And it's in this passage in Matthew chapter 18
that Jesus helps us with this issue of forgiveness.
In fact, it is in this parable that we learn how Gordon Wilson could offer
such quick and unconditional forgiveness.
Jesus makes three very simple points in this parable.
Number one.
Our forgiveness of others must be unlimited.
Verses 21 to 22.
Then Peter came and said to him,
Lord, how often will my brother sin against me and I forgive him?
As many as seven times?
Jesus said to him,
I do not say to you seven times,
but seventy-seven times.
Now in order to understand Peter's question,
we have to back up a little and understand the context.
Did you notice the word then at the beginning of verse 21?
Peter only asks this question because of what Jesus has been saying in verses 15 to 20.
There Jesus was addressing the problem of an unrepentant sinner.
If a person sins,
you are to go and confront them.
If they are unrepentant,
you are to go and confront them with their sin.
And if they refuse to repent,
then you get two or three witnesses together.
You confront them again.
And if they refuse to repent,
then you go and tell it to the church.
And then you treat them as an unbeliever.
And Peter says,
Okay, Lord, I get you.
I get what to do if the person is unrepentant.
But what do I do if the person does say sorry and I forgive them?
And then the next week,
they do it again.
And I forgive them.
And then the next week,
they do it again.
And I forgive them.
What do I do then?
And that is the situation that Peter puts to Jesus.
And Peter says,
What about seven times?
Is that enough?
Now, seven is actually a generous number.
The rabbis taught that you forgive someone three times,
a repeated offender.
You forgive them three times.
And after that, no more.
Because if you had to keep forgiving them more than three times,
they clearly weren't repentant the first time.
So, Peter's calculation is generous.
It's double the standard plus one.
So, he's looking all self-righteous.
And look at what Jesus says.
Verse 22.
I do not say to you seven times,
but seventy-seven times.
Some of your translations may say
seventy times seven,
or four hundred and ninety.
But seventy times seven is just another,
it's an idiom in Greek for saying seventy-seven.
Now, the number seventy-seven is not just plucked out of Jesus' head.
It's not just doubling what Peter has said,
seven seventy-seven.
Does anybody in here know where in the Bible
the number seventy-seven crops up?
Genesis chapter 4, verse 24.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
then Lamech seventy-seven times.
Cain felt slighted by Abel
getting favor with God,
and so he avenged him sevenfold by killing him,
and Lamech, one of Cain's great-great-grandsons,
says,
that is nothing to the revenge
that I will execute on the person who wrongs me.
If Cain sought revenge sevenfold,
I will seek it seventy-sevenfold.
It is disproportionate retaliation.
And it's how the world works, isn't it?
A cutting word,
and what's the retaliation?
A raised fist.
A raised fist,
and what's the retaliation?
Lethal weapon.
A lethal weapon,
and what's the retaliation?
Overwhelming force.
Obliterate them.
And Jesus takes this approach,
and he turns it inside out,
upside down,
and back to front.
He says,
in my kingdom,
the attitude of forgiveness
is as far in the opposite direction of Lamech's
as anything you've ever seen.
It is utterly disproportionate forgiveness.
Peter, stop counting.
Numbers and records and lists
are for people who are self-righteous.
Jesus says,
Peter, when my people come to forgiveness,
they are mathematically inept.
If you are counting,
then you are not forgiving.
And then Jesus gives Peter a reason
why our forgiveness is to be unlimited.
And so he tells in verse 23 and following,
a parable.
And through this parable,
Jesus makes a very simple point,
and it's our second point.
Our forgiveness of others is to be unlimited.
That's the first point.
Because God's forgiveness of us is unequaled.
Our forgiveness of others is to be unlimited.
Because, second,
our God's forgiveness of us is unequaled.
Verses 23 to 34.
Now this parable,
we could break it down into three scenes.
The first scene is in the king's audience chamber.
Verses 24 to 27.
And it involves a conversation between a king
and one of his servants.
And then in scene two,
it's in the servant's hall.
Verses 28 to 31.
And it involves a conversation
between the first servant,
who met with the king in the audience chamber,
and a second servant.
And then the third scene
returns to the king's audience chamber.
Verses 31 to 34.
