In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus gives the parable of a servant who owed a debt of millions of dollars. Because he could not pay, the king commanded that he be sold into servitude, along with his family, and that everything he owned would also be sold to pay off some of his debt. He in turn asked the king to give him more time to pay. The king had compassion on him and decided not to force him to sell all. The man, who should have been grateful, went out and found one of his peers who owed him a much smaller sum. Instead of having compassion on him, he choked the man and had him thrown into jail. Upon hearing this, the king who had previously forgiven him reinstated the debt and had him thrown into jail.
It is important that we learn from this lesson the importance of forgiving. Real life begins when we grant forgiveness, not just receive. Three conceptual lessons we can learn from this scripture are:
1. The Proportion of Forgiveness - Notice that the man was forgiven of a debt of millions, but failed to forgive a debt of at most a few thousands. We, too, must understand that God has forgiven us of much more than we will ever be able to forgive others. Therefore, we must constantly seek to forgive.
2. The Priority of Forgiveness - Notice that the man was first forgiven by the king before he had the opportunity to forgive his friend. Just as we love Jesus because He first loved us, we should be able to forgive because He first forgave us.
3. The Purpose of Forgiveness - Notice that by failing to forgive his fellow man, he lost his freedom, and was not able to pursue life to the fullest. We must understand that the reason for and focus of forgiveness is us - not the person who harmed us.
Too often we choose not to forgive because we feel that it will hurt the other person. The truth of the matter is unforgiveness only hurts you. Think of it this way. When we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. We need oxygen to live, while carbon dioxide will kill us. However, plants need carbon dioxide to live and thrive. The person who hurt you so bad that you won't forgive them is just like a plant. If you choose to not forgive (which is like exhaling), you may think you're hurting them. In fact, sometimes you may hurt them by withholding your forgiveness. However, keep in mind that holding in your forgiveness is like holding in carbon dioxide. While it may hurt them, it will certainly kill you. It will kill future dreams, relationships, joy, peace and contentment. Get out of prison. Forgive and Live.
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Should not the King forgive the man for his lack of understanding compassion? For the Kings lesson was one of gratitude not of compassion.
The king showed compassion, which should have been received by the servant with gratitude. Perhaps the best lesson of compassion one can receive is to be shown compassion, as the servant was. This should have resulted in the giving of compassion to his fellow servant.
Awesome deliverance of this sermon a few weeks ago at SOL! The example of man's relationship to the plant was perfect for understanding. So many of us give up our freedom because we hold on to past hurts and disapointments. We totally miss the lesson in the midst of the hurt or disappointment that can lead us to freedom. There is revelation in each instance.
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