Debt
In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the “wicked slave.” Somehow, one of the master’s slaves owed his master 10,000 talents. Each talent was worth about 6,000 days wages for an average worker. That equals 60,000,000 days, or over 192,000 years (at 6 days a week). In other words, it was a debt so ridiculously high that no one (especially a slave) could ever come close to being able to pay. The master then forgave the slave the entire debt.
Matthew 18:25-27 (NASB)
25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’
27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.”
Small Debt
This slave leaves the master, after receiving forgiveness of his debt, and he finds a fellow slave who owes him the equivalent of 100 days’ wages, and he demands that he pay the debt. He even had the other slave thrown into prison, until he would pay the debt. His fellow slaves couldn’t believe what this guy had done, after having received so much himself. They told the master, and the master summoned the slave.
Matthew 18:32-34 (NASB)
32 “Then summoning him, his lord said to him, You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?
34 “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
As we just saw, there was no way for this slave to repay the debt, especially from a prison, where he was being tortured. He would never leave this prison.
Lesson for Us
Jesus then told His disciples the meaning of the parable, and how it applies to all of us.
Matthew 18:35 (NASB)
35 “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”
This is a very definite statement. Jesus did not leave any room for doubt or exceptions. Every one of us has managed to build up a debt of sin every bit as great as the 10,000 talents in the parable, yet Jesus forgave us our debt. He took our debt and paid it on the cross, then rose from the dead to give us eternal life. Jesus not only freed us from an eternity separated from Him, but He then gave us eternal life, in His presence forever!
Inevitable Hurt
It is inevitable that people around you are going to say something or do something that hurts you. They might mean it, or they might not. They might apologize; they might not. This might even be something very major, that could affect you for the rest of your life.
No matter how major or intentional the hurt, it can never compare to what we did to Jesus. What Jesus was saying in the parable was that we don’t have the right to even consider not forgiving someone else. In the parable, they were all slaves, under their master. We are all the same, under our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. No one is more “entitled” than anyone else; no one is “better” than anyone else. We are all the same. We are all sinners.
Romans 3:23 (NASB)
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rights
Someone might say, “What about my rights? What about my feelings? Why do I have to be the one to apologize/forgive?” They might also say, “I might forgive, but I won’t forget.” Is that true forgiveness? This is how God said that He forgives us:
Psalm 103:10-12 (NASB)
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
It’s because of God’s love for us that He forgives us. Look what Paul writes about love in 1 Corinthians.
Love
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 (NASB)
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
True love is not keeping a record of all the ways that someone has offended you or hurt you. True love forgives and reaches out to help the other person.
So, why is it so hard to forgive sometimes?
Procrastination
Matthew 5:23-24 (NASB)
23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
Jesus said that even if you are about to worship God and bring Him and offering, if there is some unforgiveness between you and someone else, you need to go to that person and be reconciled with them first. Then, you can go back and worship God. The longer you put it off, the harder it will get.
Addiction
Just like a drug addict, we can enjoy the feeling when we are holding something against someone in our hearts. It might be that it makes us feel better about ourselves, or we think that it’s only right that they suffer at least as much as we did. Aren’t you glad that God doesn’t think that way?
Drug addicts have a hard time quitting, because they like the feeling they get when they’re on drugs. It’s the same for unforgiveness addicts.
Enablers
Drug addicts build their “social circle” of friends and acquaintances who enable their activity and decisions. Likewise for unforgiveness addicts. Do you only have friends who tell you that it’s okay to feel the hurt and the pain that someone else caused? Maybe it’s even a counselor or minister. Is there someone in your life who is willing to risk your friendship, so that you can find freedom from the chains of your unforgiveness? Are you willing to be that person for someone else?
Freedom
John 8:36 (NASB)
36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.
God is calling us to live in freedom, not in bondage. When we are holding unforgiveness in our hearts, we are holding ourselves in bondage. The only way to true freedom is to receive forgiveness from Jesus, then share that forgiveness with everyone around us.
Brotherly Love
1 John 4:20 (NASB)
20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
Once again, we see that the Bible “pulls no punches”; God’s Word is truth, and it tells the truth. If we think that we can love God but hold unforgiveness or hate for someone else in our hearts, we are lying to ourselves, people around us, and God.
Reconciliation
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 (NASB)
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
As we received forgiveness and reconciliation from God, we were also given a ministry — a ministry to reconcile ourselves to each other, and to reconcile people to Jesus.
Unforgiveness separates.
Love reconciles.
Hate tears down.
Love builds up.
Anxiety
1 Peter 5:6-7 (NASB)
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
We can give God all of our anxieties and cares, because He cares for us. This is true freedom!
Freedom
Don’t let anything or anyone steal your freedom in Christ that Jesus paid for on the cross. Receive His forgiveness today. Let go of all of your hurt, pain, and unforgiveness. Watch all of your chains and heavy weights fall away, as you choose to walk and live in real freedom every day of your life.
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