Forgive Like You've Been Forgiven

Matthew 18:21-35 - 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! “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.” (NLT)

Devotional Series: The Stories Jesus Told

Forgiveness.

It is what keeps our Christian faith intact. We have a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ because He has forgiven our sins. We have been shown love, so it should be easy for us to show that love to others—especially those who have hurt us and caused immeasurable damage.

Why? Because we know that our sin before the Father is just as bad—maybe even worse—than what has been done to us.

But the truth is, it isn’t that simple, and it definitely isn’t easy. Forgiveness, for most of us, is probably one of the hardest—if not the hardest—things in the life of a Christian.

Here’s the thing: I think the Lord knows this. I think that might be why Jesus included forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer. Forgiveness isn’t something we are supposed to ask for once and forget about.

In today’s passage, the unmerciful servant probably asked for forgiveness from the master and then forgot about it. His debt had been wiped clean, so it was no longer something he needed to think about—nor was it a burden he had to carry. He was able to walk around freely. His forgiveness was so complete that he totally forgot about his debt. So much so that when he was faced with the same opportunity to forgive, I suspect his own trouble was a distant memory, meaning he was unable to identify with his fellow servant.

This is why I think the Lord connected our daily forgiveness of others with the Father’s forgiveness of us. Connecting the two helps us overcome any hypocrisy we might hold in this area.

Matthew 6:11-12 - Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. (NLT)

If we are to hold this daily in our hearts as a constant reminder, I think it will make forgiving those who have harmed us a little bit easier.

Questions for reflection: Am I struggling with unforgiveness? Have I asked the Holy Spirit to heal my heart of unforgiveness? Do I ask for forgiveness from Father on a daily basis? Have I considered my own forgiveness in relation to those I ought to forgive?