Isaiah 65:17-25

¹⁷ For I am about to create new heavens

and a new earth;

            the former things shall not be remembered

or come to mind.

¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I am creating;

for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy,

and its people as a delight.

19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,

and delight in my people;

no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it,

or the cry of distress.

²⁰ No more shall there be in it

an infant that lives but a few days,

or an old person who does not live out a lifetime;

for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth,

and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed.

²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them;

they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

²² They shall not build and another inhabit;

they shall not plant and another eat;

for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be,

and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

²³ They shall not labor in vain,

or bear children for calamity;

for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—

and their descendants as well.

²⁴ Before they call I will answer,

while they are yet speaking I will hear.

²⁵ The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,

the lion shall eat straw like the ox;

but the serpent—its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain,

says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25, NRSV)

On February 20, 2009 (Friday in the week of the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), comments were repeated with some editing from February 16, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, Year One), and some reference to the comments of November 24, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), when comments were repeated with editing from November 19, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), when comments were adapted from an email message sent November 21, 2003. The comments are repeated again here with some editing:

Today’s reading from Isaiah promises God's creation of “new heavens/and a new earth” (Isa. 65:17) at a time when, for him, many things seemed wrong with the present earth. In recent readings, John too sees “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1), which includes a magnificent vision of “the holy city, the new Jerusalem” (v. 2). John continues Isaiah's hope and vision, but again in a time of trouble, oppression and personal exile (Rev. 1:9). Sunday's reading turns to an earlier vision of Isaiah, when he sees Israel, Egypt and Assyria, traditional enemies, worshiping the LORD together (Isa. 19:19-25). But in Monday's reading, the prophet Joel sees judgment on the nations in “the valley of Jehoshaphat” (Joel 3:2, 12), especially “the nations who were cruel toward Israel” (Richard A. Henshaw, revised by Marvin A. Sweeny, HarperCollins Study Bible, 2^nd ed., on Joel 3:1-8). We don't know the location of the valley of Jehoshaphat, but Jehoshaphat means “The Lord judges.” This valley “was undoubtedly chosen in this prophecy for its symbolic meaning” (ibid., on Joel 3:2).

In the context of today’s reading, Isaiah presents what Joseph Blenkinsopp calls “a psalm of communal lamentation” (Isa. 63:7-64:12), followed by God’s first-person “answer” (65:1-7) (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Isa. 63:7-64:12, and 65:1-7). God’s voice continues, describing, according to Blenkinsopp, “division in the Judean community” (65:8-12) and the “contrast between the destiny of God’s servants and that of the reprobate” (vv. 13-16; ibid., on 65:8-12 and vv. 13-16). Today’s reading itself, Blenkinsopp calls “an apocalyptic interpolation.” He says it was “perhaps added by a later apocalyptic writer” (ibid. on vv. 17-25). However, Victor R. Gold and William L. Holladay call the whole of chapter 65 “God’s answer” to the prayer of chapter 64 (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Isa. 65:1-25 and 64:1-12; compare the comments of J. J. M. Roberts, HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Isa. 64 and 65). Biblical scholars in the main use the term “apocalyptic” with reference to the “ =ApokavluyiV =Ihsou: Cristrou: (Apokalypsis Iēsou Xristou, the “revelation of Jesus Christ, Rev. 1:1), known as the Revelation or Apocalypse of John, for what are considered rather late parts of the Hebrew Bible and for a genre of Jewish writings near the time of Christ. Blenkinsopp says,

The disappointment of expectations aroused by the conquests of Cyrus has led to a resurgence of non-Yahwistic religious practices ([Isa.] 57:1-13; 65:1-7; 66:3-4) and deep religious, social, and economic divisions within the Judean community (e.g., 56:1-8; 58:1-12; 59:1-8. Attention is directed increasingly away from an unsatisfactory present to the projection of a future intervention of God in judgment and salvation, an apocalyptic vision of a purified people and Jerusalem as the religious capital of the world. (op. cit., in the Introduction to Isaiah)

