...
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Through
the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and
save us. Amen. Glory to You, our God, Glory to You.
O Heavenly King,
the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, You are everywhere and fill all things, Treasury
of blessings, and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every
impurity, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,
have mercy on us (three times).
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.
All-holy Trinity, have mercy on us. Lord, cleanse us from our sins. Master, pardon our iniquities. Holy One, visit us and heal our infirmities for
Your Name’s sake. Lord have mercy (three times).
August
24, 2014 Sunday Sermon, National Destruction
The
Gospel
Matthew 18:23-35 a personal
translation
Because of this[1]
the kingdom of heaven was compared to a human king, who wanted to review
accounts[2]
with his stewards. So starting to review,
a debtor of ten thousand talents was brought to him.[3] Since he was [unable] to pay,[4]
his lord ordered him to be sold with his wife and children and all that he had,
to make payment.
Thus the steward, falling
down, prostrated[5]
before him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you
everything. So, being moved with
compassion, that steward’s lord freed him, and forgave him the loan.[6]
Now, immediately
coming out, that steward found one of his fellow stewards who owed him an
hundred denarii,[7]
and seizing him, strangled [him],[8]
saying, Pay me what you owe.[9] Thus his fellow steward, falling down at his
feet, begged him, saying, have patience with me, and I will repay everything to
you. Now he refused, but as he was
leaving,[10]
threw him into prison, until he could pay the debt.
Well, his fellow
stewards, seeing what was taking place, were vehemently grieved,[11]
and coming, explained to their lord everything[12]
that had taken place.
Then, summoning [him], his lord said, you wicked steward,[13]
I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. Shouldn’t you also have showed your fellow
steward mercy, as I also showed you mercy?
And being furious, his
lord delivered him to the tormentors, until he could repay the whole debt.[14] Thus, My heavenly Father shall do to you, as
well; unless you each forgive your brothers’ trespasses from your hearts.[15]
The
Homily
For this very reason our nation is
being condemned and destroyed by God.
Are you concerned about a lack of good
jobs? Look no further. Are you concerned about national
security? Look no further. Are you concerned about any other major social
issue? Look no further.
God has destroyed and ground into
powder every civilization and nation that has raised itself in defiance of Him,
since the foundation of the world. Ancient,
Egypt, Babylon, Syria, Assyria, Greece, and Rome are all so much dust on the
pages of history. Nazi Germany and many
other corrupted empires are nothing more than vapors in the wind: long
forgotten cloudy memories, of their many past defiances of God.
The United States is no different
than other historic nations. As they
were destroyed, so we shall be destroyed, if we continue on our cruel,
oppressive, sinful path.
No nation can long survive, which
builds its culture and economy on debt, lending, and usury. God forbids all such slavery.
Have you labored long and hard,
earning your bread by sweat and toil?
You may keep what you have; it is God’s gift to you.
Have you filled your coffers by
lending and usury? This is robbery and theft
on a grand scale. You must give back
every penny you stole from the poor, and never lend or charge usury again. Rather, you must learn to give, expecting
nothing in return. If refuse to do this,
you will be destroyed, together with those around you, your dependents.
The word debt, in the Bible, refers
to any serious breach of The Ten Commandments.
Lending and usury are forms of murder.
There are other such breaches: none are tolerable.
The word trespasses, in the Bible,
refers to relatively minor offenses.
These must be forgiven as well.
This does not give us the right to nurse every injured feeling, or
hurt. Trespasses must be kept in line
with Bible guidelines. Nevertheless, we
must forgive everything: for this very reason we cry out, “Lord have mercy!”
If we fail to forgive both debts and
trespasses, we will bring down the maximum weight of our own debts on our heads.
Should we fail to be obedient to such
supernatural forgiveness, we will find ourselves hopelessly in debt to God.
[1] Because
Peter has just asked Jesus how often he must forgive. The astounding answer is, always: we must
always forgive. We have no choice in
this matter. God Himself demands the
obedience of our forgiveness. In the
broader context this is the conclusion, the punch line for the fourth section
of Matthew (13:53-18:35), and as such sharpens the major theme of Matthew,
which is the absolute necessity of forgiveness.
We must not think that such forgiveness is humanly possible. No.
