Category: Abortion

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Whatever Happened to Happily Ever After?

For November 15, 2020
In His Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21—35), the Lord teaches a profound lesson on forgiveness and social civility. However, this lesson also has a stern and somber warning that is most relevant today,

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. “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 18:28-35 NIV).

In this story, the Unforgiving Servant mismanages a portion of the Forgiving King’s estate and is solely responsible for a several million dollar debt. By law, the Forgiving King should have had the servant and his family imprisoned with his property confiscated until the entire debt was settled.

The servant had nothing to bargain with. He owned nothing that would satisfy a debt that would have taken him several lifetimes to repay. In addition, the likelihood of him repaying the debt from prison was utterly impossible.

When the servant begs for forgiveness, the Forgiving King does something extraordinary. Moved with compassion, he extends unmerited favor toward a debtor in desperate need of complete forgiveness, as one commentator notes,

In the parable of the unforgiving slave, the first slave owes the king ten thousand talents. Given the enormity of his debt, the slave’s promise to repay everything is absurd. The king does not merely postpone or reduce the debt—he cancels it.1

Ultimately, this parable is a lesson on how God, who is the Forgiving King, loves and forgives all of us in ways that far exceed our ability to comprehend (or repay). We often take for granted the enormity of our sin debt, which has been forgiven, forgotten, and canceled through the redemptive work of Christ on Calvary’s Cross. It is our faith in His work, and not in our works, that brings us into a loving, forgiving, eternal fellowship with God.

Our “happily ever after” is found, not in a political ideology, social movement, “cancel culture,” censorship, wealth, influence, notoriety, or power. These are the broken cisterns God says will “hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). It can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ—and Him crucified.

But unfortunately, immediately after the forgiven and restored Unforgiving Servant leaves the king, he meets another servant who owed him a few dollars. Compared to the massive debt forgiven, this minuscule debt should have been easily forgiven—and forgotten!

Yet, the Unforgiving Servant explodes in anger and assaults his fellow servant by grabbing him by the throat, violently choking him, and yelling, “Pay me what you owe me!”

The unfortunate fellow servant acknowledges his debt and begs for mercy. But instead of demonstrating forgiveness as he received, the Unforgiving Servant responds towards his fellow debtor with savage and utter ruthlessness by punishing him with harsh treatment and imprisonment until that minor debt was paid.

One might think that appropriate force was applied to secure an outstanding debt. But this line of thinking is flawed since understanding and compassion were warranted here. Both servants encumbered a debt beyond their ability to pay, and the likelihood of servicing the debt from prison was a remote possibility.

The Unforgiving Servant prospered from the Forgiving King’s graciousness. Yet he showed excessive ruthlessness toward his equal—a fellow servant who was in need of forgiveness! The Unforgiving Servant refused to acknowledge that they were both equal debtors…totally unable to pay their debts.

The Unforgiving Servant also failed to realize God created us to inhabit the earth as equals. And since we’ve all sinned and missed the mark (Romans 3:23), we are debtors to God and to each other equally by default. In other words, we are guilty of committing sinful acts against God or each other, either directly by commission or indirectly by omission.

Thus, none of us are “perfect,” nor should we encumber another person or race with the debt of unforgiveness. All of us are offenders whether we share the same culture, color, or language, and we must be willing to accept that no one particular race “cornered the market” on victimization or being victimized. Other races have faced discrimination, injustice, and hostility throughout history around the world.

Moreover, our inherent sin nature will ensure injustice, exploitation, and victimization will exist and thrive as long as we live on earth.

The parable ends with the Forgiving King confronting the Unforgiving Servant about his unforgiveness and cruelty, and He turns him over to the jailers to be tortured until the massive debt is paid. The parable’s central message is clear, God forgives us, and He expects us to forgive others in like manner! A stern, somber warning follows in verse 36,

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

As forgiven followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to promote an environment where people can forgive and live “happily ever after.” Born Again, we can exhibit a higher level of spiritual and moral acumen that forgives, accepts, and embraces others equally to enhance and preserve civil society. Thus, as a Christian, I have to acknowledge God created us to love, forgive, and support each other. Otherwise, our alternative is repression, anarchy, hostility, and more senseless violence.