As the king readdresses the first servant.
So it's a bit like an episode of Downton Abbey.
Right?
You've got Lord Grantham.
He addresses Thomas in the main living room.
And then Thomas addresses Mr. Bates
in the servant's quarters downstairs.
And then the other servants get wind
of what's happened.
And the whispers filter back up
into the main house.
And Lord Grantham finally calls Thomas
back into the living room.
And they have a conversation.
So it's an ancient episode
of Downton Abbey.
Well, let's take a look at scene one.
Verses 23 to 24.
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven
may be compared
to a king who wished to settle
accounts with his servants.
When he began to settle,
one servant was brought to him
who owed him
10,000 talents.
Now in the first century,
kings often lent money and resources
to provincial governors
and civil servants.
They would come, receive the money,
and they would go away
and invest the money
and then eventually pay back
the king,
the loan that he had given them.
So the scenario Jesus paints here
was really not that surprising
to the audience.
What was surprising,
what was mega surprising,
was the amount the servant owed.
10,000 talents.
The annual taxation
of Judea, Edomia, and Samaria
together was 600 talents of silver.
It was more,
10,000 talents was more
than the entire coinage
in circulation in Egypt at the time.
Okay?
So this is surprising.
Let me try and give you some
indication of how much money this was.
A talent was the highest
denomination of currency
in those days.
It's a bit like our 50 pound note.
And it was a piece of silver
that weighed about 30 kilograms.
That's about four stone.
That's heavy.
Okay?
You've got to carry a talent around.
A worker in these days
earned a denarius
for a day's work.
One talent was worth
6,000 denarii.
So one talent
was 6,000 days
of work.
That's about
half a lifetime
of work.
One talent.
And this guy,
how much does he owe?
He owes
10,000
talents.
That's 60 million
denarii.
That's
300 tons
of silver.
That's
60 million
days of work.
That's
what he owes
this guy.
One commentator
says the equivalent
of in our days
not millions,
not billions,
not even trillions.
What he owes him
is
zillions.
So,
here's
hyperbole
if you were here
this morning.
And Jesus
is working
it to good effect.
This guy owes
an unimaginable
incalculable
debt.
So of course
the servant
can't pay it back.
Verse 25
And since
he could not
pay his master,
since he could not
pay,
his master
ordered him
to be sold
with his wife
and children
and all that he had
and payment
to be made.
Now this
was common enough
in the Gentile world.
If you had a debt
and you couldn't pay it
then you were sold
into service
or slavery
of the person
you owed the money to
or you were sold
to someone else
and the money was given
to pay off the debt.
Now the price
of an average slave
could reach up
to one talent.
It was actually
more about
a tenth of a talent.
About 500 denarii.
500 days wages.
Now unless
this guy
is the most
fertile man
in the world
never mind
the Middle East
with about 500
kids running around
he ain't ever
going to pay
this back.
So even
the king's request
that this servant
and his family
be sold
into his service
or someone else's service
and the money
from that
paid back to him
is itself
an act of mercy.
This guy
would probably
have raised
about seven
talents
from selling
him
and his kids.
But he owes
10,000 talents.
So even
in these early
stages
there is
God's
divine
mercy.
And the servant's
response
is to fall
on his knees
and make a plea
to the king
verse 26.
So the servant
fell on his knees
imploring the king
have patience
with me
and I will
pay you
everything.
Now think about
how unrealistic
that is.
If you just
be patient
and give me
600 million
days
I'll get you
the money.
Never in his
lifetime
would he pay
this back
and the king
knows it
and so he
responds
in verse 27
and out of
pity for him
the master
of that servant
released him
and forgive him
the death.
Now the word
pity is a bit
weak.
Even if you
have an NIV
or an ESV
it's a weak
translation.
The equivalent
in English
is really
that the king's
heart wrenched
that he was
gutted
as he looked
on the poverty
of this man.
The word is
used of Jesus
a number of times
it's translated
compassion
in the gospels
elsewhere.
It is a deep
gutted
feeling of
compassion
for someone
who is
completely
helpless.
And that
is what
this king
feels
towards
this servant
and he
releases him
from the
debt.
Now this
parable
helps us
to understand
what forgiveness
is.
