 Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor
Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. He couldn't pay, so his master ordered that he be sold-along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned, to pay the debt. But the man fell down before his master and begged him, "Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all." Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. Be patient with me, and I will pay it, he pleaded. But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn't you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.?
Matthew 18:23-35 (New Living Translation)
This parable is quite obviously teaching us about forgiveness. The two verses preceding this parable state this:
?Then Peter came to him and asked, ?Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?? ?No, not seven times,? Jesus replied, ?but seventy times seven! ?
Now some of you analytic people out there may have done the math and concluded that we are to forgive someone up to 490 times. But what Jesus is basically saying is that there is no limit to how often we are to forgive. He might as well as said ten million times.
Not forgiving will eat you alive. As Andrew Wommack says, ?it will eat your lunch and pop the bag!? I spent many years angry with my ex-wife for some things that had transpired during our marriage. I just could not bring myself to forgive her. Holding on to that grudge was literally tearing me apart from the inside out. As much as I wanted to be free and to begin to rebuild my life, I was held in bondage by the exact thing that I was holding on to. What I was holding captive was actually captivating me. Not forgiving her eventually manifested in many ugly forms including a pornography addiction, alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, self-pity, isolation, just to name a few. I was falling apart but in the meantime she was living her life like nothing ever happened.
It was not until I understood and received forgiveness from God that I could truly forgive her. But the moment I did forgive her with all my heart, I received immediate healing. My entire life began to turn around for the good. I was literally set free. You see, this teaching about forgiveness is not just a way for us to avoid being punished. The truth is if you have not forgiven someone who has harmed you, you are already being punished more than you realize. Jesus message here is to help you, not condemn you, as is always the case.
This lesson here is very important my friends. In addition to teaching about forgiveness, I believe we can also learn a lesson about judging others. (See my blog entry entitled ?Do Not Judge Others? posted on August 8th. Jesus said this in Matthew chapter 7, verse 2:
"For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged"
Although we can learn a lesson about judging others here, I don't believe that was Jesus' intention. He is teaching about forgiving. Following are a couple of scriptures to futher iterate the importance of forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14-15 (New Living Translation)
"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. "
One of the biblical principles I have learned is that you only have what you are willing to give away. It sounds odd I know, but isn?t that exactly what Jesus is telling us right here. If we forgive others we shall be forgiven. Give and it shall be given unto you. We all need forgiveness. Forgiving others is a two-fold benefit. It?s a win-win situation every time!
John 20:23
?If you forgive anyone?s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.?
Ephesians 4:31-32
?Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.?
Colossians 3:12-14
?Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other?s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony.?
Mark 11:22-24
Then Jesus said to the disciples, ?Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ?May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,? and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you?ve received it, it will be yours. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.?
Mark points out clearly that it is imperative for us to forgive if our prayers are to be answered. But he says that if we are not holding any grudges, that we can pray for anything and if we believe we receive it, it will be ours! Wow! How awesome is that?
Have you asked for things that line up with God?s will and not received? Do you feel condemned for things that you know are wrong in your life? Is there someone that has done great harm to you and you just can?t seem to let that go? Forgiveness is the answer. Forgiveness is like a door that will open up blessings in your life. Forgiveness will set you free. Maybe it?s yourself that you need to forgive. That was one of my biggest hindrances for years. I felt so unworthy. I felt like the terrible things I had done were beyond God or anyone else being able to ever look past. How wrong that thinking was. The moment I knew that God was not only willing, but waiting anxiously to forgive me, and then I forgave myself and everyone else I was angry with, freedom came upon me in such a way that I cannot find words to describe!
God?s desire is ALWAYS to help you. That?s the primary reason Jesus came to earth in the first place. It?s only reasonable that everything he teaches us is to build us up, to encourage us, to set us free. Take a step towards freedom today my friend. Let go and let God!
John 8:36
?So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.?
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