Our love and forgiveness contrasts the snobbery and prejudice the world accepts and embraces. The miracle of our Christian synergy validates God’s grace in a cold, cruel, and lonely world where smiles are rare, and people are too busy to establish and maintain meaningful connections.

We yearn for such opportunities and enjoy fellowship with our brothers and sisters as we share meals, celebrate birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions where no one feels like a stranger or an outcast.

Jesus Christ is a friend who sticks closer than a brother does (Proverbs 18:24), and He has equipped us to love and care for our Christian brothers and sisters everywhere. Although we may disagree about dogma or our form of worship; we may even be separated by race and/or culture.

Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we can look beyond our human differences to unite in Christ; as we see each other—not through our eyes—but through the eyes of Jesus Christ who laid down His life for His friends (John 15:13).

I am troubled over how passionately we express disdain towards those in political leadership who do not share our political views. Our expressions are  often to the point of hatred when we should demonstrate how we are one in Christ as blood-washed and blood-bought Saints of God.

Under those circumstances, our evangelism is never frustrated, nor is Christ’s witness invalidated due to our petty human divisiveness. Instead, we proclaim how God loves and seeks reconciliation with a sin-cursed humanity. We can celebrate our diversity by treating each other with the utmost respect, acceptance, and honor. Here, our fellowship is never optional—it is compulsory.

The world craves this unifying message of acceptance of others through Christ, which offers us a glimpse of what Heaven will be like with its rich diversity of people united under the lordship of Jesus Christ. John saw our future in this context, while he was on the Isle of Patmos:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb (Revelation 7:9–10 AKJV).

Because we are all precious in His sight, we can view each other through His loving eyes.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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Jesus Cares And Wants The Best For You Today!

For November 8, 2020
There is a captivating biblical account recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Chapter Eight that is most inspirational,

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace” (Luke 8:43—48 NKJV).

For twelve years, this woman was disgraced having been considered “unclean” so that any person or object she touched was unclean as well. Under Jewish Law (Leviticus 15:19ff), if or when her discharge stopped, she was considered to be ceremonially clean after a seven-day waiting period. On the eighth day, she was then required to “follow the procedure for offerings as for a normal period, after which she could resume her place within society.”2

Imagine the emotional trauma she experienced associated with the rejection she faced from family, friends, church, and society; let alone the acute frustration and disappointment she was experiencing  having “spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.”

Then she heard that Jesus was coming to town.

Many of us today are dealing with similar disgrace, rejection, frustration, and disappointment from past failures. We may even have convinced ourselves that we “deserve” our plight and ill consequences because  God “has to” punish us for the wrong(s) we’ve committed.

Sometimes the Enemy (Devil) will use our negative memories to perpetuate the lie we are worthless and cannot be reconciled to God; never to be loved or forgiven again. People who struggle here will say, “No one can love me or forgive me…You don’t know what I’ve done!”

God’s grace should always remind us that our past is immaterial since it has been erased and forgotten by the cross,

“He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:14 NLT)

Thus, it should not surprise how when she came behind Jesus and touched the border of His garment, her flow of blood stopped—immediately! And how Jesus then reassures her, and us today that we are forgiven and accepted,

Be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace!

The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. He is aware of those “secret” sins no one else knows about. Yet He is willing to love, accept, treasure, value, and forgive us. By the same token, we should be all the more willing to love, accept, treasure, value, and forgive ourselves.3

Jesus says He will not cast out those who come to Him (John 6:37). John tells us that when we genuinely confess our sin (by turning from our sinful conduct and turning to God and godliness) the Lord is faithful and just to forgive our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Our reconciliation with God is complete and eternal. We have been accepted into the presence of God and are no longer at odds with Him because of our sinful past. Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death. In other words, someone had to die, and Jesus did. And thus, the latter part of that verse tells us that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Peace with God translates into a clear conscience that frees us from our past and opens new and exciting possibilities for our future. With His peace, we can express positive, constructive feelings toward God, others, and ourselves as we anticipate His very best for us in every situation.