I think
in the
evangelical
church
today
there are
a lot
of
superficial
understandings
of forgiveness.
People think
forgiveness is
just brushing
something under
the carpet
or just
brushing it
off.
or if
you do
go to
raise an
issue
with
someone
and they
say
well if
you're a
Christian
you're
supposed to
forgive me
so why are you
raising this
issue with me?
But what this
parable teaches us
is this
to forgive
someone
is to put
the offense
with its debt
on the table.
Do you notice that?
Jesus puts
a number
on the debt.
He says
there's a debt
and it's on the
table
and only then
when the debt
is put
on the table
is the
offender
to be released
from paying
that debt.
That is what
forgiveness is.
It does not
involve brushing
the debt
under the
carpet.
It involves
putting the
debt
on the
table.
Naming
it
blaming
it
condemning
the offense
and then
releasing
the person
from having
to pay it.
And what we
have here
is an
unimaginable
debt
and an
unmanageable
debt.
It is
unpayable
and yet
it is
completely
wiped out.
Completely
wiped out.
And Jesus
wants us to be
amazed at the
forgiveness of
this king.
It is full.
It is free.
It is complete.
No strings
attached.
And that
is a picture
of forgiveness.
Now we
come to
scene
two.
Thomas
and Mr.
Bees
down in
the
servants
quarters.
The
camera
leaves the
king's
audience
chamber
and it
moves
downstairs.
The
conversation
of the
second
scene
follows a
similar
pattern to
the first
scene but
there are
some surprising
differences.
Verse 28
But when
the same
servant
went out
who had
been
forgiven
he found
one of
his
fellow
servants
who owed
him a
hundred
denarii
and seizing
him he began
to choke
him saying
pay what
you owe.
Now do you
see the
difference?
Ten thousand
talents
one hundred
denarii.
Now that was
a hundred
denarii was not
an insignificant
amount of
money.
In those
days it was
a hundred
days wages
it was three
or four
months work.
This fellow
servant owed
the first
servant a
hundred
days work.
For us
that would
probably be
equivalent of
five to
ten thousand
pounds.
That's not
insignificant.
If someone
owes you
five to
ten thousand
pounds you'd
expect them to
pay it back
wouldn't you?
But in
comparison to
the first
debt how
significant is
it?
Completely
insignificant.
It is one
six hundredth
of the first
debt.
Hundred
denarii
ten thousand
talents.
It's not even
comparable.
But what is
also not
comparable is
the first
servant's
response to
his debtor.
The king
responded
calmly
reasonably
that him
and his
family should
be sold
but now that
the shoe
is on the
other foot
do you see
the response?
Pay what
you owe.
And he
starts choking
him.
What is
interesting is
that the
servant in
debt offers
virtually the
exact same
plea for
patience and
more time as
the first
servant.
Did you see
that?
In verse
26 the
first servant
says have
patience with
me and I
will pay you
back.
Unlikely.
Six hundred
million days of
work.
This guy says
have patience
with me and I
will pay you
back.
Very reasonable.
A hundred
days work.
let me work
for a hundred
days and I'll
pay you
back.
But this
servant responds
with ruthless
unforgiveness.
The king
forgave a debt
that was
unmanageable
unimaginable
and this
servant will
not forgive
a debt
that is
minor.
And we
are supposed
to feel
indignant
at this
injustice.
Well the
rumours of
what has
happened in
the corridors
of the
servants'
quarters then
filters back
up into the
king's audience
chamber which
brings us to
scene 3
verse 31
to 33.
When his
fellow servant
saw what had
taken place
sorry the first
servant had him
thrown into
prison until he
could pay it
back.
And then scene
3 when his
fellow servant
saw what had
taken place
they were
greatly distressed
and they went
and reported it
to their
master all
that had
taken place.
Then his
master summoned
him the first
servant and
said to him
you wicked
servant I
forgave you
all that
debt of
10,000
talents
because you
pleaded with
me and should
you not have
had mercy on
your fellow
servant who
owed you
a hundred
denarii
as I
had had
mercy on
you.
So the
point of
the parable
is simple
our
forgiveness
of others
must be
unlimited
because God's
forgiveness
of us
is unequaled.
