The Wicked Servant
A Sermon On the Gospel Appointed For the Eleventh Sunday of Saint Matthew
by Metropolitan Moses
In today’s Gospel reading, our Lord Jesus Christ explained that the Kingdom of heaven is like a King who took account of his servants and one was found that owed him ten thousand talents. Because he did not have any way of paying him, the King commanded him to be sold with his wife and children and all that he had so payment could be made. Then the servant fell down before the King and begged him to have patience and he would find a way to pay him everything. Then the King and Lord was moved with compassion and freely forgave the debt.
Next the man who had just been forgiven, found a fellow servant that owed him a paltry sum and demanded payment. Then his fellow servant fell down before him and used the exact same words the forgiven servant had used to entreat the King for mercy, and begged him to have patience and he would pay him everything. –Yet, forgetting the benefaction that was just bestowed upon him by the King, he refused and had his fellow servant put into a debtor’s prison.
Word of all this came to the King and he called the unjust servant to himself and said, “You wicked servant. I forgave you all your debt because you entreated me. Should not you also have had compassion on your fellow servant, even as I had pity on you? And his Lord was wrathful and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due.” And our Savior added the fearful words, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.” (Matt 18:23-35)
In this parable the King and Lord is our God and the debt of “ten thousand talents” is symbolic of the great debt of sins, transgressions and offences that is owed to God by each and everyone of us. The parable indicates that our Savior could make reckoning anytime and take away all that belongs to us, both of our material possessions and our family, for the sake of restitution. Yet, we see from the very words of our Merciful Savior that when the servant who owed ten thousand talents repented, the King, “was moved with compassion, and released him, and forgave him the debt.” (Matt 18:27)
This is cause for hope for all mankind.
Yet, the fate of the wicked servant should be a sobering cause for us to think deeply about what we need to do in order to offer genuine repentance. In time of duress, it is easy to fall to the ground and say humble things in search of forgiveness. Genuine repentance is something more. Real, genuine repentance is not just a momentary emotional state, but also a resolve to correct oneself and make restitution. The sin of the wicked servant was that, although he was forgiven, he did not recognize that he should have made restitution to his Lord by showing mercy to his fellow servant.
We see examples from real life of men who make a pretence of repentance, who say the right words when under duress and perhaps even shed a few tears, but their repentance is a sham. How can one know? A man that is clothed in genuine repentance accepts the will of God when judgment comes upon him and he is truly ready to repay all. If the Church imposes a canonical penalty, a repentant man accepts that penalty. Sham repentance creates intrigue and conspiracies in order to avoid genuine repentance. Real repentance is completely drained of self-justification and anger. A man who practices authentic repentance is not vindictive towards his fellow servants.
The wicked servant in today’s parable squandered the mercy of his Lord through his lack of real repentance and his vindictiveness. For this reason he was called a “wicked servant” and had to “pay all that was due.” (Matt 18:34)
There are many examples today of false teachers who say many words concerning the spiritual life and praise illustrious saints and spiritual teachers, and then do the opposite. For such, the words used by our Savior and His saints are drained of any meaning. There is nothing new in this. During His earthly sojourn our Savior quoted the Prophet Esaias and applied this quote to the men of His day who rejected His teaching, saying:
This people draweth nigh unto Me with their mouth, and honoureth Me with their lips; but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they do worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men (Matt 15: 8-9).
The God-Man Christ came to renew us and to change all things. A Christian is one who hearkens unto the teachings of the Apostles and Holy Fathers regarding doctrine, morals and ethics. These teachings are not merely rules and regulations, but rather they are guides to a way of life that enables us to establish union with our Christ and this union is the very essence of our salvation. Do not let any false teacher separate you from your union with Christ by draining the words of our Savior of their meaning. Such men are not teachers, but rather deceivers and forerunners of the Anti-christ.
These men are tares in the field of the Church, according to the words of our Savior, “The field is the world; the good seed are the sons of the Kingdom; but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.” (Matt 13:38) A tare is an injurious weed that looks much like wheat when it is young. Our Savior Himself told us that there will be tares in His field, so we should not lose our faith when such men cause harm in the Church, knowing full well that, at the end of time the tares will be gathered and burned in the fire. (Matt 13:39)
Saint John Chrysostom explains that the wheat and the tares are allowed to grow together until the harvest because, in this metaphor, the tares can repent and become wheat.
Let us be on our guard within our own hearts, so that we offer genuine repentance. May you all be united to Christ Jesus through genuine repentance. Amen.
Originally posted by Fr. Panagiotes Carras on his Yahoo Group