Over time, our lives affirm there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. We can grow in His grace by walking, not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit as Romans 8:1-2 teaches.

It is wonderful to know that Jesus loves us and that He does not condemn us when we come to Him for whatever we need. We need not carry any more past shame and guilt baggage. Others may yet condemn us, but He gives us a “clean slate” and treats us as precious in His sight—both now and forever.

What a Wonderful Savior!

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We Can Have Comfort And Joy Today!

For November 1, 2020
The New Testament book of Hebrews provides us with enduring lessons of faith, comfort, and joy—especially during these times of uncertainty,

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2 AKJV).

Three thoughts emerge from this passage, which are well worth noting. First, we are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses.” This implies our physical death is not the end of our human existence. God has given us a spiritual dimension that will continue to live long after our bodies have passed away. (God also gives us the responsibility to choose where we spend our eternity in Heaven or Hell.)

In other words, along with the “Roll Call of Faith” of Hebrews 11:4-40, all those who have died in Christ surround us like a crowd of ardent spectators cheering us toward the successful completion of our individual Christian races. Just think. We have our own “cheering section” rooting for us!

Our loved ones who have departed this life are “absent from the body and present with the Lord,” awaiting His glorious return for us. Then, they along with all those who have “died in the Lord,” will accompany Him to be reunited with us who are yet alive (2 Corinthians 5:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I am comforted knowing that one day, very soon I will see Jesus along with all those precious saints, including loved ones and extended family, “coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). A most welcome and most wonderful day that will be indeed. Amen!

Second, we as Christians are to make every effort to “lay aside” the continual practice of sin, particularly the ones we find extremely tantalizing and are within easy reach. Instead, we are to pursue earnestly and heartily His righteousness consistently. Jesus makes this observation in Luke 11:35-36 (NKJV):

Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light.

“No part dark” means our lives are faith-driven, Spirit-powered, Christ-centered, and God-honoring quests for spiritual and moral purity publicly and privately, with no “secret” sins. We strive to be the same spiritual and moral person, whether we are alone or in the company of others. In other words, what we do, and how we act on Sunday during church services should be the same way we act on Monday at home, work, or school.

The “what I do in the privacy of my own home” should never be shameful or embarrassing if ever disclosed publically, since our lives reflect an integrated, consistent ethic that flows from our genuine conversion in Christ,

Sin is turning away from God. As someone has said, it is aversion from God and conversion to the world; and true repentance means conversion to God and aversion to the world. When there is true contrition, the heart is broken for sin; when there is true conversion, the heart is broken from sin. We leave the old life, we are translated out of the kingdom of darkness unto the kingdom of light.4

In Jesus’ Intercessory Prayer, He foretells how His followers live “in the world,” yet they will never become “of the world” (John 17:15-18). This was true two-thousand years ago, and it remains true for us today.

Our “spiritual eyes” must remain focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the source and consummation of our faith in God, as His Spirit actively works within us. His great work of redemption, dying on the cross for our sins and being raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), pays the debt for our sins and reconciles us to God forever.

Our lives are then changed forever as we “pass from death unto life” (John 5:24). Thus from the moment we meet Christ onward, ours becomes a life-long race where His penetrating words ring true for us each day,

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23 NLT).

God commands us to be holy, just as He is holy (Leviticus 20:26). Jesus calls us to be perfect as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Jesus is the Vine, and as His branches, we can yield His fruit consistently, just as He tells us in John 15:5.

Although only Jesus was perfect, yet we can make every effort to refrain from habitual sin and let our lights shine before the world. Then we can glorify God and be a blessing to others just as the Lord teaches in Matthew 5:16 (NIV),

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Unfortunately, dishonesty, deceit, and debauchery have become commonplace for many professing Christians as three-quarters of Americans identify themselves as Christian, yet only 13 percent say they have no faith at all. Only one in every four is Bible-minded, although nearly two-thirds have an orthodox view of God.5

Oh, how I long for a time when noble character with principled behavior is deemed as innate Christian characteristics. To the modern-day society, inconsistent conduct has hampered our noble Christian witness,

Christianity is often not portrayed well in media. It is not “politically correct” to be a Christian anymore. Social pressure to “fit in” as a Christian is largely absent. In contrast, it is considered more socially acceptable to embrace non-Christian identities and lifestyles that stand in conflict with biblical values.6

God’s eternal purpose for His people—to “do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly” before Him each day—has not changed (Micah 6:8). Jesus declared that as the Light of the World, His followers will not walk in darkness but will have “the light of life” instead (John 8:12). In this way, He affirms His righteousness and ours.

