Matthew 18
We have heard this parable many times. But there are some details in this parable often looked over.
First, the state of the slave. The master owns the slave. And whatever a slave has already belongs to the master. It does not make sense that a slave repays to the master. A slave is not paid. Where does he get the money? A slave is not in a position to take a loan from his master. It sounds like the master borrows from himself. He can only ask for his mercy.
Second, the amount of debt the wicked slave owes. The ten thousand talents equal to ten thousand years’ income. But how could a slave who doesn’t have income, credit, or collateral owe this much? This slave must have caused damage amounting to ten thousand talents. This impossible debt clearly indicates that the restoration of the damage is far beyond his state and power.
Third, The fellow slave and a hundred denarii. Can slaves of the same master lend and borrow as freemen do? No, because all they have and they themselves are the master’s possession. No slave can claim private possession. The master may allow his slaves to use his possessions as if they own them, but he can always reclaim them. A hundred denarii were equal to a hundred day’s wage in ancient times. Even if the slaves lends and borrows among themselves, all the money actually belongs to the master. If a slave causes damage to another slave, he actually owes to the master for the damage. Thus, the wicked slave didn’t have the right to demand the repayment from the other slave as if he was the lender or as if he was the owner of any possession.
At baptism and confession, sins are forgiven. But have you thought about what forgiveness we receive in these sacraments? We are forgiven of mortal sins that deserve eternal torture in hell. Mortal sins sever the relationship with God. Can we restore the broken relationship on our own? No. First, it is because we are like a slave who doesn’t own anything. All we think we have or we can do are already of God’s. Once we damage the relationship with the Lord by mortal sins, we have nothing to repay. Secondly, we cannot restore the relationship because it is absolutely beyond our capability like repaying the ten thousand talents. As Jesus tells us through Abraham who held the poor Lazarus in his bosom in another parable, no one can cross over to hell to help.
Nevertheless, out of mercy and goodness, Christ saves us from that impassible pit of eternal punishment. At baptism and confession, on behalf of us, Christ pays for the damages we have caused. He saves and restores on his own. We are liberated from our debt without charge! When we realize how much of mercy we receive at the sacraments, our heart cannot but be filled with joy and thanksgiving. We are saved from the fires of hell without our effort and work when we justly deserve them.
Then, let us look at our wound. Like a hundred denarii, our wounds by others are much lighter compared to our mortal sins against the Lord. And, more importantly, because all of us belong to God, God shares our hurts and pains as his own, just as any injury of the slaves damages the master’s ownership. The true owner of ours, our Creator, suffers first when we hurt. We might think we are the only ones whose heart suffers, but the Sacred Heart of Jesus suffers first. When we realize all belong to Christ, we finally see that the brother or sister who sins against us is not the other but we. The forgiveness of others is self-reconciliation.
When our heart is filled with gratitude and joy, there will be no place for anger and hatred. When our heart is overflowed with thanksgiving and peace, there will be no more suffering of the unforgiving heart.
