エフェソの信徒への手紙4:31-32 Ephesians 4:31-32,
神がキリストによってあなたがたを赦してくださったように、赦し合いなさい。 （エフェソ4:32）
自分は赦された罪人であるということを自己理解の根底にもつことの大切さは、マタイによる福音書18章23節から35節の「仲間を赦さない家来」のたとえ話を読むとよくわかります。このたとえ話の内容を簡単に解説すると次のようになります。ある国の王が家来たちにお金を貸していました。そして、一人の家来が王の前に連れて来られました。その家来は、王に1万タラントンもの借金をしていました。1万タラントンと言うと、どれくらいでしょうか？新約聖書の時代、人が1日働いてもらうお給料は1デナリオンでした。そして、1タラントンは6千デナリオンというとても大きなお金でした。1万タラントンというとそれの1万倍ですから、ものすごいお金です。仮に1デナリオンを1万円とすると、1万タラントンは6千億円になります。すごい借金です。そんなすごい借金を一人の人が返すことなど不可能です。それでも、王はこの家来に、自分も家族も身を売って奴隷になって、財産も全部売って借金を返すように命令しました。すると、この家来は「どうか待ってください。きっと全部お返しします」と王にお願いしました。全部返す見込みがあったのでしょうか？きっと、なかったでしょう。でも、これを聞いて王は家来が憐れに思えて、ばく大な借金を帳消しにしてあげたのです。なんと寛大な王でしょうか！
借金を帳消しにしてもらった家来はとてもうれしかったことでしょう。ところで、この家来は仲間に100デナリオンのお金を貸していました。100デナリオンはさっきと同じように計算すると100万円になります。そして、その仲間に外でばったり会ったのです。この家来は仲間を捕まえて首を絞め、「借金を返せ」と言いました。すると、その仲間はひれ伏して、「どうか待ってくれ。返すから」と頼みました。しかし、この家来は承知せず、その仲間を牢屋に入れてしまいました。このことを聞いた王はとても怒りました。そして、「不届きな家来だ。お前が頼んだから、借金を全部帳消しにしてやったのだ。わたしがお前を憐れんでやったように、お前も自分の仲間を憐れんでやるべきではなかったか」と言って、この家来を牢屋に入れてしまいました。
このたとえ話にあるように、私たち一人一人は神様からとても大きな罪を赦していただいているのです。すなわち、キリストの十字架の償いによって、自分が過去に犯した罪、自分が今犯しつつある罪、そして自分が将来犯すであろう罪のすべてを天の神様から赦していただいているのです。ところが、私たちは天の神様から膨大な罪を赦していただいていることを忘れて、ほかの人からされた悪いことを根にもって、ほかの人の罪を赦さないようになる傾向があるのです。 （11月2日の説教より）
It is common sense in modern society that one must not use violence against others. Yet, despite this being common sense, incidents of injury and murder through violence occur almost daily in Japan. When such incidents occur, they are reported in newspapers, on television, and online, so we know they have happened. However, so-called “verbal violence” remains unknown to people unless it results in serious consequences. Recently, the concept of harassment has become more widely recognised, leading to greater awareness that one must be careful with words in homes, schools, and workplaces. Yet, even with this heightened awareness, the reality remains that “verbal violence” occurs far more frequently than physical violence, causing harm to many people.
Mr. SUZUKI Shota, a lawyer operating a law office in Ebisu, Tokyo, defines “verbal violence” as “driving someone to despair through words, written text, or online posts.” He cites the following examples: Firstly, the act of slandering or defaming others online, such as on social media, blogs, or in the comment sections of news articles. Secondly, similarly online, the act of writing disparagingly about disliked or hated individuals, or exaggerating facts and fiction to damage their reputation. Thirdly, “power harassment” in the workplace, where a superior hurls abusive language at a subordinate. Incidentally, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s definition, “power harassment” is “conduct in the workplace that: (1) is based on a position of superiority; (2) exceeds what is necessary and appropriate for work; and (3) harms the working environment of employees” (Translated by MIYOSHI Akira). Fourthly, acts of “moral harassment” occurring within the home. Incidentally, the term “moral harassment” was popularised by the French psychiatrist Marie-France Hirigoyen in her 1998 book Le Haracelement Moral. This book was published in Japanese in 1999 by Kinokuniya Bookstore, translated by Mr. TAKANO Yū. “Moral harassment” involves creating a relationship of control through subtle psychological violence, where the perpetrator uses words, attitudes, gestures, or documents to harass and bully the victim. The perpetrator lacks awareness of one’s own wrongdoing or feelings of guilt, while the victim falls into self-denial and self-loathing. Fifthly, this includes actions such as visiting a shop and shouting loudly to cause a disturbance, posting negative reviews online, or making threatening phone calls. In modern times, this is termed “customer harassment.”
