Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 2023

Ambon Prayer 61

Our Venerable Father Maximos the Confessor

Title

Dropping the Debt

Outline

Our world is demands that its debts be paid

There are exceptions, e.g. the forgiveness of student debt, but that was for the good of the economy not just for the good of the former students.

The vast amount of litigation demanding that debts (or what the litigant believes are debts) be paid are witness to the general tenor of the world. Typically people want their pound of flesh.

That is not God’s way. As we see in Jesus’ parable he forgave us a vast debt, and not just one of us, but potentially all of us. The only requirement is that we change our minds about being in the right and pledge our allegiance to him.

Our passages talk about our becoming like God and living his way.

Paul points out that he never demanded funding from the Corinthians

He makes it clear that the Corinthians owed their very salvation to him and that it was his right as God’s minister to request appropriate support. But then he states, “we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” In other words, both because it would be an obstacle in Corinth (his opponents would have said that he was just after their money) and because he wanted to demonstrate God’s grace, God’s free gift he was self-supporting or supported by totally free gifts from other churches.

My grandmother taught in an orphanage that was run on that basis (only ask God for one’s needs); my father, who worked as an engineer but also planted one church and was a “leading elder” in another never asked for funds from the church; my policy has been never to ask about salary or other compensation except in instances in which I needed to know for proper planning. God always provided even when I moved to situations in which no compensation was offered.

Now Paul makes clear that others did accept food and housing and other support from churches they served, but he chose to be a living demonstration of God’s free gift, of God’s grace.

Jesus applies God’s generosity to our affairs

The first servant owed the master, God, a vast sum, the types of sums that were used in international finance, a sum that even the sale of all he had including the persons would not touch. That is what we owe God and the dropping of that debt, its forgiveness, is how God acted towards us in Jesus.

The second man owes much smaller sum, less than 1/3 of a year’s wages for a laborer, not enough to liquidate his property or enslave anyone who belong to him. But the first man does not realize that he is free of his debt and so cannot let go of the debt to the second. “Pay what you owe me.” He even puts him in prison, a less than productive way to get the money. The first man is tied to the second man as long as he is demanding the debt.

The master, the God-figure, views the actions of that first servant as disloyalty. The man had refused to become like the master, refused to be divinized, but had acted in the opposite way. Demonization not divinization.

The conclusion is, “So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Brothers and Sisters, this is sobering, for we all often have debtors

Some may owe us money - and some of these are easy because they pay regularly or quickly. Some may owe us for their emotional damage to us or their physical damage to us. Some of this could never never be repaid.

What, then, is forgiveness? It is releasing the debt. It may be just dropping the claim, but especially in emotional debts or physical damage it is ideally releasing the debt to Jesus, the Lord of Heaven and Earth and letting him deal with it as he will.

Forgiveness does not reconcile us to the other, for the other may not be willing to admit that there was a debt or willing to accept the forgiveness. If he or she is violent, we may need to keep our distance. But while it does not in itself reconcile, it does free us. We are no longer bound to our former debtor, whatever nature that debt may be.

And forgiveness takes time. The first forgiveness is the initial decision, perhaps out of sheer obedience, to release the debt to Jesus. Then each time when the memory of the situation comes up, we release the feelings to Jesus. Over time, perhaps a long time, we realize that we can think of the situation and the feelings are no longer there - we are completely free.

We are not all called to live like Paul, although his example is the one enshrined in the New Testament. We are all called to forgive, to release, those trespassing against us, those indebted to us (which is also found in the Old Testament), for that is what frees us, what makes us live as God lives, what transforms us, what divinizes us. And that is the one thing that God asks for.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 8-20-2023: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

EPISTLE

1 Corinthians 9:2–12

2 If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

3 This is my defense to those who would examine me. 4 Do we not have the right to our food and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a wife, as the other apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit? Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?

8 Do I say this on human authority? Does not the law say the same? 9 For it is written in the law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not speak entirely for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a share in the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits? 12 If others share this rightful claim upon you, do not we still more?

Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 8-20-2023: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

GOSPEL

Matthew 18:23–35

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 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.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 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. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Notes

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) (8-13-2023: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023 | OCTOECHOS

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 8-20-2023: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Bright Vestments

Matins Gospel John 21:15–25

Epistle 1 Corinthians 9:2–12

Gospel Matthew 18:23–35