No. A thousand times, no. Such forgiveness can only be accomplished
with Divine help. For this cause Jesus
died, and the Holy Ghost came: so that we might learn to forgive.
[2]
Review accounts is a bit periphrastic for, “take up words or records,” but in
the context there can be little doubt about the meaning, for the ensuing
actions vividly explain everything. So
take up words either means a review of the financial records, with a view to
correcting high risk or failing ventures; or else it means a review of the
financial records, with a view to closing all of the accounts. We only need to know that he intends to close
one.
[3]
During the review a serious discrepancy is discovered. We are not told what it is; but one
calculation made in 1990 estimates the value at $3.84 billion. My calculation using 2012 silver values is
around $20 billion. The 500% increase,
between 1990 and 2012, is mostly due to inflation. $20 billion is larger than the bailout of
Chrysler Corporation in 1980. $20
billion is not the size of the total account, but only the size of the
shortfall, or net loss.
[4]
The expression, “not having to pay,” certainly communicates inability. No wonder; what kind of a business would not
be bankrupted by this kind of a loss.
The amount is so large that it staggers the imagination; which is the
intent of the magnitude. Most businesses
could at least sell off capital to get close to net zero. But $20 billion in the red is unimaginable;
it may as well be infinite. It
represents the true magnitude of our sins, which are infinite.
[5] He
fell on his knees and face on the ground in the standard position of
prostration as demonstrated by Jehu, the King of Israel, on the “Black Obelisk”
of Shalmaneser III (http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=black+obelisk+ of+shalmaneser&
view
=detail&id=3A01D0995D88EC688875D7B9B237D25E3558EE34&first=0).
=detail&id=3A01D0995D88EC688875D7B9B237D25E3558EE34&first=0).
[6]
The contrast between the king and his unforgiving steward is remarkable. Ultimately, the king is not concerned with his
money or his rank, he quickly writes off this huge debt. The unforgiving steward, however, is all
about money and rank: for, shark like, he quickly rises to defend both, with
utmost cruelty and with murderous intent.
[7]
The shortfall is roughly $13.351 thousand, less than the price of a new car in
2012. The ratio for the contrast between
$20 billion and $13.351 thousand is 1.5 million to 1. This ratio does not fluctuate with the value
of silver.
[8]
The contrast between performing a prostration willingly, and falling down
fainting from a beating; adds vividness to an already amazingly cruel
story. But this is how God sees us.
[9]
This is an extreme example of extortion.
This individual has many of the characteristics of a criminal loan shark
or loan shark enforcer.
[10]
He is going right back out to continue his cruel and ugly business with other
victims.
[11]
Words scarcely suffice to describe the shock and violence of their emotional
reaction.
[12]
They reported in glowing detail. No
detail was spared. No stone was left
unturned.
[13]
It may be difficult to define unforgivable sin, but this parable, closing the
fourth section of Matthew, pictures it.
It is unforgivable to receive mercy, and fail to extend it to
others. It is unforgivable to receive
forgiveness, and not forgive. Everything
must be forgiven: every debt, grudge, offense, sin, slight, transgression,
trespass. There is one exception, and
that belongs to God. The person who does
not forgive, who shows no mercy, who sets traps to cause others to sin; this
person receives what he dishes out: he cannot be forgiven. But, that is God’s decision to make, not
ours.
[14]
It is impossible that this debt could ever be paid. This is banishment from the presence and
glory of God and into an eternal Gehenna of Hell’s fire, with wailing and
gnashing of teeth. (See verses 8-9). The
only way out is to forgive all subordinate debt, and cast one’s self on the mercy
of the Divine Court of Justice, which functions on mercy as its principal rule.
[15]
The ultimate conclusion is that forgiveness and mercy are not options, they are
Laws of the Kingdom, as is love. This
concludes Matthew’s fourth discourse of Jesus.
However, the lesson is so important that it is repeated in chapter 25,
at the end of the fifth discourse.
Tangencies with the Lord’s
Prayer are also clear.
[16] If you have been blessed or helped by any of these meditations,
please repost, share, or use any of them as you wish. No rights are reserved. They are designed and intended for your free
participation. They were freely
received, and are freely given. No other
permission is required for their use.
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