Mr. SUZUKI Shota explains that these forms of “verbal violence” constitute criminal acts punishable by law. For instance, if a superior repeatedly subjects a subordinate to severe verbal abuse through power harassment, resulting in the subordinate developing depression or autonomic nervous system disorders, the superior will be found guilty of injuring another. This carries a penalty of up to 15 years’ imprisonment or a fine not exceeding ¥500,000. If one lowers another’s social standing by presenting certain facts, this constitutes defamation. In such cases, defamation will be established regardless of whether the facts presented are false or true. Examples include information such as “has a criminal record” or “committed adultery.” The penalty for defamation is imprisonment for up to three years, confinement, or a fine not exceeding ¥500,000. If social standing is diminished by means other than presenting facts, the offence of insult may be established. This includes verbal abuse such as calling someone a “fool” or “ugly.” The penalty for insult is detention for a period not exceeding 29 days or a fine not exceeding ¥9,999. If one makes threats such as “I’ll kill you,” “Consider you have no life,” “I’ll beat you up,” “I’ll stab you,” “I’ll make you suffer,” “I’ll restrain you,” “I’ll destroy your precious object,” or “I’ll kill your pet,” it will constitute the crime of intimidation. The penalty for intimidation is imprisonment for up to two years or a fine not exceeding ¥300,000. Other offences include coercion, which involves threatening someone to compel them to perform an act they are not obligated to do; extortion, which involves threatening someone to demand money or property; obstruction of business by force, which involves persistently making harassing phone calls or causing a disturbance in a shop to disrupt someone’s business; and violations of the Minor Offences Act, such as shouting loudly in a public place to intimidate those around you. Thus, “verbal violence” is a crime punishable by law.
However, it is too passive that since “verbal violence” is a crime punishable by law, one merely refrains from it. God granted us humans the ability to speak words so that we might converse with him and with our neighbours, building peaceful relationships to live by. It was not for attacking and dominating others through speech. Today’s Bible passage teaches us the mindset with which we should use words to build relationships with our neighbours.
Reflecting on the flow of the letter thus far, in 4:22-24, Paul exhorts to “put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” In other words, it means casting off the words and deeds that surface in daily life through the sin-stained old self, and instead putting on words and deeds based on the new character formed by the Holy Spirit. Then, in verse 25, Paul says, “Speak the truth with his neighbor,” urging members of the faith community to speak with sincerity that builds trust. Furthermore, verse 26 addresses the control of anger, verse 27 deals with confronting the devil, and verse 28 instructs on the conduct of economic life. Then, verse 29 returns to the issue of speech, advising, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Then, in verse 31 of today’s passage, Paul exhorts, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” He is warning against these things arising within the church, the community of faith, due to the workings of the old self. Preventing these things is equally vital within communities such as families, schools, and workplaces. The Greek word pikria (πικρία), translated as “bitterness,” originally described a state of being bitter to the taste. Consequently, English Bibles often render it as “bitterness,” which in Japanese conveys a nuance akin to “Shinratsu.” “Shinratsu” originally meant “extremely pungent taste,” but it came to signify “extremely harsh.” The translation we read as “mujihi” (merciless) in the Japanese Bible which we use, likely conveys this relentless and harsh attitude.
While sharp exchanges of words are common in general public, those saved by Christ are urged to abandon them. For though such words may bring relief to the speaker, they may wound and breed resentment in the listener. They are not the words that are “good for building up” and “give grace to those who hear” encouraged in verse 29. Moreover, as I preached when exppsiting verse 26 earlier, in Colossians 4:6 Paul teaches, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt.” This means speaking words “seasoned with salt,” i.e., gracious words grounded in the Bible and guided by the Holy Spirit. Words that are bitter and merciless, designed to leave the other person speechless, are not words befitting those saved by Christ.
