Forgiveness

Imagine you are invited to a meal, and someone says to you, “It’s all included. Eat and drink as much as you like. There is no limit.” That sounds rather good, doesn’t it?

An unlimited banquet. You don't have to worry about how much you've had because someone else has already paid. There is no little sign saying, “Sorry, you've reached your limit.” The food keeps coming. You might think, “Well, I certainly don't want to waste this opportunity!”

But imagine that, having been told everything is included, you then turn to the person sitting next to you and say, “I'm sorry, you've had enough. You can't have any more.”

It seems rather unreasonable. You've been given something without limit, yet you are trying to put a limit on what someone else can receive.

And that is, in a much more serious way, what Jesus is getting at in today's Gospel. It is a story about unlimited forgiveness.

Peter comes to Jesus with what seems like a very reasonable question: “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? As many as seven times?”

Peter probably thought he was being generous. Seven times is quite a lot! If someone had upset you once, twice, or even several times, surely there must come a point when you say, “Enough is enough.” But Jesus answers, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Jesus isn't suggesting that we should carry a notebook and keep a tally. “That's twenty-three times forgiven—only fifty-four to go!” No. Jesus is telling Peter that forgiveness isn't something we measure and ration out carefully. It is more like an unlimited banquet. There is no sign saying, “One helping only.”

Jesus then tells a story to help Peter—and us—understand why.

A servant owes his king an enormous debt, far more than he could ever hope to repay. When the king calls him to account, the servant falls to his knees and begs for patience. But instead of simply giving him more time, the king does something extraordinary: he cancels the whole debt.

Imagine how that servant must have felt. One moment, he was overwhelmed by something impossible. The next, he was free. The burden had been lifted. He had been given a fresh start.

But then the story takes a shocking turn. That same servant goes out and finds someone who owes him a much smaller amount. Rather than showing the same mercy he has just received, he demands payment and refuses to forgive.

He has enjoyed the unlimited banquet—but he doesn't want the person beside him to have a seat at the table.

Jesus' message is challenging because it is easy to enjoy God's generosity for ourselves while finding it much harder to be generous towards other people. We are grateful that God forgives our mistakes, our wrong words and the things we wish we had done differently. But when someone hurts us, it can be much harder to let go.

We remember the unkind word. We hold on to the argument. We replay what happened in our minds. Sometimes we say, “I can forgive, but I can't forget.”

And we should be honest: forgiveness isn't always easy. Jesus isn't asking us to pretend that something painful didn't happen or to suggest that wrong things don't matter. Forgiveness doesn't mean saying that hurtful behaviour was acceptable. It doesn't mean that trust is automatically restored or that there should be no consequences.

But forgiveness does mean refusing to let bitterness have the final word. It means placing our hurt and our desire for justice into God's hands and allowing God's grace to begin its work in us. Sometimes forgiveness happens quickly; sometimes it is something we have to return to again and again.

The longest-running musical in the West End is Les Misérables. Some people love it, while others perhaps find it a little too long! But at the heart of its story is a powerful message that connects closely with today's Gospel.

Jean Valjean is a man hardened by years of suffering and rejection. When a bishop offers him shelter and kindness, Valjean steals his silver and runs away. When he is caught and brought back, he expects punishment. Instead, the bishop shows him extraordinary mercy. He tells the authorities that the silver was a gift and even gives Valjean more. It is a remarkable moment of grace.

Valjean expected condemnation but received forgiveness and a new beginning. That one act of mercy changes the direction of his life. The kindness shown to him becomes something that begins to shape the way he lives and the way he treats others.

This is the challenge Jesus places before us. When we truly understand how much we have received, it should change what we are prepared to give.

The servant in Jesus' parable had forgotten almost immediately what the king had done for him. Jean Valjean, on the other hand, is transformed by the mercy he receives.

The question for us is: which response will we choose?

Every time we gather for worship, we are reminded of God's generous love. We come not because we have earned our place at God's table, but because we have been invited. God's love is not something we can buy or deserve. It is given freely through Jesus Christ.

We are all guests at the unlimited banquet of God's grace.

And when we receive that grace, we are called to share it. Not to keep it for ourselves. Not to put limits on who deserves kindness, compassion or another chance. We are called to be people who reflect something of God's generosity in the world.

That might begin with something small: letting go of a minor irritation, choosing not to hold a grudge, saying sorry when we have got something wrong, or giving someone the opportunity to make amends.

Sometimes it may mean taking a first step towards reconciliation. Sometimes it may simply mean praying for the strength to let go of resentment, even if the relationship cannot be repaired in the way we might wish.

Peter wanted to know where to draw the line. “How many times, Lord?”

But Jesus moves the line completely. He invites Peter to stop counting.

Because God's forgiveness towards us cannot be reduced to a number. His grace is abundant. His mercy is generous. And the forgiveness we receive is not meant to stop with us.

So perhaps today we might picture ourselves sitting at that unlimited banquet. The table is full. There is enough for everyone. The invitation has already been paid for by someone else.

The question is not, “How much grace can I get for myself?”

The question is, “Having received so much grace, how can I share it?”

There may be someone we need to forgive. There may be someone from whom we need to seek forgiveness. There may be a hurt that we have carried for far too long and which we need to place gently into God's hands.

Whatever it is, we do not have to do it alone. We can ask God for the courage and strength to take the next step.

In the kingdom of God, forgiveness is not a limited resource. There is no point at which God says, “Sorry, you've reached your allowance.”

Instead, we meet a God whose mercy is abundant, whose grace is generous and whose love always has room for one more at the table.

Amen.