So, God continues to speak through the prophet. “For I am about to create new heavens/ and a new earth; / the former things shall not be remembered / or come to mind. / But be glad and rejoice forever / in what I am creating; / for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, / and its people as a delight” (Isa. 65:17-18). For the words “former things,” Roberts refers to their use in 43:18 where he says, “The new exodus from Babylon, when God will lead Israel home to Palestine through the wilderness, will be even more glorious than the former exodus” (op. cit., on 43:18-19). In the present context, the reference is not to a new exodus, but a new creation. The LORD says he “will rejoice in Jerusalem, / and delight in [his] people” (v. 19a, b). In words later echoed in the Revelation of John (Rev. 21:4), the LORD says, “no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it [i.e. in Jerusalem], / or the cry of distress.” (v. 19c, d).

“Heaven and earth will be transformed,” say Gold and Holladay; “God will rejoice with Jerusalem (62:5; contrast 64:10; her mourning is over (25:8; 2 Pet. 3:13; rev. 21:4)” (op. cit on Isa. 65:17-19). There will be no tragedies such as a child’s early death, or others’ lives cut short. “No more shall there be in it / an infant that lives but a few days, / or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; / for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, / and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed” (v. 20). According to Blenkinsopp, “The prediction of vastly increased life expectancy connotes a return to the original creation (cf. Gen. 5)” (op. cit., on v. 20).

Earlier, the LORD promised not to give Israel’s crops to foreign oppressors (62:8-9. In a similar promise here, the LORD assures the people that their building of houses and planting of vineyards will not be in vain. “They shall build houses and inhabit them; / they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. / They shall not build and another inhabit; / they shall not plant and another eat” (65:21, 22a, b). God’s people will enjoy long lives, with their longevity compared to that of trees, “for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, / and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands” (v. 22c, d). The comparison with a tree reminds us of the First Psalm. Those whose “delight is in the law of the LORD,” who “meditate on it day and night . . . are like trees planted by streams of water / which yield their fruit in its season, / and their leaves do not wither. / In all that they do, they prosper” (Ps. 1:2-3). These characteristics of the new earth appear to have reversed the effects of Babylonian exile, as well as the devastations brought upon Israel by others such as the Assyrians.

Through the prophet, the LORD continues to describe a future of blessed longevity. People will “not labor in vain, / or bear children for calamity; / for they shall be offspring blessed by the LORD–and their descendants as well” (v. 23). “Those in Jerusalem will live in happiness and security,” say Gold and Holladay (op. cit., on vv. 21-23). Blenkinsopp says, “The future Israel will witness the reversal of familiar curses attached to treaties and covenants” (op. cit., on vv. 21-23). The LORD promises that in the new situation, there will be no break-down in communication or fellowship between God and his people, for “Before they call I will answer, / while they are yet speaking I will hear” (v. 24). The reading from Isaiah concludes by repeating in 65:25 an abridged version of 11:6-9.

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together,

the loin shall eat straw like the ox;

but the serpent–its food shall be dust!

They shall not hurt or destroy

on all my holy mountain,

says the LORD. (Isa. 65:25, NRSV)

This, says Blenkinsopp, is “to complete the picture of the new Jerusalem: a return to the first creation, a peaceful kingdom in which no creatures, human or animal, kill for food (Gen. 1:29-30; cf. 9:1-7)” (op. cit., on Isa. 65:25). According to Benjamin D. Sommer, “While the new age will be one of extraordinary longevity, these vv. [20-23] do not predict eternal life or the resurrection of the dead, in contrast to rabbinic notions of the messianic era” (The Jewish Study Bible, 2004, p. 913, on Isa. 65:20-23). But John Oswalt presents a rather different view here. We live now in

a real world, and humans do have real choices to make, choices that have cosmic consequences. . . . But this world is not all there is to reality. If we have gotten the point that this world is real and is not merely a reflection of invisible realities [that is, we are not at the mercy of the whims of pagan gods], we are perhaps ready to have the curtain pulled back in order to get a glimpse of the rest of reality. That is what is happening here. (Isaiah, The NIV Application Commentary, 2003, p. 687, on Isa. 65:17-25)

