Each of us have had people who have done us wrong to some degree or another. And each of us have done some things to others that weren’t right, either. In both cases forgiveness is needed. We need those we have done wrong to forgive us, and we need to forgive those who have harmed us, as well. Much as we crave others' forgiveness, it isn’t always easy to be the one who should do the forgiving. However, that is one thing that the Lord will not let slide. Today’s Scripture recounts the parable that the Lord Jesus told us about how important forgiving others is. Let’s look into this, and learn the lesson the Lord wishes to teach us.
As our Scripture opens, Peter is talking with Jesus, and he asked the Savior how many times did he need to forgive someone who keeps on doing him wrong (vs. 21). Thinking that he is being super-spiritual, Peter asks if seven times was enough. The rabbis at this time thought that since God only forgave Israel’s enemies three times (Amos 1:3-13), it was unnecessary to forgive more than three times. Peter thought that by forgiving seven times he was being very generous. Jesus answers Peter with an astounding reply. He said to forgive not just seven times, but seventy times seven (vs. 22). There must be unlimited forgiveness (Luke 17:4). We shouldn’t even keep track of how many times we forgive someone. We should always forgive those who are truly repentant, no matter how many times they ask.
Jesus then tells His disciples and the crowds that always surrounded Him a parable that explains exactly the degree of forgiveness that God expects of us (vs. 23-34). In the parable, we read of a king who had a servant who owed him 10,000 talents, an extraordinary amount of money. If the talents were gold, it would be approximately 4 billion dollars today. If they were silver, it would be approximately 80 million, an incomprehensible amount of money. This example of the servant owing such a huge amount of money represents the sinner who cannot hope to ever pay back the transgressions of sin that he owes God, no matter what he does.
This servant, with no hope of ever paying the king back, and with the prospect of him and his family being sold as slaves until the debt was paid, falls on his knees and begs forgiveness. The king, a kind and gracious man, forgives him his whole debt. However, the servant then goes out and finds a fellow servant who owed him 100 denarii, about $300 today, a pittance compared to what the first man owed. When that second servant didn’t have the cash to pay back his debt, the first servant had him immediately thrown into debtors' prison. There was no forgiveness, no mercy. The first servant did not show the compassion that he had been shown, and others immediately noticed, and told the king. The king is furious, and severely reprimands that servant, reminding him of how much he had been forgiven. He then delivers him up to pay all that was due.
This parable was told to illustrate just how important God believes our forgiveness of others is. Just as the first servant could never possibly pay back the debt he owed, we can never pay back to God what we owe Him. Because God has forgiven all of our sins, we should not withhold forgiveness from others. We must never forget how much the Lord has forgiven us. We need to show the same spirit of forgiveness towards others, who owe us much less than we owe the Lord.
Forgiveness is often more of an act of our will, than an act of our heart. It means giving up the resentment we feel, and the right to get even with the other one, even though we were the one wronged. The foundation of our forgiveness of others is God’s forgiveness of us. When the first servant did not forgive, the king gave him to the tormentors. Unforgiveness torments us, not the wrongdoer. Forgiveness doesn’t negate the wrong done to us, but it lets go of the right to get even.
Unforgiveness often turns into bitterness, which can affect every part of our life. It can affect our family, our job, and our health. It also causes spiritual turmoil. Thus, a lack of forgiveness should be offensive to believers. It certainly offends God, who will chasten His unforgiving children.
God’s forgiveness, though freely given to repentant sinners, is nevertheless conditional. He forgives us as we forgive others. We need to remember the words of Jesus. He said that if we forgive others for what they have done to us, God will forgive us. However, if we don’t, then God won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:14-15). We do not want to be like the first servant, who ended up being handed over to the tormentors. We should always be keeping our spiritual accounts in order, and forgive others. Forgive as God has forgiven us!
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