Gratitude creates Forgiveness
Some Orthodox theologians have lately been recovering an ancient tradition of Orthodox theology that goes back to the second century, with St. Irenaeus’ idea of recapitulation, ανακεφαλαίωσις, and especially to Origen’s idea in the third century of apokatastasis, which was then taken up by St. Gregory of Nyssa in the 4th century. So there is a growing trend today to assert that somehow all humans will be saved at the end, and no one will be damned to any kind of eternal fire of punishment.
In 1 Corinthians 15:24-26 we read: Then comes the end, when he [Jesus] delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. And then verse 28: When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.
Paul appears to be saying that at the end of time Jesus will destroy all the powers of evil, with death being the last enemy that will be annihilated. It is not individuals who are destroyed in this passage, but the power that evil exerts over human beings, and all the tendencies, beliefs and systemic ideologies and prejudices that create evil in the human heart. These are the ‘enemies’ Paul speaks of, with Death itself as the final enemy. And after all the powers of evil are defeated, there will follow the complete union of everything and every one, Christ himself included, with God, who will be “everything to every one” – or, more literally, “who will be everything in every one” or “in all” – ἵνα ᾖ ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. I don’t know why translations often choose to ignore the more correct translation choices. I think because most translations are Protestant in origin, they prefer to avoid any language that intimates inclusion in God.
Today’s parable (Matthew 18:23-35) is about punishment, and the words of Jesus at the end are threatening words. So it does not support the idea of universal salvation. But Jesus’ intention in telling this parable is to turn evil into good. The wicked servant is forgiven a huge sum, but then he cannot bring himself to forgive a much smaller sum from another man who owes him. He cannot do for the other servant what was done to him. He forgot very quickly how his huge debt was forgiven – it was forgiven so that it could become something good in the man’s life. But it didn’t.
The lord in the parable is an image of God. The servant who owed a lot was forgiven so that he also could be an image of God by showing kindness and forgiveness. Why couldn’t he? Because he was not grateful. His ingratitude made him unforgiving. In the kingdom of God, gratitude and forgiveness stand together.
There is a way to read the Bible that looks to find point blank statements that can be thrown at people’s faces, to threaten them and scare them into submission. Today’s parable can be read that way. But there is an Orthodox way that goes back to Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, and Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. This way of reading the Bible leaves doors open. It doesn’t aim to shut heaven’s door in people’s faces. It doesn’t look for subjugation of human will. Orthodox readings of the Bible always look to see how God can turn evil into good!
The key is gratitude. God wants to teach us gratitude so we can be forgiving and be forgiven! One little detail in the parable that’s rarely noticed: When the fellow servants saw what was happening, they were “greatly distressed” and reported the incident to the master. Accountability, mutual responsibility. They were distressed. It doesn’t say they were happy to get the unforgiving servant punished. They were distressed – ἐλυπήθησαν σφόδρα, they were saddened, deeply hurt. They themselves knew the kindness of their master, so they could not understand how this servant who had been forgiven such a huge sum could not forgive a much smaller sum. They could not understand how hardened his heart was, how ungrateful.
The purpose of Scripture as the Orthodox Church reads it is always to encourage us to change. And the message today is: Cultivate gratitude in your life and you will be a forgiving person and forgiveness will be yours – in this life and in the life to come.
Ingratitude can make us jealous, and selfish and sometimes cruel. It focuses not on what we have but what we don’t have. It doesn’t let us “have what we have” . . . Giving thanks leads to happiness. So if ingratitude is the original of all sins, gratitude is the gateway to the spiritual life.– Fr James Martin
Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.– Maya Angelou
Remember your gratitude
even when the beasts are at the door.
Do not hold it hostage to your happiness.
It is embedded in your heart.
Let it out,
Even while you’re weeping.– Robert Pynn
Indeed, let it out. Let the gratitude out!