One day Jesus shared a parable with his disciples about forgiveness. It is recorded in Matthew 18:21-35. In it, the king wishes to settle accounts with his slaves. So, he calls before him one who owes him ten thousand talents (a debt that would be over 10 million dollars today) and tells him to repay. When he says that he cannot the king orders him to be sold along with all that he has and repayment to be made. The man begs for his life and the life of his family and the king graciously forgives him and sets him free.
But, unfortunately the slave learns nothing from this and goes out and find a man who owes him one hundred denari (about 3.5 months worth of wages) and starts to choke him saying "Pay back what you owe" Matt 18:28. The other slave pleads for him to give him more time, but the slave has no compassion on him and throws him into prison. HIs fellow slaves see what has happened and report it to the king.
When the king hears this he is angered and says to the slave "You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you entreated me. Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, even as I had mercy on you?" As a result of this, the man is handed over to torturers until he can repay his debt in full. The story ends with these words of Jesus "So shall My heavenly Father also do to you. If each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
I was thinking about this story about the king and the slaves today. Of course the debt that the first slave had represents the debt that we owe to God and the compassion the king shows is what the king does for us. He forgives us not because we paid the debt or would ever be able to, but based on grace and mercy. But, then God expects for us to not hold a debt against others in return. Yet, much of the time we are like the thief who goes out and chokes his fellow slave and demands repayment for a lesser sin.
If we could truly see our debt that God has forgiven us we would be astonished at it size. Would we even be able to see the bottom or the sides of it if we could actually see it. The magnitude of it and the stench of our sins that God has literally wiped away is beyond your and mine imagination. All of this because Jesus paid for it and took it away. Not because your such a great person and deserve it. So, who am I to hold bitterness and anger against others when they wrong me? My debt, which was bigger than any man can imagine, was forgiven and washed clean because of God's grace and mercy. I can't go around with anger in my heart and hate others or be bitter because of their faults.
There is another warning in scripture that is a part of the Lord's prayer that says much the same thing as the passage I mentioned earlier. "For if you forgive men for their transgressions your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions." Matthew 6:14-15. What that tells me is that if your walking around with unforgiveness in your heart you are walking on dangerous ground. There is no question about the nature of this command. There really is no other way to interpret it.
Paul said it this way in Ephesians 4:31-32 "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."