Christian faith changes human lives as we enter into the presence of the Living God. Drastically changed human lives think, speak, and act in ways that improve the welfare of others without being motivated by race, gender, culture, social status, or political affiliation. Such is our destiny,

We don’t have to be victims of our glands. We are not automations or victims. We are free to make choices, whether noble or ignoble. To live for money, power, or pleasure is to die one day and leave it all behind. Indeed, to live for anything except Christ will mean reaching the end haunted by guilt and despair.7

Contrary to popular belief, I believe that we as Christians can and do change the world around us for the better—one person at a time.

Finally, Jesus paid the price for our sin so that we can share in the perfect joy that was set before Him. It is His most exhilarating joy that captivates our hearts and minds today and always as we receive His unfathomably precious gifts of forgiveness and freedom.

 I believe that our understanding of the “joy” set before Him, produces an assurance, comfort, and security we will not find anywhere else on earth as this enduring hymn encapsulates,

Blessed Assurance8
Fanny J. Crosby (1820—1915)

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Perfect submission, perfect delight, Visions of rapture now burst on my sight; Angels descending, bring from above Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blest; Watching and waiting, looking above, Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Chorus:

This is my story; this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long; This is my story, this is my song, Praising my Savior all the day long.

Yes! The Lord lavishly provides His children with forgiveness, freedom, and joy. We can never be “good enough” to earn His consideration. But we can continue pressing toward the heavenly prize He has in store for all of us who love His appearing (Philippians 3:14, 2 Timothy 4:8).
What a Wonderful Savior!

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By This Time Tomorrow!

For October 25, 2020
Scripture Text:

Elisha replied, “Listen to this message from the LORD! This is what the LORD says: By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver.” The officer assisting the king said to the man of God, “That couldn’t   happen even if the LORD opened the windows of heaven!” But Elisha replied, “You will see it happen with your own eyes, but you won’t be able to eat any of it!” (2 Kings 7:1-2 NLT)

The Old Testament book of Second Kings presents the final three-hundred years of the divided Hebrew kingdoms, Israel and Judah. The ever-worsening spiritual climate of apostasy proved to be the downfall of both kingdoms (Samaria in 722 BC and Jerusalem in 586 BC).

The events of this Scripture passage occur some eight-hundred years before Jesus. Here, Elisha serves as prophet to the Northern Kingdom, Israel during the reign of Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel.

Benhadad, the king of Syria has made several border raids in attempts to capture the king and defeat his armies. But God thwarted every attempt to imperil Israel though Elisha, who warned the Jehoram of the secret ambushes Benhadad planned—even in the privacy of “his bedchamber” (2 Kings 6:12).

Now desiring to capture Elisha, the Man of God, Benhadad sent a great host of warriors with chariots and horses to surround the city of Dothan. When Elisha’s porter saw the army surrounding the city with horses and chariots, He cried to Elisha: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”

Elisha comforts his porter, and us today, with words that have become a very familiar passage of Scripture:

“Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them!” 2 Kings 6:16 (NKJV)

This same idea is also conveyed in 1 John 4:4: “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”

Elisha prays for the Lord to open his porter’s eyes, and the porter sees the entire mountain filled with horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. Then, Elisha prays for the Lord to blind the Syrian army, and he leads the helpless army into Samaria where they are treated to a banquet and sent home.

Undaunted, Benhadad later returns to Samaria with his Syrian forces to lay siege to the city. And after three years, so desperate were the conditions that two starving mothers resorted to cannibalism (cooking and eating a child: cf. 2 Kings 6:29).

