Monday Morning Gospel QB:  God's Way or Man's? ? ?
Channel: Sean Hayes
Date: 2020-09-14

Explore this week's gospel about God's Way - "Mercy" vs. Man's way or lack of forgiveness or mercy.  Football is back and so is "Monday Morning Quarterbacking"  join me as I do the same with a reflection on yesterday's gospel reading.  See the full text below:
This week we enter into another Parable or story - 

Its precipitated by Peter . . . Asking Jesus how often must I forgive.  Again Jesus is turning everything "Upside Down" . . . Remember he's re-writing the old code, challenging old ideas or expectations, trying to establish a new way - God's way in the hear and now and you can almost hear Peter saying . . . Ok so this new way - what about forgiveness, how many times do I have to forgive someone ? ? ? Jesus, the master teacher, answers with a bit of a riddle and then with a story . . . 

And its an easy read - a man with an insurmountable debt has it forgiven - great . . . Go Do the same.  But when the same man meets someone else who owes him money he takes a different path and that’s where things shift again. . . Forgive and you will be forgiven . . . Don’t forgive and you will not be forgiven . . . You will get what you give, in fact You'll will be tortured.  

But lets look a little closer . . . 

"The King" gives "Mercy" and forgiveness of an unimaginable debt . . . In the world of Jesus - a "Denarii"  or "Penny" - was about a days wage for an agriculture worker.  Compare that to a "Talent" - which is about 15 years worth of wages, and this man owed 10,000 Talents or 150,000 years of wages . . . Outrageous / Crazy amount.  

Like - would any lender or even a king ever let someone get 150,000 years in debt - probably not but I digress . . . The unsurmountable debt sets the seen for unimaginable mercy . . . Which again is the point - God's love and mercy is beyond human perception or understanding.  Which we have a hard time with. . .  

150,000 years . . . A Generational burden like some sin becomes, sin that effects our children and grand children - how many of us know of families that are so divided that they cant get together at Christmas, a family wedding or even a funeral . . . this separation is healed . . . This void, filled. . . Through God's mercy - "undeserved" but given non the less . . . This is "GOD'S WAY"

The way the slave acted, not forgiving was - "MAN'S WAY" . . . 

So we're back to Peter, Matthew and the gospel writer's audience, a story they must have needed to hear, because it's only found in his gospel.  They needed a new way - they needed to shift their whole perspective from honor and shame . . . From does and don'ts . . . From "Man's Way" to Mercy, God's Way . . . Undeserved and unimaginable forgiveness, healing and love.   Love that restores and creates life . . . Not judgements that condemn and isolate.    

It’s a shift they needed and I dare say we all need.

So what do we do with it . . . ?

 • If there is someone in your life who is need of mercy - underserved forgiveness and healing - try to offer it or at least pray for the Grace to move towards it . . . 
 • If you need Mercy, perhaps your prayer can be for the courage to seek it out either with a person, family member, God himself through prayer, talking to someone or reconciliation.
 • If you know of a family who is divided, maybe your thoughts and intentions go towards them 
 • Perhaps you need to forgive yourself.  So often we think we're not good enough or don't deserve forgiveness, we think we cannot earn back the trust we lost or heal what's been broken . . . When we do this we are thinking like "men" - man's way . . . We are not thinking like God, we are not allowing for God's Way . . . So maybe that’s our focus this week.  To stop thinking we don’t deserve it - that's kind of the point, isn't it! . . . We may not "deserve" it from man's perspective but lucky God doesn’t look at things that way . . . Luckily God forgives 150,000 years of debt or sin or whatever we think is unimaginable  -  God has already seen it and done it and is offering it to us - Mercy and healing . . . Wholeness . . . Love  

May we all embrace it this week.

Thanks for walking with me . . . Peace