After alluding to the inequities of life that are not rectified in this world, “the effects of human choice,” Oswalt adds,

Justice is not entirely served here [i.e., in this present world], as any of us can relate. . . . So if God says that his servants will be blessed, as he did in 65:13-16, either he is a liar, or this world is not all there is to reality. . . . It is not the real heaven and earth that is now revealed, nor the real Jerusalem that is let down from heaven. Rather, they are new (65:17). What that means is that God will ‘create’ something that, while being in continuity with what has been, will yet be a completely new expression of that reality . . . The earthly realities give shape to the new realities instead of the earthly expression being merely a duplication of what already exists in heaven. But because they are new, the tragic realities of this world need not be repeated there. Thus, we may experience the reality of joy without the reality of weeping (65:18-19). Likewise, we may experience the delight of birth without the despair of death (65:20). The satisfaction of building will not be accompanied by the fear of destruction and conquest (65:21-23).” (ibid., pp. 687-688)

“The language of 65:25 [cited above] is closely related to the vision of the messianic kingdom in chapter 11,” says Oswalt, “with the final line of the verse being an exact duplicate of the first colon of 11:9. This makes it plain that what we have here is not merely a poetic expression of the certainty of justice in some general sense but a prediction of real events in the age to come” (ibid.).

Nehemiah 7:73b-8:3, 5-18 (alternative reading, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions)

For the text and comments on this reading see the text and comments of Wednesday, November 11, 2009, ten days ago.

Revelation 22:14-21

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. 15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

16 “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”

17 The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.”

And let everyone who hears say, “Come.”

And let everyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19 if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

20 The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. (Revelation 22:14-21, NRSV)

On December 24, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One, Ref. for Dec. 24, Year One), when the reading was Revelation 22:12-17, 21, relevant comments were repeated from those of December 24, 2006 (the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year One, ref. for Dec. 24), when comments were repeated from November 18 and 19, 2005 (Friday and Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), and earlier comments as noted there. Relevant comments from the above are used here with editing and supplement:

Today’s reading concludes a series of readings from Revelation. As we approach the end of Revelation, we are told about who may and who may not enter the New Jerusalem. “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates” (Rev. 22:14). For the term “blessed,” Bruce M. Metzger refers to 1:3 and his note about the “seven beatitudes in Revelation” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 22:14 and 1:3), discussed in some detail in yesterday’s comments. For “wash,” that is, “who wash their robes,” Metzger refers to 7:14, where “the great multitude . . . robed in white” (v. 9) is identified as “they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7). On that, says Metzger, “the blood of the Lamb cleanses from sin (Jn. 1:29; 1 Jn. 1:7)” (ibid., on 7:14b).

On the other hand, says John, “Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood” (v. 15). The “dogs,” mentioned here, says Metzger, are “impure, lascivious persons (Phil. 3:2)” (ibid., on v. 15). As for the “sorcerers,” he refers to 21:8, where he says they are literally “ ‘poisoners,’ those dealing in philters and poisons (Acts 19:19)” (ibid., on 21:8). There is a clear and distinct separation–based on God’s judgment, and made by God–a final separation of the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:33, cf. vv. 31-46). C. S. Lewis puts it well in an often quoted statement from The Screwtape Letters, “There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘All right, then, have it your way’ ” (cited on the Internet at “Quotations Book,” http://quotationsbook.com/quote/10320/, accessed Nov. 20, 2009).

We hear again the voice of Jesus Christ. “It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star” (v. 16). For “root . . . of David,” Metzger refers to Isaiah 11:1, 10 and Matthew 1:1 (ibid., on v. 16). For “morning star,” he refers to his earlier note, where he says “The morning star is Christ himself (22:16)” (ibid., on 2:28). Imbedded within this passage is the invitation by another voice to any who will respond:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come ( !Ercou, Erchou, second person singular imperative).”

And let everyone who hears say, “Come ( !Ercou, Erchou).”