In total despair, Jehoram challenges Elisha to explain why they should continue Jehovah worship in light of their extreme suffering. Then, Elisha reassures them that God says that “by this time tomorrow,” food would be purchased for “pennies on the dollar” in downtown Samaria. When one of the officers argued how such would be impossible—even if the Lord “opened the windows of heaven,” Elisha told the officer that he would see it, but would not taste it.

Here, three things are clear:

  1. The Children of Israel Stray into Idolatry, and they Fall into Apostasy (breaking the 1st and 2nd of the Ten Commandments).

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord  your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments (Exodus 20:2—6 NLT).

So on the advice of his counselors, the king (Jeroboam I) made two gold calves. He said to the people, “It is too much trouble for you to worship in Jerusalem. Look, Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of Egypt!” He placed these calf idols in Bethel and in Dan—at either end of his kingdom. But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols (1 Kings 12: 28—29 NLT).

Jehoram, to his credit, was not as evil and ruthless as his parents, and he removed the pagan shrine that his father Ahab made. However, he did not remove the golden calves that Jeroboam had made for Israel sin (2 Kings 3:1—3).

2. God’s Wayward Children May Stray at Times, Yet He Still Provides for Them.

Elisha’s message from the Lord was simply: “By this time tomorrow in the markets of Samaria, six quarts of choice flour will cost only one piece of silver, and twelve quarts of barley grain will cost only one piece of silver” (2 Kings 7:1 NLT).

That evening, the Lord uses four lepers to notify the city gatekeepers of the deserted Syrian camp rich with spoil and an abundant food supply. (The Lord sent the sound of chariots and horses to frighten the Syrians into abandoning the camp, for fear of capture from the Hittites and Egyptians.)

The king sent officials to confirm the lepers’ story, and they reported their findings to the king, and an abundant supply of food was made available to the people. The criticizing officer, who was assigned to crowd control at the city gate was trampled to death by the mass of people running to get the ample supply of food.

3. The Lord Loves Us, and He Will Answer Our Prayer and Supply Our Need!

God is no respecter of persons. What He’s promised, He will do! Here’s what the Lord promises us today:

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him (Matthew 7:7—11 NLT).

You haven’t done this before. Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy (John 16:24 NLT).

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6—7 NLT).

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19 NLT).

This does not mean we can “name it and claim it!” But it does mean the Lord is our Good Shepherd, and we shall not want for anything (Psalm 23:1). The Lord will answer our prayer and supply our need. But, our motives and intent must be pure; consistent with His will and purpose for our lives.

You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures (James 4:2—3 NIV).

The Lord wants us to be at peace, because as one writer observes, ”When the need is greatest, God is nearest.”9 We need not worry or fret, because He knows all about us—and our situation. The Lord is faithful to meet—not our wants—but all our needs; for He is not only our Lord, and Savior; He is our “Friend who is closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).

What A Friend We Have In Jesus 10
Joseph Scriven (1819-1886)

What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,  O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged— Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness— Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden, Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge— Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee— Thou wilt find a solace there.

The Lord is faithful. He will safeguard His precious children and will attend to our every need. Won’t you trust in Him today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

 

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Radical Forgiveness Is Needed Today!

For October 18, 2020
Matthew 18:21-35, presents a sober lesson on forgiveness; there, Peter asks Jesus how often should we forgive. Seven times? Jesus responds with seventy times seven. To illustrate the necessity of forgiveness, Jesus offers a Parable of the Unforgiving Servant to make this point,

Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart (Matthew 18:32-35 NLT).

For the better part of three years, the Lord has been teaching His Disciples about humility and self-denial. In addition, He was their prime example of humility and self-sacrifice. (As He emptied Himself of His deity, took on a human form, and offered Himself as our payment for sin.) Yet the Disciples did not yet understand the importance of serenity and forgiveness.

In this parable, God is the Forgiving King who loves and forgives us in a way far beyond our ability to comprehend. We often take for granted the enormity of our sin debt, which has been forgiven, forgotten, and canceled through the redemptive work of Christ. We are not in a position to make “sin comparisons” towards other people since we all have sinned and are deficient of God’s righteous standards (Romans 3:23).