Our
forgiveness
of others
must be
unlimited
because God's
forgiveness
of us
is unequaled.
And this
is why
Gordon
Wilson was
able to
express love
and forgiveness
forgiveness
to his
daughter's
killers
only hours
after losing
her so
tragically
because he
was a
Christian.
He was a
Christian who
understood
that what he
owed to
God was a
zillion times
more than
what these
murderers
owed to
him.
no one
could ever
grieve him
or offend
him more
than he
had grieved
or offended
God.
And I
think the
reason why
as Christians
and as
human beings
in general
why we
struggle to
forgive is
because we
have lost
the proportionality
of our
offense to
God and
the
disproportionality
of his
response to
us.
We have
lost the
proportionality
of our
offense to
God and
the
disproportionality
of his
response to
us.
Our
offense to
God is
directly
proportional to
his dignity,
to his
being.
It's not
the length
of our sin
that determines
the debt we
owe God.
It is the
height of
our sin.
It is the
gravity of
what we
have done.
Let's
say a
young boy
is playing
with his
sister in
the living
room and
there is a
bit of an
argument and
she steals a
toy from him
and he
slaps her in
the face.
Do you
think the
boy should
be punished?
Well,
yeah.
He's just
slapped.
Let's say
it's a
brother,
sorry.
He slaps
his brother
in the face.
Let's say
the next day
he's playing
with his
sister and
the same
thing happens
and he
slaps his
sister in
the face.
Should he
receive the
same punishment
for slapping
his sister
in the face
as he did
for slapping
his brother
in the face?
I would
say no.
It should
be a more
severe punishment.
What if
the mother
comes into
the room
and there's
an even
bigger fight
and he
turns around
and he
slaps his
mother in
the face?
Should the
punishment he
receives for
slapping his
mother in
the face
be more
than what he
received for
slapping his
sister in
the face or
for slapping
his brother
in the face?
Let's say
he passes
his Duke of
Edinburgh
award and
for some
reason the
Duke of
Edinburgh
doesn't turn
up and the
Queen turns
up to give
him the
award.
And for
some reason
as she goes
to shake
his hand he
decides to
slap the
Queen in the
face.
Now do
you think he
should get
the same
discipline for
slapping the
Queen in the
face as he
did for
slapping his
younger brother
in the face?
Well of
course not.
The punishment
is calculated
on the
dignity of
the person
that you
have offended.
The height
of our sin
is determined
by the
dignity of
the person
we have
offended and
God does
not differ
from the
Queen in
degree but
in kind.
He does
not differ
from the
Queen in
degree.
He's not
just one
notch up
from the
Queen.
He is in
a different
category
altogether.
And if
that is who
we have
offended,
the most
beautiful and
lovely and
excellent and
glorious and
majestic and
winsome and
delightful being
in the
universe,
if that is
who we
have offended
then we
owe him
infinitely.
We deserve
infinite punishment
if we have
not honoured
such a being.
That is what
creates the
incalculable
debt.
We slap
in the face
the creator
of the
universe.
And we
don't just
slap in the
face as
our
maker.
Actually
when he
came among
us,
what did
we do
to him?
We slapped
him in
the face
physically.
We stuck
him on a
cross.
The most
meek and
humble of
all men
who ever
walked the
face of
the earth.
And if you
and me had
been there,
we would
have slapped
him in
the face.
ashamed,
I hear
my mocking
voice call
out among
the scoffers.
It was my
sin that
held him
there until
it was
accomplished.
Our
offence to
God is
directly
proportional to
his being
and dignity.
And what
was God's
response to
our sin,
to slapping
him in the
face as our
creator?
He sent
his one
and only
son to
be the
savior of
the world.
What was
Jesus'
response when
we slapped
him in the
face?
Father,
forgive them
for they do
not know
what they
do.
And what
was God's
response?
Did he
punish us
instead of
Christ when
we slapped
him in the
face?
How great
the pain
of searing
loss.
The
father
turns his
face away
as wounds
which mar
the chosen
one bring
many sons
to glory.
God the
father punished
his own
incarnate son
to save us
from himself
and he did
so in the
very moment
of the most
violent expression
of our
hatred of
his son.
