One of the
most life-changing stories in the Bible is found in the 18th chapter of the
Gospel according to Matthew. May I
encourage you to take a few moments to read Matthew 18:21-35 before you read
the rest of this article (click here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+18%3A21-35&version=NIV).
Jesus told
a story in the context of answering a question from his disciple Peter
asking, "how much debt (sin,
offense, wrongdoing, fault, transgression, crime) should a person
forgive?" The story was told in a
time when people were put in prison for financial debt owed. An analogy is made between financial debt
and the "debt" of peoples' offenses,
and reactions to offenses, in the broken world in which we live.
The story
has two main characters; Big Debt and Small Debt. Big Debt is a transgression so large it could never be repaid in
a lifetime of service to pay restitution to the person offended. Small Debt is an offense which creates
problems and annoyance, but can be recovered with corrective action. Big Debt is not humanly possible to
restore. Small Debt may go away with
some human effort.
The story
begins with Big Debt begging for mercy because of his huge debt. The Master grants mercy and releases Big
Debt from prison (forgives) everything he owed. But somewhere along the line, Big Debt forgets just how big his
debt was, and he cannot forgive Small Debt for a relatively tiny frustration to
Big Debt. Small Debt wants to make amends, but Big Debt is so enraged he
insists on imprisonment (lack of forgiveness) for Small Debt. When the Master calls Big Debt to account
for his inconsistency, he places him back in prison, in worse condition than he
was originally.
The story
ends by Jesus saying, “Then the master called
the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of
yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t
you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers
to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. “This is
how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother
or sister from your heart” (Matthew 18:323-35). Being unwilling to forgive never has a happy ending.
The real
message Jesus intended to reveal in this story is found in the last
sentence. Forgiveness must be from the
heart and not just a decision of the mind.
I write about forgiving from the heart in another article:
(see http://authoredhersh.blogspot.com/2014/01/forgiveness.html).
But the first word ("this") in the sentence points back to the previous sentence. The Master handed Big Debt "over to the jailers to be tortured." Rejecting forgiveness comes at a great price. Let's look now at the consequences of
failing to recognize our "Big Debt" condition.
Big Debt
became so pre-occupied with the small debt that was owed him, that he was not
able to remain grateful for the big debt he was forgiven. The self-serving human condition makes us
all guilty of Big Debt's trespass. Most
of us reading the Matthew 18 story identify first with Small Debt.
Thinking of people who have offended us is easier than thinking of
people we have offended. Thinking of a
person who "owes" you an apology usually comes quicker than thinking
of a person you "owe" an apology.
Thinking of how other people have failed you, takes your mind off how
much you have failed God and other people.
Each of us
is the Big Debt person. Sometimes we
may be the Small Debt person as well.
Our debt to God (offense we inherited from the original sin of man) is
too great to even think about paying back.
God the Father designed mankind to live a debt-free existence, but Adam
and Eve's choice to rebel against God's authority created a debt (offense) for
which every person in the human race became responsible. God knew this debt is way too big for mankind's ability to re-pay, so He made
a way for a person's big debt to be forgiven.
Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the
life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). Believing in Jesus as the only Way for our
Big Debt offenses to be forgiven. One
of the ways we demonstrate how much we really believe this is by forgiving
Small Debt (our offenders' debt) when they offend us.
After Big
Debt refused to forgive Small Debt (in the story Jesus told), the Master threw
Big Debt back in prison. Refusing to
honor the Gift of forgiveness Jesus gave us, by not forgiving those who
trespass against us, locks us in a
condition of confinement. Our minds and
hearts condemn us to "prison."
This happens when we do things like focus on the hurts we sustain from
others short-comings, hold anger, nurse grudges, harbor bitterness, entertain
resentment, consider retaliation, and obsess on revenge. Dishonoring, condemning, judgmental, and
slandering behavior puts your mind deeper in prison. The lack of peace in your heart festers and torments you into
deeper and deeper bitterness, resentment, and blame. Forgiveness is the only way out of this prison.
Small Debt
wanted to pay back the debt he owed, but he understood there was no way he
could currently pay it back. He didn't
even ask for the debt to be wiped out, but only asked for more time to pay it. But Big Debt wrongfully judged Small Debt as
unwilling or unworthy to pay back the debt owed. When we are unwilling to forgive, we offend God by not aligning
with the value He places on forgiveness.
We de-value Christ's work to accomplish the forgiveness of our personal
debt (offenses both inherited and non-inherited). This offends God, our Master, and commits us to the prison for
torture.
Are you
feeling unhappy, discontent, discouragement, or a lack of peace or joy? This story is something you should
consider. Because offense is not
something we like to think about, these debts of unforgiveness often fester for
a long time. Perhaps stress, trauma, or
an unexpected event triggers a reaction that surprises you. Mental health conditions such as depression,
anxiety, and addictions often have some sort of unresolved root of
unforgiveness lingering as a source of torment. These are often symptoms of an imprisoned mind and a tormented
spirit. Understanding and practicing
forgiveness may not be the solution to all your problems, but setting your mind
and spirit free could be the hurdle you need to overcome to find the real
answers to problems with which you're been wrestling.
This story
is as real today as it was when it was recorded about 2,000 years ago. It's up to you to apply it to your own
life. May I encourage you to get your
debt forgiven so you can enjoy life as God meant for life to be lived; debt-free!
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
