Homecoming

Today’s scripture picks up immediately after the teaching from Matthew we heard last Sunday, when Jesus instructed his followers to name harm honestly, seek accountability, and work toward repair. Peter responds with a very human question: How many times do I have to forgive? Jesus answers with a story about mercy, debt, power, and what happens when the grace we receive does, or does not, change the way we treat one another. It is not an easy story, and some parts may trouble us. The torture language near the end is especially hard to hear, and we will return to it and address it more fully in the sermon. So as we listen, I invite us not to rush toward simple answers, but to hold this question: What kind of community does grace invite us to become?