Matthew 18:21-35 (The measure you give is the measure you receive.)

Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, 'Pay what you owe.' Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

When the poet Jenny Joseph was 29 she wrote a poem about being old. Maybe you have heard of it: “When I am an old woman I shall wear purple, with a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me. And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves, and satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter. I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired, and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells, and run my stick along the public railings, and make up for the sobriety of my youth.” Joseph died in 2018 at the age of 86. I wonder whether she kept to her word!

It might be surprising that, given the short space I have to write about our gospel reading, I should spend so much time reciting a trivial poem. But what is there to say about Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness apart from saying ‘Do it’. 

St. Peter would have grown up knowing that a religious person should be prepared to forgive a person up to three times. However, having watched Jesus and having heard his teaching, Peter knew that he was expected to go further. This is why he asks Jesus whether he should forgive others up to seven times. Poor Peter; you have to feel sorry for him. Having made this magnanimous suggestion he gets bowled over by Jesus’ response, ‘not seven times but seventy seven times’. In other words, our readiness to forgive should know no limits. Jesus goes on to tell a parable in which he reminds us of the importance of patience and mercy when it comes to dealing with offenders. More importantly, Jesus reminds us of something he had said earlier, ‘For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you’. (Matthew 7: 2) 

Returning now to Jenny Joseph’s poem, what would you say old age (whatever that is) is a time for? Being carefree? A bit of riotous living? Making up for past sobrieties? Why not! But it is also a time for being more patient, understanding, merciful and forgiving than ever before because we will have spent a lifetime perfecting the art of being a Christian.