Key Verse: "This is how My Heavenly Father will treat
each of you unless you forgive your brother, or sister, from your heart."
Matthew 18:35
"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors." "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your
Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins." (Matt. 6:12 & 14-15)
Jesus is consistent here on His teaching about forgiveness.
It's what He came to make a way to do and He expects no less from His
followers.
God bless Peter with his inquisitive nature. We learn so
much because of his outspokenness. "Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother when he sins against me?" One has to wonder, was Peter looking
for a loop hole here? Was there continuing trouble among the ranks of disciples
that Peter was having trouble enduring? We have to think that something
happened to provoke this question. Also, I have to admit that, were I Peter, I
might not find Jesus' answer exactly satisfying. I think that there is
something within most of us that wants to cry, "Enough! That’s the last straw!" when we feel
that we've reached the end of our rope of tolerance. "Surely God, you can
relieve us now! Haven't we endured
enough?"
While Jesus' parable here focuses on money issues the lesson
is not lost on relationship issues as well. Forgiveness is hard work and while
we appreciate being forgiven, we often fail at extending our forgiveness toward
others.
This is another parable about the Kingdom of God, so, of
course, we begin with a king, representing God Himself. He's doing His finances
and comes across the account of a servant who owes a debt that he can never
repay. Sound familiar? He brings in the man and orders him to pay up, which, of
course, he cannot do. The debtor pleads for mercy and the king takes pity on
him, grants his request and cancels the debt. Good for him!
Now enters his equal, another servant just like himself.
This time, however, the original debtor is the one with the power, for this
servant owes him. However, instead of showing forgiveness in turn, the first
servant demands justice, which he has a right to do. In mercy, he could have
set his rights aside and extended grace, as he himself was given, but he had
learned nothing from his encounter with the king and ordered this second
servant to "Pay up." Fortunately, this troubled the onlookers, who reported all
this to the king. The king in turn, invoked his rights, and revoked his
forgiveness as well.
In the Kingdom of God, forgiveness reigns supreme. Those who
do not practice it are not part of His Kingdom. He has instructed us to pray
about it. He has taught us how to
practice it and He has set the example by doing it. What are the petty sins of
your fellow man against you compared to your sins against a Holy God? Do you
appreciate what you have been given? Do you extend this gift to others?
"I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven
times." (Matt.18:22) Or in other words, "always be ready to
forgive."
Hymn: "Forgiveness"
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