Mike Mosby, Children’s Ministries

Matthew 18:23-35
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Reflection:
This parable is about forgiveness. Forgiveness is a timeless topic, but one that we all wrestle with.  As I read this parable, two things about forgiveness jump out to me. The first is God’s forgiveness and the second is how hard forgiveness is. 

Thanks be to God, we are forgiven! However, forgiveness doesn’t stop with just us. God also wants us to forgive others, but it is not easy. We see in this parable what happens when we do not forgive. Instead of forgiving, it is human nature to seek out vengeance for what is owed. In the parable, the servant sought out what he was owed, and was determined to get it, even if that meant making the one who owed him suffer. It’s easy to keep a list in our heads of unpaid debts, or offenses that others have perpetrated against us. However, when we choose not to forgive, it leads nowhere but to pain. In some cases, our inability to forgive leads to a never-ending circle of vengeance. The only way to end the cycle that stops returning the same pain we have felt when others wrong us is to forgive.      

I am awestruck by the amount of forgiveness God has given to me, and to everyone, through Jesus. The size of the debt the king in the parable forgives the servant is enormous. I have heard it compared to millions of dollars, billions of dollars, ten thousand bags of gold, and so on. No matter what the equivalency is in today’s money, the idea is quite clear. It was an enormous amount, and the servant would never have been able to pay it off, no matter what. 

God has forgiven us in the same way. There was never going to be any other way for us to “pay back” what we owed. Our sins are too great. Only through Jesus’ sacrifice could we be forgiven. God’s forgiveness is beyond my understanding. God has not only forgiven me but everyone! Realizing the unpayable debt that I have been forgiven is humbling, and I invite you to join me in thanking God for this.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for the forgiveness you have given to me. Lord, please let your grace and mercy remind me that you want me to give forgiveness to those that wrong me, just as you have forgiven me.  Help me God, to forgive. Amen.