Homily for the Eleventh Sunday of Matthew
(11th Sunday of Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
(11th Sunday of Pentecost)
By St. John of Kronstadt
Today, beloved brethren, the Gospel parable of the Savior was read, in which He, the Lord our God, likened the Kingdom of Heaven or His righteous Judgment over people to a king, “who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay me what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, 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 servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the torturers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive each of you from your hearts his brother his trespasses" (Matthew 18:23–35). I have repeated the entire Gospel that was read, so that you may remember it better.
It is not to our credit that the present Gospel depicts the extreme cruelty and malice of the human heart towards our neighbors. From the very moment when people, through sin, surrendered to the ruler of wickedness, the devil, he established a firm nest in their hearts, implanting therein his hellish malice, which has since then frequently manifested itself in very coarse and violent forms. Biblical and civil history, as well as the chronicles of our time, are filled with examples of this malice and cruelty, whether due to greed, the desire to exploit the possessions of others, wounded pride, wild whims, or unfulfilled animalistic desires; many, and very often, do not hesitate to plunge a knife into the heart or throat of their neighbor, or otherwise to take away their life, to say nothing of quarrels, disputes, insults, lawsuits, and other manifestations of human wickedness.
Let us pay attention to the act of the merciless lender mentioned in the current Gospel. He owed a vast sum to his sovereign, a debt he could never repay, and, according to the justice of the land, he was to be sold, along with his wife and children and all his possessions, to settle even a portion of his debt. A calamity that could not be more severe. The debtor fell to his knees before the king, beseeching him for mercy — and he was forgiven. It seems one ought to remember such unparalleled grace and extend similar kindness to one’s neighbor when the opportunity arises. However, the very opportunity with his neighbor revealed the dreadful side of the former debtor, his extreme malice and cruelty: having just received the greatest mercy from the king, he encounters a companion who owes him the most insignificant sum of money and immediately pounces upon him with fury, choking him and demanding, "Pay me what you owe." The latter pleads for patience. The lender shows no patience and throws him into prison. Is this not extreme cruelty? Is it not extreme insensitivity and ingratitude? And to this, many of us are indeed very prone and capable. Sometimes we are exceedingly harsh in dealing with our neighbors, especially those indebted to us, whenever the opportunity arises! Yes, our nature is exceedingly inclined towards evil, vengeance, or judgment by our own standards, probably because it more readily satisfies our vanity and malevolence than established courts do. However, with us, Christians, reborn in the waters of baptism and the Holy Spirit, adopted by God and receiving from Him grace or heavenly assistance for every virtue, this should not be the case; we must cultivate within ourselves a spirit of meekness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance, as well as moderation in all our actions. In order to possess such a disposition of spirit, it is necessary to remember the common frailty of humanity, the universal inclination towards sin, especially our own great weaknesses and sins, and the infinite mercy of God towards us, which has forgiven and continues to forgive our numerous and grievous sins for our repentance and supplication.
Yes, already a sense of gratitude to God for His countless mercies towards us obliges us to be forgiving and compassionate towards our neighbors, who are of the same flesh and blood as ourselves and share the same weaknesses, passions, and pitfalls. However, the greatest impetus for our lenient and gentle treatment of our neighbors must, of course, be the extreme condescension shown to us by the Son of God, who, for our sake, came down from heaven for the salvation of humanity, being incarnate and becoming human – His example, His commandments and counsel, His meekness and gentleness towards sinners, His patience, His suffering and death for all of us. If He laid down His life for us, we too ought to lay down our lives for one another (1 John 3:16), says the Apostle. Another Apostle states: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you, not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but rather bearing with each other in love" (1 Peter 3:8-9). The Lord speaks to us: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice" (Matthew 9:13). He, being most merciful, desires from us mercy or compassion, kindness, and patience towards our neighbors; He is also always ready to assist us in every good deed. If you have an evil heart, ask in repentance for Him to soften your heart, to make it gentle and patient: and it shall be so. He tells us: my son, give me your heart. Nothing is impossible for the believer and the sincerely praying. Just resolve, firmly resolve, to leave behind your malice. One must, from the very beginning, restrain any passions that arise within oneself, especially malice and anger, not allowing a spark to become a fire, which is certainly much harder to extinguish than a single spark.
Therefore, I conclude my words: let us forgive from the depths of our souls the faults of our neighbors against us, remembering our common weakness, frailty, sinfulness, and the infinite mercy of God towards us. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
