How Often Will He Forgive?

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, as we gather in the house of the Lord, we remember the events of September 11, 2001. It has been ten years, although to some it seems that time has stood still. Those directly and personally affected still reel from the aftermath of that day. Indeed, our entire nation, and the world, has been forever changed in so many ways.

That Tuesday morning introduced into the heart of America the fear of terrorism on our own soil. Many sat in disbelief at the idea that such an attack could happen in our land, the greatest nation on earth. There were many who became deathly afraid of flying afterward, and to this day, some will not take to the sky because of 9/11. Others fear to be in crowds, or in tall buildings, lest terrorists strike again in the same way. People are visibly uncomfortable sitting next to one who is perceived to look like a Muslim on an airplane or other public transit.

The horrendous tragedy of so many lives lost in one morning is almost beyond comprehension. Watching loved ones flinging themselves hundreds of feet to the ground rather than burn to death is a sight that will never be erased from countless minds. The memories shared by rescuers of people found trapped in the wreckage will haunt them to their graves. A whole class of boys and girls will grow up not knowing their moms or dads because those parents went to work and never came home that Tuesday. Even today, people are dying because of the clouds of unknown substances that floated over Manhattan and DC for weeks.

Even those of us in far-off locales, removed from the immediate devastation, still feel the effects and bear the burdens brought by 9/11. All you have to do is attempt to walk through an airport. Gone are the days of “flying the friendly skies”. Every mode of public transit has security measures now. Communications of every kind are subject to potential government scrutiny. People who had never even heard of Afghanistan and the Taliban now roll those terms off the tongue like apple pie and baseball. The average American is suspicious of his neighbor, especially if he has an unusual accent.

Of course, one question that seems to echo through the halls and airwaves of America in the face of all this is, “Where was God?” Indeed, where was God on that day? If God is good, and God is the master of the universe, why did such a horrible tragedy happen?

Psalm 103 says, “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.” The Lord works righteousness; the Lord is merciful and gracious. In the face of seemingly overwhelming loss and tragedy, these are hard words to hear, and even harder to believe. After all, where is God's righteousness and justice in these things?

The Scriptures point to where God is in all things. He is in His ordering of creation. The Lord of Hosts is not absent from His creation. He has not forgotten about this world, nor has He abandoned us to the whims of some lower, malevolent demigod who wishes to make us his plaything. The Lord God of heaven and earth is here, in every particle of creation, in every corner of the universe. St. Augustine wrote, “So, then, if you fill heaven and earth, does that mean that heaven and earth contain you? … The vessels which are full of you do not lend you stability, because even if they break you will not be spilt. And when you pour yourself out over us, you do not lie there spilt but raise us up; you are not scattered, but gather us together.” (Confessions 1.3.3). The Lord fills the whole universe, and He creates and sustains all things.

The Lord is also found in the leading of His people. He led Abraham and his household through the desert into the Promised Land. He led the children of Israel out of the house of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. By His leading, the Israelites passed through the Red Sea on dry ground, and throughout the days of their wandering in the desert, their feet did not swell nor their garments wear out. Under the leadership of the Lord, the people of Israel defeated their enemies and gained the land promised to their fathers from of old. The hand of the Lord guided and sustained the apostles and the Church throughout the ages. He still leads His children through the darkness of this world in the light of the Gospel. And not one of His little ones has been lost out of His hand.

Finally, and primarily, the Lord is found in the forgiveness of our sins. The thing that distinguishes the Lord God from all the false gods of the world is the forgiveness of sins. For our Lord is not known simply as a divine monarch who rules over a creation which is entirely foreign, alien, and inferior. Our God came to this world and was made man so that He might die for you, for the forgiveness of your sins. The true God is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, and the will of God and the nature of God is revealed upon the cross, where the sinless Son of God became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God.

In the midst of tragedy and loss that seem as thought they might swallow us up, here is God. He comes not as a mighty warrior-king, riding on a war-horse, but He comes as a sacrificial lamb, who sheds His blood and lays down His life so that we might have life. Though we deserve no such grace and mercy, yet our God gives us Himself, that we might be full of His life. In the midst of life, snares of death surround us; yet in the midst of death, we are filled with life.

