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“The King wanted to settle accounts with His servants.”
᛭ INI ᛭
The Lord wants to settle accounts. How will that go for you? Pretty good, you’re probably thinking. That’s what we always think when it comes to ourselves—rose colored glasses when we look at our daily lives. How will that turn out for the other members of this church? Well, then, that’s when things get interesting—the very reason Jesus tells the parable He tells.
The Lord isn’t messing around when He settles accounts with His servants. With 508 as your daily hymn last week, at GSLS as well as at home, you became keenly aware of how this goes: “The books are opened then to all, A record truly telling What each has done, both great and small, When he on earth was dwelling, And ev’ry heart be clearly seen, And all be known as they have been In thoughts and words and actions.” (LSB 508:3) (Revelation 20 is very clear on that.)
What will the Lord find then? What’s in your book? We know how that went in the parable: “When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And 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.” The very same thing that servant said to his fellow servant later on: “Pay what you owe!”
((2. There are two ways to settle accounts.))
The first way to settle accounts is the LORD’s way. “Out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.” His is the way of forgiveness. That’s actually how the Lord wants to settle accounts: by canceling debts, forgiving sins. All out of His mercy and pity. “He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” (Ps 103:10–12)
He changes the ledgers. He accounts them differently. He’s not cooking the books, just changes who’s supposed to pay. The LORD Himself. He claims the debt as His own. You remember last week’s daily verse: “He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor 5:21) Paul also says: “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Cor 8:9) Christ pays the debt: “not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.” (SC; 1 Pet 2)
The other way settling accounts is the one we’re familiar with! It’s the way of old scores, of grudges, bad blood. It’s the way of Lamech, the descendant of murderer Cain, in Genesis 4: Lamech said to his wives: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain’s revenge is seven times, then Lamech’s is seventy times seven.”
((Transition.))
That all makes sense to us. Because it’s the way we’re hardwired as sinners. But our flesh recognizes that Jesus says to forgive. So, how much? Seven times, that’s certainly merciful. Do we even forgive that much? Jesus blows open the door. Where we see multiplications of revenge for wrongs committed against us, the LORD sees multiplications of forgiveness. “I tell you,” Jesus says, “not seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18 is the exclamation point on what Jesus has said before this point in Matthew’s Gospel, especially in around Lord’s Prayer. “Pray like this: …forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us… For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Mt 6) “In anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until 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.” (Mt 18)
The Lord’s Word here in Matthew 18 is the exclamation point on what He’s said before this point in Matthew’s Gospel. **“Come to terms quickly with you accuser.”** (Seek his forgiveness.) **“Lest you be thrown in prison. You won’t get out till you’ve paid the last penny.” (Mt 5)** “**Pray like this: ...forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us... For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Mt 6)** **“Judge not, and you won’t be judged. For with the measurement by which you measure it will be measured back to you.” (Mt 7)** **“In anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until 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.” (Mt 18)**
((1. The LORD’s way of settling accounts changes everything.))
True words of warning from Jesus! Stop ignoring them in your daily life! Stop grudges, bad blood, ill will toward your neighbor, especially your fellow Christian, even members here, “the brother for whom Christ died!” “Bear fruit in keeping with” (Mt 3) “repentance and the forgiveness of sins.” (Lk 24) Bury the hatchet, for “the axe is already laid at the root of the tree, and every tree not bearing fruit,” (Mt 3) the fruit of forgiveness (Eph 4), “Christ will chop down and throw into the fire to be burned with unquenchable fire!” (Mt 3) See how great a debt you owe the King for your unforgiveness and grudge holding, “in addition to your present sins and guilt.” (2 Chr 28)
The only thing that changes that outcome for you is the LORD canceling the debt. You don’t have to hold other’s sins against them, because the Lord isn’t holding your sins against you. There’s no reason to keep being like our first parents, pointing the finger at someone else. You’re not in debt anymore! The sinless Son of God took all your sins away. He paid every last penny FOR YOU. A single drop of His blood is enough to cancel all your sins.
Your sins—daily and much—are many against the King. Your neighbor’s against you are few. It doesn’t matter what they’ve done to you. To not forgive is to live and believe that there is not a full atonement for sin, a full payment of the debts, from the King, your heavenly Father, because of Jesus. It’s to live and believe that you are still in your sins, a fact proved by your grudge.
That grudge is forgiven. Isn’t it forgiven? Didn’t Jesus also die for your grudge? Didn’t he also die for the sin committed against you? Who are you to hold it over the person, when Jesus shed His blood for it?
Besides, there should be no unforgiveness between any of us. God is witness, I can honestly say, for my part, that there is no unforgiveness, no grudge from me toward any of you. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” (Rom 12) “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4) I’m sure it’s that way between us, and between you. Of course it is.
More than that: we commune together. If you’ve communed at this altar as a member of the congregation, that means we have communion, fellowship, we a members together in the forgiveness of all our sins. (The sins we have between each other.) For communion is the body and blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins. One sip together means our mutual debts our forgiven. What sin stands between us? The blood of Jesus has paid it.
Any “yeah, but” or any behavior to the contrary, confesses you don’t believe Jesus’ blood alone actually rights wrongs, is for the forgiveness of all sins. Watch out if you’re brought before the King with that!
Does forgiveness mean everything goes back to the way it was? Forgive and forget? That’s an impossible law. Forgiveness means a new beginning. It means the Lord will put things back together but not the way they were. That gift got ruined—you did it, they did it, both did it! Still do it! …
Stop! Jesus does something new in your life: with His true, real, actual forgiveness at Communion, He keeps putting us back together in a new way with a new way forward: forgiving and being forgiven. If you’ve got a grudge with someone, drag ‘em to church, encourage them to be a member here, then you can commune together and be truly reconciled in Christ.
((Conclusion.))
THE LORD’S FORGIVENESS CHANGES EVERYTHING!
A new way of settling accounts. Not debt. But forgiveness! It means He settles all debts Himself. That changes everything for you! Changes your life! Your eternal life but also your daily life.
The Lord doesn’t do piecemeal forgiveness for you. The Son of God died for you, shed His blood for you. Gives it to you in Communion. You are reconciled. Do you believe this? THE LORD’S FORGIVENESS CHANGES EVERYTHING, CHANGES YOU!
But not just you, your brother, too! You forgive your brother or sister in Christ. Seven times? Seventy-seven times? Seventy-times seven? Yes! No longer the measure of your anger, resentment, and wrath, but the measure of how abundantly you forgive and are merciful, for that is how much He forgave you. And “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar.” (1 Jn 4)
THE LORD’S FORGIVENESS CHANGES EVERYTHING: YOU AND YOUR BROTHER!
You forgive once being forgiven. It’s just what happens. And the more and more you take communion the more and more communion, the more and more forgiveness, the more and more Jesus’ body and blood, the more and more Jesus Himself, the more and more the Holy Spirit will change you, and then the more and more things will change between your brother and you.
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