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21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 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." (Matthew 18:21-35 NRSV)
Happy Monday and a Safe and Happy Labor Day to you, Friend!
The scriptures are based on what God has revealed to humanity through the years. One of the major tenets of our faith is forgiveness. And since the scriptures have been with us, people have dedicated their lives to studying them in hopes of better understanding them, and yes, even on how to get around them. Those charged with this task for the Jews decided that the ultimate expression of forgiveness was to forgive our offenders three times. That was the most that was expected of anyone. And so, this was taught through the ages, and Peter had studied it in his Sunday school (equivalent). And it was something that he even thought about, more so now in the company of Jesus, so he decides he will show off a bit of that study and perhaps impress Jesus by his question and his answer. "Lord, if a church member sins against me, what's the most I have to do? Forgive him seven times?" I want to believe he waited to hear Jesus say, "Peter, that's awesome! You've gone the extra mile", or at least, "Oh, I see what you've done here; you took the maximum number and doubled it, and added one to it! Way to go!" And so, Peter waited. But not for long because Jesus said, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times." (Other versions have Jesus saying seventy times seven). The point is that Jesus says we lose count of those offenses against us, and to further illustrate the point, He tells him a story about a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. These slaves owed him money and one by one they were brought in. The one who owed ten thousand tales was brought to the king and being informed of the amount he owed, orders the slave to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he owns. The most devastating thing one could imagine is the penalty from the king for money owed. And the slave goes on his knees and begs for forgiveness. The king then forgives him of the debt of ten thousand talents. In today's money, that slave owed $4,567,000,000. It sounds like an insurance deductible in today's dollars! Okay, unfair comparison but what we usually hear is "Who's got that kind of money?" How would you feel to be forgiven that amount? You would feel great!
That same slave then encounters a co-slave that owes him 100 denarii, and seizes him by the throat and demands his money. Let me tell you, what this slave owed his "friend" is equivalent to $44.60. But, this slave orders the man thrown into prison until he repays the debt. That doesn't sit well with the other slaves who report this acton to the king, and the king responds in kind; "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?" And so, in anger, the king orders the first slave to be thrown in prison and tortured until he would repay the entire debt. Ouch.
Jesus then closes the teaching on forgiveness; "So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." Peter heard the truth from the Master, as have we. Forgiveness is a serious matter. God shows us mercy and in the same way, and sometimes, greater ways, we show others, those who trespass against us, mercy too. If we stop to reflect on just what God has done for us, we would truly be thankful for God's great mercy, and out of that gratitude we should lovingly forgive others. Not out of obligation, just out of gratitude and love for our Father, Who saw fit to forgive us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we at times cannot fathom the thought of Your love being so awesome that You forgive us. Our prayer is that we might have the attitude of gratitude to show it to others without any second thoughts, or regrets. Allow us to live a life that always glorifies You. In Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Show forgiveness to someone today with you.
Receive my love and appreciation to you,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