And let everyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes ( oJ qevlwn, ho thelōn) take the water of life as a gift. (Rev. 22:17, NRSV)

According to Metzger, “the bride [is] the church,” and “ ‘come,’ singular number in Greek, is addressed to Jesus, as v. 20” (ibid., on v. 17). William Barclay reports “two different interpretations of this passage”:

H. B. Swete takes the first two parts as an appeal to Christ to fulfil his promise and come quickly back to this world; and he takes the third part as an invitation to the thirsty soul to come to Christ. But it seems very improbable that there should be such a difference between the first two parts and the third. It is much more likely that the whole passage is a great invitation to all men to come to Christ. (The Revelation of John, vol. 2, rev. ed., The Daily Study Bible Series, 1976, p. 229, on Rev. 22:17)

Compare Jesus’ invitation as he spoke to those in the temple for the Feast of Tabernacles:

Let anyone who is thirsty (tiV diya:/, tis dipsa(i) ) come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (Jn. 7:37b-38, NRSV)

Barclay compares Isaiah 55:1 (ibid., p. 230), “Ho, everyone who thirsts (xmecA-lKA, kol-tsāmē’ ), / come to the waters; / and you that have no money, / come, buy and eat.” He also compares “the great word of Jesus himself. ‘He who comes to me shall not hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst’ (John 6:35)” (ibid.). I cannot overlook the word “anyone” in these invitations (which I have put in bold face print above; cf. “everyone” in Isa. 55:1). The Authorized (KJ) Version, perhaps familiar to some, has “whosoever” for “anyone” (Rev. 22:17 AV/KJV). The point is that there is no exclusion on God’s part of any who are prepared to meet the conditions (v. 14).

For good measure, John stresses the importance of heeding the admonitions and warnings of his book without changing them. “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book” (22:18, 19; cf. the blessing on “the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near,” 1:3). Again, the witness of Christ is quoted. “The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!” (v. 20). And a final benediction closes the book. “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen” (v. 21). “Revelation,” says David E. Aune, “ends like a letter (see, e.g., 1 Thess. 5:28)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 22:21). Metzger calls this verse “a fitting conclusion to this book and to the Bible” (op. cit., on Rev. 22:21).

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness

21 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?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. (Matthew 18:12-22, NRSV)

Compare Luke 17:4:

And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive. (Lk. 17:4, NRSV)

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 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. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 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.' 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 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. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:23-35, NRSV)

On November 2, 2008 (the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), comments were repeated from November 24, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), when comments were based on those of November 5, 2006 (the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), and of November 19, 2005 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 16, Year One), when comments were adapted from an email message sent November 21, 2003. The following comments are based on those of November 2, 2008, with some reference to the earlier comments:

On Forgiveness

Matthew 18:3-35, which we take to be the fourth major speech of Jesus in Matthew, concluded by the typical formula, “When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan” (19:1), is enclosed in continuous quotation marks (NRSV, cf. TNIV), but with one exception in Peter’s question (v.21). The placement of quotation marks in the Bible is determined by modern editors and translators, since the ancient manuscripts did not use them. But the placement here is clearly fitting. “Then Peter came,” says Matthew, “and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church [NRSV text note m, ‘Gk. if my brother] sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ ” (Mt. 18:21). The Lord’s answer is short and to the point, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times” (v. 22). Jesus’ number, seventy-seven times, is a multiple (11 x 7) of Peter’s suggested “seven times” (v. 21). Elwyn E. Tilden and Bruce M. Metzger say, “Forgiveness is beyond calculating” (NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Mt. 18:21-22). According to J. Andrew Overman, the emphasis is placed on forgiveness as “the guiding principle in church relations and resolving conflict” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., augmented, 2007, on Mt. 18:21). Similar numbers appear in Genesis 4:24 (cf. Ibid.), but in that context vengeance, not forgiveness, is the subject. According to Terence E. fretheim,

Whereas God avenged the death of Abel, Lamech takes vengeance into his own hands; he exacts death only for an injury; he appropriates God’s own measures and intensifies the level of retribution, so much so that only a blood feud could ensue (see Matt. 18:21-22 for Jesus’ reversal of Lamech’s boast). The song shows how Cain’s violence had been intensified through the generations. Progress in sin and its effects matches the progress in civilization. (The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 1, 1994, p. 375, on Gen. 4:17-26).