In the
most violent
expression of
our hatred
of his son
God the
father did
not come
down and
rescue his
son but
he let it
play out
so that he
might forgive
us.
Well might
the sun in
darkness hide
and shut
his glories
in when
Christ the
mighty maker
died for
man the
creature's
sin.
Thus might
I hide my
blushing
face while
his dear
cross appears,
dissolve my
heart in
thankfulness
and melt
my eyes
to tears.
But drops
of grief
can ne'er
repay the
debt of
love I
owe.
Here
Lord I
give myself
away,
tis all
that I
can do.
The debt
of love
I owe.
This is
the well
from which
Gordon Wilson
drank in the
bitter moments
of losing
his daughter.
Our
offense to
God is
directly
proportional to
his dignity
and his
response to
us is
completely
disproportional
to what we
did to
him.
We slapped
him in the
face as our
creator, we
slapped him in
the face as
our saviour,
we spat at
him, we
crucified him
and he
said I
forgive you.
I forgive
you.
And that
is Jesus'
point.
Our
forgiveness of
others must
be unlimited.
Why?
Because God's
forgiveness of
us is
unequal.
But Jesus
does not
leave it
there.
He has a
final point
to make in
verses 34
to 35.
Unforgiveness
of others
is unforgivable.
Unforgiveness
of others
is unforgivable.
He ends
the parable
with a
warning and
in anger
his master
delivered him
to the
jailers, the
first servant,
until he
should pay
all his
debt.
And so
also my
heavenly
father will
do to
every one
of you if
you do
not forgive
your brother
from your
heart.
Jesus is
saying,
Peter,
forgiveness
is not
optional for
you.
Forgiveness
is not an
added extra
of the
Christian life.
It's not
like when
you go to
buy a
car,
they say
would you
like tinted
windows or
not?
Do you want
air conditioning
or not?
Do you want
a stereo
system or
not?
It's not
like when
you become
a Christian
God says,
do you want
to add on
that you need
to forgive
people or
should we
just leave
that off?
Jesus comes
to us and
says,
you cannot
expect
unequaled
forgiveness
from God
and then
limit
your forgiveness
to others.
You can't
expect God
to stop
counting your
sins and
then you
keep counting
your
offenders
sins.
Now this
is not a
threat.
If you
don't
forgive
then God
will take
away your
salvation
as if your
salvation is
earned on
the basis
of you
forgiving
others.
This is
not purgatory.
You're
saved and
if you
don't
forgive
then you
go to
hell and
you pay
for it
for a
bit.
You pay
for your
unforgiveness
and then
you get
released
after that.
Now Jesus
is not
saying that
your forgiveness
of others
guarantees or
maintains
your
forgiven
state before
God.
Jesus is
making a
very simple
point and
it's this.
Forgiven
people
forgive.
Unforgiven
people
don't
forgive.
Forgiven
people
forgive.
Unforgiven
people don't
forgive.
If you
forgive others
it simply
demonstrates
that you
have understood
God's
forgiveness
of you.
To not
forgive others
is to
receive God's
punishment.
Can I
put it
as starkly
as Jesus
does here
hell is
for those
who will
not
forgive.
C.S.
Lewis
put it
starkly
we must
forgive
all our
enemies
or be
damned.
To not
forgive from
the heart
is to show
that we've
never really
grasped
forgiveness.
And that's
the point
about the
first servant.
He had
not ever
really grasped
what the
king had
let him
off with.
And that
is why
he wouldn't
offer
forgiveness
to a
fellow
servant.
the reason
Gordon
Wilson could
stand before
the world's
media that
day only
hours after
losing his
daughter and
speak words
of love and
forgiveness
was because
he had
grasped the
gospel.
Or rather
it had
grasped
him.
But God
demonstrates his
love for us
in this.
While we
were still
sinners.
Not while we
had repented.
Not after we
had repented.
While we
were still
sinners.
Christ
died for
us.
You see
on your
service sheet
we have
the Lord's
Prayer.
And it's
appropriate I
think to
pray this
together now
keeping in
mind in
particular the
fourth line
forgive us
our sins as
we forgive
those who
sin against
us.
We'll have a
moment of
quiet reflection
and then we'll
say this
prayer together.