The Unforgiving Servant

The Unforgiving Servant  (Matt 18:21-35)

Peter had a question for Jesus - "How many times should I forgive my brother?  Up to seven times?"  This sounded good to Peter, as that was more than the law commanded.  But Jesus answered "Seventy times seven!"  Then He proceeds to tell them the parable of the unforgiving servant.  Basically , this servant owes the king more than he could ever hope to repay in his lifetime, and after begging the king for mercy, the king forgives the entire debt.  Then this servant goes out and finds a fellow who owes him a pittance, and though this fellow begs for mercy, the servant has him thrown into jail.  When the king hears about it, he delivers the ungrateful, unforgiving servant "to the torturers" until he can repay what he originally owed.  

Jesus ends the parable with these words, "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

I'm not going to writing anything new here, just reiterate what we already know, but often try not to think about.  If we have accepted God's forgiveness of our sins, we are OBLIGATED to forgive others.  We don't need to weigh the situation out, decide if they're 'sorry' or rationalize in any other way.  Being the recipient of God's extravagant grace means that I am now a dispenser of grace to others.  

God Himself will settle accounts with those that we forgive.  That's not our concern.  Our concern is to develop a lifestyle of forgiveness - seventy times seven!  That's 490 times!  If I forgave someone that many times, I think it would become second nature to me.  

My sins separated me from God - in this lifetime, and for eternity.  Jesus forgave ALL that debt with His blood that He shed for me.  How can I dare to imagine that any human being's offenses against me could outweigh my offenses against God Himself?  That's ludicrous.  

Forgiveness is not about feelings, it's not about settling a score, or deciding not to settle one.  It is stating that as a recipient of God's grace, I am granting grace to you.  Anything else that needs settling is between you and God.  Forgiveness stems from the overwhelming love I have for God in response to His grace and goodness to me.  In Luke 7:47, Jesus states that "she who has been forgiven much loves much."  This is the outward expression of my inward reality. 

I'm not advocating becoming a doormat to someone who continues to commit offenses against you, especially if the situation involves abuse.  Forgiveness does not mean that we stay present for repetitive, problematic behavior.  We can forgive and yet remove ourselves from an unsafe or unhealthy situation.  If you are facing issues like this, seeking counsel on how to protect yourself, and any children right away is what God would have you do.  Whenever we discuss forgiveness, it is necessary to note that forgiveness is NOT the same as reconciliation.  They are two separate acts, and while we are always to forgive, we may not be called to remain in relationship with harmful individuals.  

Not an easy truth, but one that Jesus leaves us no wiggle room on.  It's the season of gift giving - who do you need to give forgiveness to today?  Will you follow God's command in this matter?  You will not only be giving a gift to the offender, but to yourself and to your God, as well.  

(the link to the kid's post is:  http://elizabethtreger1.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-countdown-dec-18.html)