The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents (a great deal of money) was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him, “Be patient with me,” he begged, “and I will pay back everything.” The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt, and let him go.
But when the servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii (a few dollars). He grabbed him and began to choke him. “Pay back what you owe me,” he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.”
But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the servant in. “You wicked servant,” he said, “I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” In anger, his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he could pay back all that he owed. Mathew 18:23-34
The importance of forgiveness applies to the forgiver and the forgiven, each benefitting from its blessing.
Perspective – Writer One
The disciples understood accountability under the law. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The law was specific. Jesus, who came to complete the law - the fulfillment of every part of it- explained a different concept of accountability, Nestled in the prayer which He taught His disciples to pray is a phrase that we often disregard as we speak the beautiful words of the prayer – “Forgive us as we forgive others.” It is the concept of the reciprocity of forgiveness. Our forgiveness depends upon our ability to forgive. How often do we glibly pray condemnation to ourselves as we repeat those words in prayer?
But why is it necessary to forgive? Why not still demand an eye for an eye? First, we must understand the meaning of forgiveness – to be absolved of guilt and to stand in perfection before God. What better way to begin to comprehend the magnitude of God’s gift than to imitate it in our daily experiences? And as we cleanse our hearts of bitterness, we have created more room for the love of God to live in our hearts and be apparent in our actions.
The unforgiving servant enjoyed the blessing of the forgiveness of his master, but failed to extend that same blessing to another. For this, he paid dearly.
Perspective – Writer Two
There is a debt, greater than we can even imagine, which we have accrued for ourselves. The debt began to amass at our birth. Each day we work and strive towards fulfilling the payment plan. Hopefully, there comes a day in our lives when we realize there is no way we will ever be able to repay the debt. It is then we fall on our knees and plead for the Kings’ forgiveness.
And the King tells us, “It is finished”. Our debts have been paid by the blood of the King himself. He took on the enormity of our debt to God. He paid the price that we could not pay and because of His death, burial and resurrection we are now all forgiven.
“He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12
His forgiveness is not based on anything that we, as humans, can possibly do. His forgiveness of us is simply based on His character alone. His mercy and His grace acting on our behalf so that the relationship between God and man could be restored.
Yet, in our human mind, it is far too easy to disconnect this important truth from our own daily thoughts and feelings. When we are wronged by those near us, the pain can feel more real to us than God.
But feelings are not the best barometer to use in order to resolve conflict in our relationships. In the text right before this parable, Matthew records Jesus’ words concerning conflict resolution and humility. He then tells this parable to paint a beautiful word picture of the truths He had been teaching to them.
In the parable, the first servant owes a debt of 10,000 talents. That is a ginormous amount of money that the debtor could never have repaid even in multiple lifetimes. The second servant owed only 100 denarii. In that day, this was a small amount of money that could have eventually been paid back by the debtor. Like if I had been forgiven $100million dollars but then went and demanded my coworker pay me back the $20 he owed me for last week’s lunch.
As Jesus finishes the story, his words become a warning to all who hear them. The king is outraged when he is told about the forgiven man’s unmerciful attitude. He punishes the servant for his lack of compassion towards others. Verse 35, “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Those words, “from your heart” carry so much weight. It means I have to honestly, deeply, and genuinely release the person. My forgiving them does not condone their actions or affirm their behavior, but it releases me from being their judge and jury. My heart and mind can be freed from the past and then I can seek healing and freedom from the Holy Spirit.
I must always remember that I received mercy instead of judgment and therefore I must choose to give mercy even when my flesh wants to give judgment (James 2:13.)
Perspective – Writer Three
This is a topic that is so hard for us to grasp in many ways, but it is made clear to us in this parable how we are to respond when someone hurts and sins against us. And also what can happen if we cannot forgive.
When hurt we often want to strike back and repay those for the hurt they created and even completely cut them out of our lives. Sometimes we will try to pit others against them as well. I think we know as Christians (or we should know) it is pretty clear that the example Jesus uses here is not the way to respond.
Unforgiveness creates an emotional storm of distress in which feelings of stress, anxiety, depression, insecurity, and fear surface. Unforgiveness also creates a hardened heart. The hardened heart feels anger, resentment, bitterness, and hatred toward the offender. Who wants to carry that baggage around within themselves??
I've heard it said, "I can forgive, but I won't forget." If this is true, have you really forgiven? Probably not. To forgive is to wipe the slate clean, purify your thoughts and feelings and move on. Try to reconcile peacefully with that person. Bring someone else along with you if need be. And pray for God to help soften your heart.
What peace this will bring if we listen to what Jesus is saying to us in this scripture.
Perspective - Writer Four
Grace is not just something we say at the dinner table; it is a way of life. I read these words on a wooden plaque years ago and they have stuck with me. Grace is simply defined as “unmerited favor.” In Christ, we receive forgiveness of sins – a gift of grace. Just as the unforgiving servant could never pay back ten thousand bags of gold, the forgiveness of our sins is a gift we could never repay, but we can pay it forward.
Forgiveness is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. In the parable, Jesus uses the image of debts to describe the wrongdoings. Forgiveness means giving up the right to seek repayment. We cancel the debt by paying or absorbing it ourselves as the king did. By doing so, we are doing as Jesus instructs us to do in Luke 17. He teaches us that we must live a life of habitual, perpetual forgiveness.
When we do not forgive others, we become imprisoned like the servant with hearts that are full of anger and bitterness. Years ago, I was deeply hurt by someone that I love dearly. I remember praying to God asking for His help to forgive the person. Truthfully, I was scared to hang on to the anger and bitterness because I knew that if I didn’t forgive, He would not forgive me (Matthew 6:15). While that is true, my motivation was selfish and I wasn’t recognizing my own sinfulness. I had to make a choice to forgive, pray for the person that hurt me, and ask God to forgive me for my sins. “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” (Micah 6:8). With a repentant and grateful heart, I was able to forgive, pursue justice gently and humbly, and work towards reconciliation. It took years, but our relationship has been fully restored by the grace of God. I’ve learned that it is not about what they did to you but what Jesus did for you!
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