Jesus gives us the lesson on forgiveness through the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
Matthew 18:21-35
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Value of Denarii and Talent
A denarii was approximately 4 grams of a silver coin or a day’s wages.
A talent was 6000 denarri or 23 years of wages.
Our sins against God are greater than others’ sins against us
Jesus is saying that each of our sins are as great as the man who owed twenty-three years wages and we received forgiveness of our whole debt freely. But sometimes, because of hurts that have been done to us by others, we are like this man who was forgiven freely of owing the ten thousand talents, but are not willing to forgive the one who hurt us, who only owes us a day’s wages.
The hurt and injustice we have endured by others is nothing compared to the hurt and injustice that we have personally caused our Heavenly Father.
There is no limit to God’s Mercy for us until He returns as King of kings
Jesus is also saying that there is no limit to God’s mercy if we ask Him for forgiveness. I have people tell me that they have sinned so much that they feel that God cannot forgive them. This is not what the Bible teaches. His mercies are fresh every morning as in Lamentations 3:22,23.
In light of God’s willingness to forgive us so often and so freely, we are in turn to forgive those who sin against us over and over again as well: seventy times seven means without limit, or as often as they sin against us.
Some Scriptures to meditate on when struggling to forgive others
Matthew 6:14-15 “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.”
Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:31-32 “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ, God forgave you.”
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
John 8:7 “When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Acts 7:59-60 “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.”
Luke 23:33-34 “When they came to a place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
Forgiveness requires obedience
Jesus also expects us to stop sinning and to obey His teachings as He forgives us. If we receive mercy and forgiveness, yet refuse to forgive others, we receive the judgment that we judge others with. If we receive mercy and forgiveness and refuse to obey His teachings, then we judge ourselves unworthy of His mercy and forgiveness. If there is no mercy and forgiveness, then only a fearful looking toward the judgment day awaits us. (Hebrews 10:27)
Confession of sins = sins already judged
If we confess our sins, asking for forgiveness, and obey His teachings, we are judged already by His Word and the Blood of Calvary. Our sins have gone before us to judgment. (I Timothy 5:24)
Unconfessed sins = judgement awaits us
If we don’t confess our sins, then we have to stand in judgment for those sins. If we don’t forgive others their sins against us, then we cannot expect God to forgive our sins against Him.
Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
C. S. Lewis said, “To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
Forgiveness starts with God forgiving us, then we forgive others, and ends with us forgiving ourselves.
C. S. Lewis also said, “I think that if God forgives us we must forgive ourselves. Otherwise, it is almost like setting up ourselves as a higher tribunal than Him.”
We have to be willing to accept that the past cannot be changed, and as Paul said, “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,” (Philippians 3:13)