Following this, Paul exhorts to put away “wrath and anger.” As I explained when expositing verse 26, the Bible does not forbid anger entirely. Anger directed against sin, which refuses to rightly receive and share God’s love, is appropriate anger. However, human anger often tends to become self-centred. Rather than being angry at sin, we tend to get angry and then end up committing the sin ourselves. The Lord’s brother James teaches in James 1:19-20: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” Therefore, the “wrath” and “anger” we are told to put away here refer to self-centred anger. Furthermore, the subsequent “clamor and slander” are acts of raising one’s voice against others or defaming them, stemming from this self-centred anger. This corresponds to the “verbal violence” mentioned at the beginning of today’s sermon.
Paul not only urges to put away these things but also advocates an attitude befitting those saved by Christ. This is the teaching in verse 32: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” The call to “be kind to one another” is a teaching found throughout the Bible. Jesus Christ himself taught in Matthew 7:12, “Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them.” Furthermore, in Galatians 5:22-23, Paul teaches that those led by the Holy Spirit can relate to others with “kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness.”
The word “tenderhearted” following “be kind to one another” implies having a heart that empathises with others’ sorrow and suffering. All human beings, unless they receive Christ’s salvation, are in a wretched state, dominated by the power of sin and death. According to Matthew 9:36, When Christ saw the crowds, “he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Needless to say, this applies to those in a literally wretched state, but even those who appear reasonably happy at first glance are in fact afflicted by the power of sin and death. Therefore, let us not think that ourselves alone will never experience sorrow or suffering. Instead, let us consider that what happens to others could also happen to ourselves. Let us pray for those who are sorrowful or suffering and show them the consideration we can give. However, let us not forget that while Paul teaches in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens,” he also instructs in verse 5, “Each will have to bear his own load.” That is, while we should empathise with others’ sorrow and suffering, we must not bear the responsibility for their sins. At the Last Judgement, each of us will bear responsibility before God. Since each person bears one’s own responsibility before God, each has their own sphere of a responsibility. We cannot shoulder another’s responsibility, nor can we shift our own responsibility onto another. While it is vital to treat others with compassion, we must be careful not to take on another’s responsibility or shift responsibility onto someone else.
The most vital teaching we should hold deeply in our hearts from today’s Bible passage is found in the latter half of verse 32: “forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” If we hold this teaching deeply within us, we can put away “all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander” “along with all malice” as exhorted in verse 31. Then, as encouraged in the first part of verse 32, we can “be kind to one another” and “tenderhearted.” And we can firmly resolve not to commit “verbal violence,” which is explained at the beginning of today’s sermon. Therefore, we must ground our self-understanding in the fact that we are forgiven sinners.
The importance of grounding one’s self-understanding in the knowledge that one is a forgiven sinner becomes clear when reading the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:23-35. A brief explanation of this parable is as follows. A certain king had lent money to his servants. One servant was brought before the king. This servant owed the king a debt of ten thousand talents. What does ten thousand talents amount to? In New Testament times, a day’s wage for a labourer was one denarius. One talent was a vast sum, equivalent to six thousand denarii. Ten thousand talents are ten thousand times that amount – an astronomical sum. If we equate one denarius to ten thousand yen, ten thousand talents would amount to six hundred billion yen. An immense debt. It was utterly impossible for one person to repay such an immense debt. Nevertheless, the king commanded this servant to sell himself and his family into slavery and to sell all his possessions to repay the debt. Upon hearing this, the servant pleaded with the king, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” Did he really expect to repay it all? Surely not. Yet, upon hearing this, the king took pity on him and forgave the enormous debt. What a generous king!
The servant who had his debt forgiven must have been overjoyed. Now, this servant had lent a fellow servant 100 denarii. If calculated as before, 100 denarii equates to 1 million yen. Then, he happened to bump into this fellow servant outside. Seizing him, the servant began to choke the fellow servant and demanded, “Pay what you owe!” The fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But the servant refused and had put the fellow servant into prison. When the king heard about this, he was furious. He said, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” And the king had him thrown into prison.
As this parable shows, each one of us has been forgiven immense sins by God. That is, through Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross, we have been forgiven by God in heaven for all the sins we have committed in the past, all the sins we are committing now, and all the sins we will commit in the future. Yet, we tend to forget this immense forgiveness from God in heaven, harbouring resentment over wrongs done to us by others, and becoming unwilling to forgive their sins. If we focus solely on our relationships with others and forget our relationship with God, we become like the unforgiving servant in this parable. This provokes the wrath of God in heaven and brings upon ourselves severe judgement. That is, at the Last Judgement, God and Jesus will say to us, “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” and we will receive a sentence of destruction. To avoid this, let us live with the mindset taught in today’s Bible passage: “Forgive one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”