Luke works the saying about forgiveness into a context on the peril of causing “one of these little ones to stumble” (Lk. 17:2, cf. vv. 1-4). In its own way, Luke’s “multiple” of seven, “seven times a day” (v. 4) also intensifies the emphasis on forgiveness. In reference to Peter’s question in Matthew, William Barclay says,

Peter thought that he was being very generous. . . . [He] was not without warrant for this suggestion. It was Rabbinic teaching that a man must forgive his brother three times. Rabbi Jose ben Hanina said, ‘He who begs forgiveness from his neighbour must not do so more than three times.’ Rabbi Jose ben Jehuda said, ‘If a man commits an offence once, they forgive him; if he commits an offence a time, they forgive him; if he commits an offence a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive.’ The Biblical proof that this was correct was taken from Amos. In the opening chapters of Amos, there is a series of condemnations on the various nations for three transgressions and for four (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). From this it was deduced that God’s forgiveness extends to three offences and that he visits the sinner with punishment at the fourth. It was not to be thought that a man could be more gracious than God, so forgiveness was limited to three times. (The Gospel of Matthew, The Daily Study Bible Series, rev. ed., 1975, vol. 2, p. 135 on Mt. 18:21-35).

Barclay suggests that Peter thought he was being more than generous, “for he takes the Rabbinic three times, multiplies it by two [and] for good measure adds one, and suggests, with eager self-satisfaction, that it will be enough if he forgives seven times” (ibid.). Jesus responds with a multiple of seven: “seventy-seven times” (v. 22; or seventy times seven NRSV text note n). Whether that amounts to seventy-seven (77) or seventy times seven (490), it’s a very large number for this context. Luke presents a version of this saying (Lk. 17:3) which was compared with the instruction on dealing with “another member of the church [who] sins against you” (Mt. 18:15, cf. vv. 15-20) yesterday: “And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive” (Lk. 17:4). Compare the previous verse, “Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive” (v. 3). Luke’s version of Jesus’ response, “seven times a day” (Lk 17:4), has no cut-off point. Seven times a day for how long? It wouldn’t take long to exceed four hundred ninety (490) times. In both Gospels, Jesus essentially says, forgiveness should be unlimited when there is repentance. “In other words,” says Barclay, “there is no reckonable limit to forgiveness” (ibid., on Mt. 18:21-35).

The Parable of the Unforgiving Slave

The point of Jesus’ exchange with Peter about how many times one should forgive another church member is illustrated in Matthew by a story, the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt. 18:23-35, not reported in the other Gospels). A king "wished to settle accounts with his slaves" (v. 23). The debt of the first slave is reckoned as “ten thousand talents” (10,000 times 15 years of wages for a laborer; “a talent was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer,” NRSV text note o on Mt. 18:24). “Ten thousand talents,” says Dennis C. Duling, is “an unimaginable amount” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Mt. 18:24). When the slave “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” (v. 25). But 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” (vv. 26-27).

But the parable continues, for “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’ ” (v. 28). The denarius was the usual day’s wage for a laborer” (NRSV text note j on v. 28), so the debt of “a hundred denarii” amounted to one hundred days’ wages (as opposed to the amount of 15 years’ wages owed by the first slave). The second slave’s plea for mercy, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you” (v. 29) echoes the first slave’s plea (v. 26). But the first s slave “refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt” (v. 30). When fellow slaves inform the king of “all that had taken place” (v. 31), the first slave is summoned; and the king says 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?” (vv. 32-33). With that rebuke, the parable comes to the point. At the rates cited above, the larger debt was 150,000 years’ wages! When we are forgiven, are we not to pass it on? It appears that one ought to be more than ready to forgive!

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net