This article was originally published on August 20, 2017
Listen Now. We will now be including the daily reading of Epistle and Gospel with The Prayer Team.
At that time, Jesus said this parable, “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, 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 servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Matthew 18: 23-35 (Eleventh Sunday of Matthew)
Good morning Prayer Team!
A parable is a story that sometimes has a hidden meaning but a real life application. In today’s parable a king wanted to settle accounts with one of his servants. One servant was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. A “talent” in the time of Christ was an amount of money equivalent to what a person could earn in ten years of work. So, ten thousand talents was an obscene amount of money. Imagine that a person earns $100,000 a year, so one talent would be basically one million dollars. Ten thousand times one million is ten trillion dollars, a number so high we could not even fathom that. A number so high that if you were in debt, you couldn’t possibly pay that off. The “lord” ordered him to be thrown in jail until he could pay the debt. And since there would be no way he could ever pay off that debt, this many must have been undoubtedly sad. He was going to spend the rest of his life in jail. The servant implored the lord, “have patience with me, and I will pay you everything. And the lord forgave him everything, ten trillion dollars the lord forgave.
Now that same servant, when he left his lord and went home, presumably happy that his debt was forgiven, elated with his new lease on life, saw one of his own servants who owed him one hundred denarii. This is equivalent to one hundred days work. Let’s say, for the same of round numbers, one third of his work year, or $30,000. This man, who had just been saved from a ten trillion dollar debt, was asked by his servant to be patient while the debt was paid off. His servant didn’t ask for the debt to be forgiven, only to be patient while he paid if off. The servant who was owed the money had no patience or mercy. He ordered the man thrown into prison until he could pay off the debt, which obviously meant he would be in prison forever.
When people saw what took place, they went to the lord and reported what they saw. The lord summoned the servant back. This time he addressed him in anger. The lord told him that he was forgiven so much, and yet had no mercy for his fellow servant who owed him so little. And then the lord put him in jail.
So, what are the lessons here? First, the “lord” is our Lord. We are like the servants who owe Him a debt. What is the debt we owe Him? Well, we’ve sinned innumerable times—maybe not ten trillion times but certainly more times than we can count. We deserve to be put in prison (sent to hell) for eternity. Yet, the Lord is willing to forgive and show mercy to us, even ten trillion times. So, if he can forgive us ten trillion times, we are expected to forgive and have mercy on those who have wronged us much less. I don’t know anyone who has wronged me ten trillion times and I assume you don’t either.
If we cannot show mercy to our neighbors, Jesus is not going to show mercy to us, when we gather before Him for the reckoning of our souls. And like the “lord” in the parable, He will be angry with us, consigning us to prison (hell) not because of what we’ve done (sin) but because of what we failed to do (forgive and show mercy).
The message of today’s Gospel is that we need to forgive and have mercy on one another, if we expect forgiveness and mercy from God. As Jesus said in Matthew 18: 23 “So also My heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” Forgiveness is important. So is mercy. Mercy is giving the thing that someone doesn’t deserve and giving it anyway. A person who owes someone a lot of money and can’t pay deserves to go to jail. Mercy is when you spare someone the punishment they deserve. God is willing to spare us the punishment for our sins by allowing us to enter in His Kingdom. However, if we are unwilling to spare others, forgive and show mercy to them, even when they don’t deserve it, God is not going to be willing to do that for us either.
Not barring the stone of the tomb from being sealed shut, You rose and You granted unto all the rock of faith. Glory to You, O Lord. (First Resurrectional Kathisma of the second set, Second Tone, Trans. by Fr. Seraphim Dedes)
We must forgive and show mercy, even to those who don’t deserve it, if we expect to receive mercy and forgiveness from the Lord!
+Fr. Stavros
With Roger Hunt providing today’s Daily Reading: Listen Now.
These readings are under copyright and is used by permission. All rights reserved. These works may not be further reproduced, in print or on other websites or in any other form, without the prior written authorization of the copyright holder: Reading © Holy Transfiguration Monastery – Brookline, MA, Apolytikion of Abbot Marcellus © Narthex Press, Kontakion of Abbot Marcellus © Holy Transfiguration Monastery – Brookline, MA.
The Revised Standard Version of the Bible is copyrighted 1946, 1952, 1971, and 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and used by permission. From the Online Chapel of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
Photo Credit: The New Church
ABOUT THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN NETWORK
Orthodox Christian Network (OCN) is a 501(c)3 and an official agency of the Assembly of Canonical Bishops of the United States of America . It is a recognized leader in the Orthodox Media field and has sustained consistent growth over twenty-two years. We have worked to create a community for both believers and non believers alike by sharing the timeless faith of Orthodoxy with the contemporary world through modern media. We are on a mission to inspire Orthodox Christians Worldwide. We have reached 5.7 Million People in One Week and we want to reach millions more! Signup to receive our newsletter email: info@myocn.net.
Do you find it hard to keep focused on Christ when you’re on the go? OCN makes it easy! You can be inspired daily by the OCN programming from where ever you are by plugging into our Listen, Read, Watch , Worship. To learn more about emerging Orthodox leaders in our Community check out OCN 30 Under 30 Initiative. It is an opportunity to show support for and invest in this next generation of trailblazers.
Much like public radio, the Orthodox Christian Network relies on the support of our listeners, readers, volunteers, and fans. If you are interested in supporting our work, you can send your sustaining gift by direct mail, over the phone, or on our website. Your gift will ensure the continued growth of this encouraging Orthodox Community by providing faith-building, free, high-quality programming. Give today to help you and your Orthodox community stay connected no matter the location.
ORTHODOX MOBILE APPS ARE HERE!
Click here to download the Spark OCN and Orthodox Prayer Book.
_______________________________________________________________________
Posted by the Orthodox Christian Network. OCN is on Social Media! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
0 Comments