Because the Lord has made Himself known to you in the forgiveness of your sins, He likewise calls you to forgive your brother, that you may all come together into the kingdom of heaven. But, like so many things, the human tendency is to want a numerical limit on how much you must forgive. Peter asks, in today's Gospel lesson, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” This really is two questions, one with an easier answer than the other.

How often will your brother sin against you? To put it simply – much and greatly. Your brother will sin against you every day, in many and various ways. Sometimes small, sometimes large. Infected with the sin of Adam, your brother will look out for himself before you, and shove you aside in his race to the top.

It will be small things that your brother slights against you. You will suffer his lack of focus on the road. You will experience the result of him being cheap and stingy. You will be the brunt, even unknowingly, of his wagging tongue.

And it will be great sins that your brother commits. He will attempt to take your life, whether by his overt action, or by his failing to act when you need him most. He will seek to relieve you of your fairly earned possessions and reputation. He will drive a wedge between you and the wife to whom God has joined you. He will do his best to lead your children astray into great shame and vice. He will murder you and thousands of unsuspecting people with you.

It is easy to spot your brother's sin against you, but it is yet another matter entirely to follow through with Peter's question, “how often will I forgive him?” The simple answer is that, left to your own devices, you won't. It is not a question of how many times you will forgive the one who sins against you, but whether you will do it at all.

The heart of stone in you, the old Adam does not want to forgive. It seems easier to become bitter and resentful. You are inclined to look back over and over on the events of the past and remember them to your bitter end. In your bitterness, you will come to hate your brother because of his actions against you. Whether it is Muslims for knocking down buildings or poachers for invading your fields or your brother who swindled your parents, or whatever it is – you will hang onto that and use it as fuel for the fire of hatred and anger against those who wrong you. And because that fire rages deep and burns long, the old Adam in you is loathe to forgive. It is easier to hold up those sins like a red flag every time your brother stumbles and falls.

But what does the Lord say about this? Jesus answers Peter, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Indeed, the Lord sets no numerical limit on the forgiveness you must grant to your brother, because He sets no limit on the forgiveness He grants to you. Instead, Jesus teaches you to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Since you have been forgiven everything, you also will forgive all wrongs against you.

David proclaims in our psalm, “He does not deal with us according to our sins.” What glorious news this is for all of us! Christ Jesus has already died for your sins. Two thousand years ago, the promise given to our forefathers became reality. The Son of God was made man and was crucified for all the sins of all mankind. By the blood of Christ, your trespasses are covered. Your debts are erased. The twenty thousand talents becomes zero. By His death on the cross, Jesus has taken away your sins, and they are forever removed, as far as the east is from the west. What once was, is no more. You are no longer the dead, despised, condemned sinner, but you are the forgiven, redeemed, beloved child of God.

Likewise, just as Christ died for you, so He also died for your brother, even for those whom you hate. He loves your brother even more than you hate him, and He desires that all your brethren be forgiven of their sins and united to Him in His holy Church. Christ has died for all the ungodly, that all people might receive the forgiveness of their sins by the work of the Holy Spirit. He has died to defeat death, and has risen to proclaim life. As the prophet says, “The sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings.” (Malachi 4:2). That sun shall rise upon all the earth, and the righteousness of God will set right all wrongs and heal all wounds. And the forgiveness of sins will shine on all people.

Therefore, we join together in David's song: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!” Bless the Lord at all times, even in the midst of tragedy and great loss. Bless Him, and do not forget all the great blessings He has bestowed upon you. The Lord has forgiven your iniquity and cleansed you from all unrighteousness. He redeems your life from the pit, even from the pit of your own digging. And He crowns you with steadfast love. His joy is ever to show love and mercy, to you and to all creation. Bless the Lord, and sing out the glory of His Name.

Lord, cleanse the depths within our souls

And bid resentment cease;

Then, bound to all in bonds of love,

Our lives will spread Your peace (LSB 843:4).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.