Homily

This parable of the unjust servant contains one of the greatest plot twists in Matthew's Gospel. We feel for the servant who owes the huge amount of money to the king. His wife and children have been sold into slavery in order to recover some of the money. As he kneels before his master, begging for patience and more time to repay, we can empathize with this poor man. When the king forgives his debt, we feel relief. That's why it is so shocking to hear that our poor, indebted man, so recently treated with such great mercy is now choking a fellow servant to get back his money from a much, much smaller loan.

I propose there are four character types in the parable: 1) The Servant Who Owes Plenty, 2) The Servant Who Demands Payment, 3) The Merciful King, and 4) The Just King. Two main characters who each act in two different ways in the story—which one are we most like? Do we see ourselves as people who owe debts, maybe no debts of money but other kinds of debts to other people? Do we see ourselves as people who deserve mercy and forgiveness, people who should get a second chance, people who should be pardoned because we did not have truly bad intentions, or because we don't believe we should be punished so harshly because we are not bad people, we simply make mistakes? Truly, we are sometimes like the Servant Who Owes Plenty.

But I know that sometimes we are also like the Servant Who Demands Payment. Someone has hurt us, offended us, owes us money, or love, or gratitude, or friendship, or owes us loyalty, or respect, or obedience, or courtesy or any other similar type of debt. They have failed us. They owe us, they have taken something from us and we demand repayment or punishment. It may be true that we have been shown mercy by other people many times in the past, but right now none of those mercies are on our mind, because this, this is different. It's not even in a category where mercy should even be considered. And this kind of demand for payment can be used even against those who are the closest to us, and the ones who should be able to expect mercy from us, as well as to those we don't even know, as when we may be driving on the road. "Cut me off will you, foul dog and spawn of Satan! I hope you get what's coming to you!" And have you ever noticed when someone says, "I hope he gets what's coming to him," that we never think what's coming to him is going to be mercy? No, what’s coming to him is going to be some harsh and horrible payback, some kind of cosmic retribution that will make him shrivel with fear and a sense of terror so horrific that he'll wish he's never been born. That's what we mean when we hope people get what's coming to them. We never hope that for ourselves.

Then there is the Merciful King, who sets fairness aside, justice aside in order to show mercy. He's not thinking about the financial hurt he is suffering. He simply feels badly for this servant who has gotten himself into such trouble. He pardons him with mercy.

And finally there is the Just King. Mercy is no longer on the table here because the mercy previously given to the servant has been twisted into giving him the freedom to harshly treat a fellow servant. Mercy has done this man no good at all. In fact mercy has been used to allow an injustice to happen. So the king must now practice only justice against this most ungrateful servant, because this servant does not even begin to understand the gift of mercy that was extended to him. Does this mean he cannot be forgiven? Of course not. But even if forgiven, he must still satisfy justice.

I suggest we all act in all four ways from time to time. Sometimes we are in the role of the Just King when we cannot extend mercy because mercy will not, or did not, or cannot work. If you have been put on probation for selling drugs twice, perhaps this 3rd time you should not be set free. OR, if you want to throw pears and apples at each other at church, perhaps justice should be swift and severe.

And then we are at other times like the Merciful King, and we do pardon, we do forgive, we do give another chance, we do practice mercy for those who owe us, those who have hurt or offended us.

We have also, I'm sure, been in the role of the Servant Who Owes Plenty. We have offended, borrowed from, wrongfully used, disappointed, failed, messed up, worked against, treated badly, harmed and ill-used other people. We have asked them for pardon and forgiveness, even if what we owe is not always a great deal.

But let's get back to the Servant Who Demands Payment. Again, in this mode, something different happens. We do not care about justice, even though we may claim that our actions are absolutely just. We do not care about the other person involved, because whatever their situation or their intentions may have been, whatever may have brought them to this place is not even worth considering, so mercy is out of the question. The only person who matters is me—me, me, me, me, me—I've been hurt, I've been used, I've been treated badly, I am owed. You, the offender, are going to pay. Yes, it's true, I've been forgiven by others in the past, maybe even by you, but this, this time, there is no mercy for you because I am the only person who matters. In this mode of acting, I am the egotistical, self-centered and vengeful jury, judge and hopefully, if it's in my power, executioner of the verdict as well. It's not really about justice; there is certainly no room I will give for mercy and forgiveness, because it's all about me, not you. Your job is only to pay what I say you owe me. And maybe a little bit more as well, if I can squeeze it out of you somehow.

I'm sure we've all been active in all four types; we've been the Just King and the Merciful King, we've been the Servant Who Owes Plenty and the Servant Who Demands Payment. Which of these four types represents us the most closely? Which of these ways of thinking and acting describes us best? How often are we demanding payment from others, even if it is only in our thoughts or our attitudes?

There's a lot to ponder in this parable. Let's ponder it for the well-being and health of our souls.