We’ve all been wronged by someone. Definitely the understatement of the day. Maybe a coworker attempted to discredit you to the boss. Perhaps a complete stranger stole money from you. Or maybe you had a friend betray your trust. Depending on the closeness of the relationship, the wrongdoing cuts deeper. If we’re not careful, unforgiveness can set in. As it remains, unforgiveness leads to offense and even bitterness towards the other person. I love the Bible’s relatability. Apparently, Peter was struggling with forgiveness. He asks Jesus, “How many times should I forgive my brother when he wrongs me? Seven?”. Jesus then responds with a math equation, “seventy times seven”. As a child, I always thought this response was silly. I’m just gonna keep a notebook and jot down the times until I get four hundred and ninety times. Yet, the point is not to keep track, because in reality you’d probably lose count around one hundred eighty-five. Jesus follows up Peter’s question with a parable that gives a different perspective to the answer.
There was a king who had a servant with an enormous debt. The amount estimated to be one million dollars. In order to cover the debt, the king ordered the man and his family to be sold as well as all he possessed. The servant begged for forgiveness, and the king completely erased the debt. Afterwards, the servant found a colleague who owned him money. It was a mere thousand dollars. The servant roughly grabbed him and demanded his money. The man begged for forgiveness. Instead, the servant threw him into prison until he could repay the debt. When the king heard of this, he imprisoned the servant who owed him the million dollars. He was angry that the man didn’t show mercy as he was shown.
I love that Jesus taught in parables, because it challenges us to seek the deeper meaning. This story isn’t about loan forgiveness (Although I'd love some student loan forgiveness). Instead, it references the price Jesus paid on the cross. We each had a debt that we couldn’t pay. The debt of sin. It was cancelled on the cross by the blood of Jesus. Completely voided and erased as if there were none. So, how can we hold unforgiveness and offense against our brothers? We do this by giving the silent treatment, gossiping about how bad they did us, blocking them online, or even simply holding unforgiveness in our hearts. Forgiveness doesn't mean that we disregard the wounds. Yes, the hurt is real. When the wounds heal, they leave scars which can remind us of the insult. However, we are to chose forgiveness. It does not mean there is always restoration. Yet, it does mean that we give it over to Jesus. We release it to Him and allow Him to work in that situation. Anytime we are tempted to act petty or to rehearse the wrong, we remind ourself that it no longer belongs to us. We remember the debt that we were forgiven. This can empower us to walk into forgiveness.
So, put your calculator down. No need to keep a tally of the number of times you’ve forgiven someone. As Christians, we are called to walk in forgiveness. Let the offense go and give it to Jesus.
Be encouraged! 😊
Written by: Christa Martina
Social Media: @healtyfitpa
Scripture Reference: Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT)
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