Fairness and Forgiveness

The Point of the Gospel

Parables con’t

The Unforgiving Servant {Matthew}

Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is similar to the story of a king who wished to put his accounts in order with his servants. He called in one who owed him a great deal but hadn’t the means to repay it. The king ordered him, his wife, and his children sold to make up the debt. The servant begged his master to be patient and give him time to pay everything he owed. The king decided to be merciful, canceled the debt, and let the servant go.

“The servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a small amount. He grabbed him roughly and demanded the money the fellow owed him. The harassed man begged for time to repay the debt but the other servant had him thrown in prison. The rest of the king’s servants, greatly distressed, told their master all that had happened.

“The master rebuked the servant he had just forgiven. ‘Should you not have had mercy for your fellow servant when he asked, as I had for you?’ Angry, the king turned the servant over to the jailers to be tortured until he paid back his debt.

“This is how my heavenly Father shall treat those who refuse to forgive their brothers.”

The Workers in the Vineyard {Matthew}

“The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out first thing in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They contracted to work for one denarius for the day. A few hours later, the owner went out and saw others standing idle and hired them. He did this several times throughout the day. At the end of the work day, the owner had the foreman call the workers to pay them their wages, beginning with the last hired, and on to the first hired.

“The workers hired later in the day received one denarius. Those first hired expected to receive more but also received one denarius and complained, saying, ‘Some of these laborers worked only one hour, but you made them equal to the workers who did most of the work and bore the heat of the day.’

“The owner answered. ‘How am I being unfair? Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. Don’t I have the right to pay what I wish from my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?’

“The last will be first, and the first will be last.” Personal Thought: I suspect we, especially we Americans, will have a tough time reconciling God’s justice with our human notion of it. We have a much tougher time being objective and generous.