In Matthew 6:12, Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.” Jesus immediately explained why we must forgive those who have wronged us (vv.14-15). And He later illustrated it with a parable (Matthew 18:23-35).
How much did the first servant owe the master? Ten thousand talents (v.24 NIV). One talent was the equivalent of 20 years’ wages for an average worker. It would have taken 200,000 years for the servant to earn 10,000 talents. Although the servant promised to pay back everything (v.26), this was an impossible debt to repay. So “his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt” (v.27).
How much did the fellow servant owe the first servant? One hundred denarii (v.28 NIV). Equivalent to 20 weeks of common labor. This debt could be repaid within 5 months. The fellow servant begged for some time to pay back this debt, but the first servant refused and had him put in prison instead (vv.29-30).
You are a free person. Jesus has set you free. But when you refuse to forgive, you become a prisoner again. A prisoner of your own unforgiveness. A prisoner of your own bitterness. A prisoner of sin again (vv.32-34). The worst kind of prison is the prison of an unforgiving heart.
In his book The Lord and His Prayer, N. T. Wright wrote: “Failure to forgive wasn’t a matter of failing to live up to a new bit of moral teaching. It was cutting off the branch you were sitting on. The only reason for being kingdom-people, for being Jesus’ people, was that the forgiveness of sins was happening; so if you didn’t live forgiveness, you were denying the very basis of your own new existence.”
If we are truly forgiven, we will be forgiving.
More:
• Luke 7:40-43
• Ephesians 4:31-32
• Colossians 3:12-15
Next:
Is there someone you find hard to forgive? What will you do today to forgive this person based on God’s forgiveness of you?
chona2worship on February 24, 2010 at 2:19 am
Rust to a metal is what is unforgiveness to the soul,it eats away every substance until nothing is left of it.A person who cannot forgive finds himself sleepless even in the most comfortable bed while the person he hasn”t forgiven is sleeping soundly without all the care in the world.Eventually,the unforgiving one will reap all kinds of illness because of his own misgiving.I know from experience how hard it is to forgive,what I do is to picture Jesus in place of the person who has done me wrong and I would say over and over “I forgive you and I love you.”and I would feel the love from inside of me,the love of Jesus and next time I see the person,Ive no grudges anymore,Jesus has washed it all away.
bethanyF on February 24, 2010 at 7:26 am
When I forgive people I am much more easy going and less anxious. I hope that I can follow in Jesus’ footsteps and forgive people around me that I find to have offended me. Jesus is my example.
Brianbenyosef on February 24, 2010 at 8:24 am
The ten commandments say to love your neighbor as you love yourself. The law of Moshe (Moses) also goes on to say eye for an eye etc. Jesus says to forgive your enemies and love them! If you have the love of GOD in your heart you can forgive anything and everyone no matter the circumstances. For example I was a victim of fraud and lost a lot of money, the person who did this to me was someone I trusted with my life! He broke that trust but because of Jesus I forgave his dept to me. He is currently in prison because others did not forgive him, but I pray for him every day because I love him as my brother. If you have the love of GOD in your heart forgiveness is easy and natural!
sharri10 on February 24, 2010 at 9:12 am
I understand about forgiveness and what a person must do. However, I do have question is that even though you have forgiven the person does that mean you have to trust them? I have an issue and I can forgive them, but now I do not trust that them. How does that work? Even if you forgive the person that does not necessarily mean that you have continue in a relationship with them but when you see, you show a loving spirit.
Danya on February 24, 2010 at 12:59 pm
Sharri10 – I was thinking also that we should probably proceed with caution & wisdom as well. But also keep in mind that, I know with myself, do you know how many times I’ve made the same mistake and asked God for forgiveness. So, I know this sounds like a cliche, but ask yourself. “What would Jesus Do?”
JedidiahDR on February 24, 2010 at 10:03 am
Jesus has forgiven us and paid in full for our sins.We will forgive much when we understand how much we have been forgiven.
lilD on February 24, 2010 at 10:08 am
sharri10, I’m not too sure, but I’m thinking that when you truly love someone, you also trust them. You always have to hope for the best in people, and so suspicion/distrust does not contribute to positive feelings of love. When you genuinely love someone, you leave yourself vulnerable to him/her. You may get hurt again, but you’ll forgive again. This is part of being a follower of Christ.
SufficientGrace on February 24, 2010 at 12:02 pm
From my own personal experience, when one betrays our trust, we can forgive, because this is what Christ Jesus calls us to do. Many times it’s so difficult to forgive that we need to draw on God’s strength to do so. Even though that person may have sincerely asked God and us for forgiveness, it does not mean that they will not experience the consequences of their actions. One of which is rebuilding that trust. Nor does it mean we try to protect them from the consequences.
marie1953 on February 24, 2010 at 3:31 pm
Forgiveness is the foundation to healing and
wholeness. The burden removing yoke destoying
power of God through His Son Jesus.
jsdailyjourney on April 21, 2010 at 3:42 pm
It’s hard to forgive sometimes! I know Jesus always forgives my sins!
seg5590 on July 28, 2010 at 10:11 am
I’m really struggling with forgiveness. I pray everyday to be able to forgive current husband of how he messed up my good life, which I allowed him to. So my forgiveness is two-fold, I’ve not forgiven myself for allowing, and I’ve not forgiven him. With that I can’t move on with my life. I’m stuck! It’s keeping me down, depressed and not able to move forward. It doesn’t seem to bother him at all, overall he claims not to be aware that he played any role in marriage not working. Does ignorance excuse ownership or failure. Any comments or encouragement will be greatly appreciated.