Matthew 18:21-35 NKJV
"Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. "But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.' And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.""
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Another week another parable...and today's parable is a tough one for many of us. This passage in Matthew is often called The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Jesus tells the story of a certain king who wanted to settle the outstanding debts that were owed him. This king had great compassion on a debtor of his though and forgave him all his debts. But then this debtor then turned around and had no compassion on someone who owed him a much smaller sum!
Jesus tells us that this parable is representative of the Kingdom of Heaven. The king, Our Heavenly King, has forgiven all the debt we have built up throughout our lives. I don't know about you, but I have a huge pile of sin debt that has accumulated over the last 50 years and there is no human way that I could ever pay it off. Fortunately for you and I, our eternal all-knowing God has structured the perfect debt repayment plan for us. God in his wisdom and providence provisioned for the repayment of our debts through the ultimate sacrifice of his one and only son on the cross at Calvary. Praise God for this undeserved act of grace and mercy!
Now given the tremendous debt that we have been forgiven by our heavenly father, how small in comparison are the debts and grievances that we stubbornly hold against our brothers and sisters? How can we hold these petty debts, when our massive debts have been erased by a loving God? And God in His wisdom cares not only about our eternal well-being but he also cares about our temporal lives on earth. Many studies (eg Mayo Clinic) have shown that unforgiveness or carrying a grudge causes stress, anxiety and depression. We need to heed God's call for forgiveness so that we improve the health of our lives now and for eternity. Add if we are truly repentant believers, we will naturally have that spirit of forgiveness in our hearts that God has planted there.
So think about anyone you may be holding a grudge against or anyone who you have not fully forgiven. If we are honest, I am sure each of us is holding back forgiveness from someone in our lives. Get on your knees now and ask God for his forgiveness for your unforgiveness for your brother or sister. Then pray and ask God to grant you now the ability to have that spirit of forgiveness. And if a relationship still needs to be healed, reach out to that person and offer genuine forgiveness and express your desire for real healing.
...and don't forget to love God with all your heart, love others as He does, and use every minute for His will and to His glory!
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