Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost 2022

Postfestive Day of the Dormition; The Holy Apostle Thaddeus; The Holy Martyr Bassa

Ambon Prayer 62

Dismissal: “May Christ our true God, risen from the dead, have mercy on us and save us, through the prayers of his most holy Mother, whose Dormition we gloriously celebrate today . . .”

Title

The Right to Justice

Outline

It does not take too much reading to come to claims of rights

Turn to the Declaration of Independence: the rights to life, liberty, and happiness, for which men would deprive others of their lives, as would be done in France as well 13 years later.

Turn to our debates over abortion, which turn on the right to control of one’s body, liberty, or freedom, on the one side, and the right to life of the unborn on the other. I do not see the conflict as ending soon as each claims rights “endowed by the Creator.”

What we see in our passages is the way forward, a conversion of heart to the heart of Jesus

Paul has the right to compensation for his apostolic work

He gives true life to others, so the recipients of that life should at least give material life to him: food, drink, support for a wife as well. Peter, “the other apostles,” and “the brethren of the Lord,” such as James enjoyed these compensations. Furthermore, it rests on rational and biblical precedent.

Paul and Barnabas have the right, but will not use the right, for “we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.” Besides, the example of Christ is one of giving his life for others, not claiming his rights as Messiah.

It rather turns the call for justice upside down, not on the side of the one doing injustice, but on the side of the one suffering, for that is the one who suffered for others.

Jesus tells the story of how to deal with such debts

A king in reviewing his accounts find a servant who owes him an enormous sum: 750,000 lbs of gold or silver, about $150,000,000 if silver, they type of billions that only kings would deal with, if gold. The servant cannot pay, so, according to law, he, his wife, and his children are to be sold into slavery and all his goods sold as well - and still it would not touch repaying the amount.

The servant asks for patience , time to do the impossible, and the king, realizing the impossibility, releases him, forgives the debt (releasing and forgiving are equivalent meanings). So far we get it, God absorbs our debt, forgiving us by grace. All that is needed is repentance.

But the story goes on, for the servant finds a fellow servant who owes him 100 days pay for a laborer, say $12,000 @ $15 per hour. The first servant has not gotten it that he is forgiven and is desperate for money. He demands payment, refuses mercy let alone forgiveness, and tosses the guy in jail - the sum was too small to sell him or one of his dependents as slaves. The point is that the first servant wants his rights, wants justice, probably because he expects the king do demands his rights eventually.

The king learns about it and does not exact the same penalty as he had a right to before, but turns him over to the “jailers” or “tormenters” - essentially what he had done to his fellow servant on the same terms he had given his fellow servant (but which for him would mean forever).

The kicker in the story is that we are to be like our heavenly Father, "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” There is no talk about rights.

Brothers and Sisters, this is core Christian teaching and living

We pray the Our Father/Lord’s Prayer often, perhaps several times per day. This is “the prayer” that Jesus taught. In Matthew it not only has the line “forgive us our . . . as we forgive . . .” but two verses added to the prayer driving the point home.

The reason is that that is the lifestyle of God as seen in the life of Jesus, even seen in his words from the cross

Notice that this does not say we should coerce forgiveness from our brother or sister - we owe God so much that only he has the right to make such a decision - we release the other person and the matter to God. (It is not saying that it is OK)

Notice also that the unforgiving person is in prison - we are imprisoned by our own lack of forgiveness - that is something that my wife and I know well as counselors.

More importantly notice that we are called to follow Paul and Barnabas in the way of divinization, to be like Jesus, to give up our rights to God, and to pray for those who injure us.

It is then that we can move beyond rights language, that we will find true freedom, and that we will experience divine repayment in divinization, the currency of heaven.

Readings

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 8-28-2022: 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) 8-28-2022: 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 pleaded with 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 pleaded with 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) (8-21-2022: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost)

SUNDAY, AUGUST 21, 2022 | OCTOECHOS

Bright Vestments because it is the Postfestive Day of the Theotokos

Byzantine Lectionary (Revised Julian) 8-28-2022: Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

On the same date: Moses the Black of Scete

Matins Gospel John 21:15–25

Epistle 1 Corinthians 9:2–12

Gospel Matthew 18:23–35