At the time He spoke this parable, the talent was the largest measurement for precious and non-precious metals for the Jews. Its weight ranged from 90 to 120 pounds, or what a “normal man” could carry, and it represented the wages a common person earned over a lifetime. Its value was somewhere between $1,000.00 and $1,500.00 in today’s US dollars. Multiply this by ten thousand, or the debt we have been forgiven, and we are looking at an amount ranging between $10 and $15 million U.S. dollars.

The parable makes no mention of how the debt was incurred. But as an integral part of his master’s household, the servant could have incurred it through fraudulent transactions while acting on his master’s behalf. Nevertheless, the servant was guilty of mismanagement by being solely responsible for a massive debt, and the Forgiving King was well within his rights to order the servant and his family to be imprisoned and/or his property seized until the entire debt was repaid.11

The servant had nothing of value to bargain with. He owned nothing that would satisfy a debt that would have taken him several lifetimes to repay. In addition, the likelihood of him repaying the debt from prison was utterly preposterous. So he falls on his knees and begs for mercy, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back!” (Matthew 18:29), and the Forgiving King does something extraordinary as one writer observes,

In the parable, the first slave owes the king ten thousand talents. Given the enormity of his debt, the slave’s promise to repay everything is absurd. The king does not merely postpone or reduce the debt—he cancels it.12

Immediately after the unforgiving servant left the king, he meets another servant who owes him 100 denarii, the most basic unit of Roman coinage, equalling a normal day’s wage of approximately sixteen or seventeen cents in today’s US money.13 When multiplied by one hundred, this was a minuscule debt totaling no more than seventeen dollars.

Compared to the massive debt forgiven, this minuscule debt could have been forgiven and forgotten…easily. But instead, the unforgiving servant explodes in rage, grabs him by the throat, and chokes him while yelling, “Pay me what you owe me!” (Matthew 18:28) The unfortunate fellow servant acknowledges his debt and begs for mercy: “Have patience with me and I will repay you!” (Matthew 18:29) And although both servants beg for mercy, there were two vastly different responses.

While the unforgiving servant’s $15 million debt was cancelled, his fellow servant was condemned for a debt less than twenty dollars. The unforgiving servant prospered from the Forgiving King’s graciousness, he demonstrated excessive ruthlessness toward his equal—a fellow servant in need of forgiveness!

As the wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon had it right when he observed, “Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends” (Proverbs 17:9 NLT). And as it was two thousand years ago, it is still true today; we live in a world that prefers retaliation over reconciliation.

The Lord characterized the “end times” as a period of escalating hostility. Since today we are encouraged never to show weakness or to allow others to take advantage of us, the signs of the times include the heightened levels of random assaults, workplace violence, and civic unrest. Although tragic, these are the byproducts of a fallen, unforgiving, violent, “dog-eat-dog” world where “only the strong survive,” and the “ends always justify the means.” Because “it’s never personal; it’s only business.”

It was only natural for Peter to ask the question, “How often should I forgive—seven times?” Because from our human perspective, forgiving once is remarkable, and forgiving seven times is extraordinary since we keep track of offences, and we bear grudges. We also rate sins on a sliding scale as though one is more heinous than another, and we falsely characterize people for their sinful past.

We must accept the fact that no one race has “cornered the market” on victimization or being victimized. All races have faced discrimination, injustice, victimization, oppression, and hostility in this country or around the world. The presence of sin within each of us will ensure we will always have injustice on earth.

Thus, it is hypocritical to condemn others when we all have “skeletons” in our closet as Jesus observes,

Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, “Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,” when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5 NLT).

Nevertheless, we who have experienced God’s love and forgiveness through Christ, by our faith in Him, are forgiven—to the extreme, because our sin debt is greater than our ability to pay…in a hundred lifetimes. Jesus paid it for us and cancelled our debt forever at Calvary’s Cross.

Having received His great gift, our time is better spent forgiving others (just as He has forgiven us) as King Solomon also observes,

“For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife” (Proverbs 30:33 NIV).

As forgiven followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to exhibit a higher level of spiritual and moral acumen; one that accepts and embraces others so that we can enhance and preserve civil society. Thus, we need to adjust our sliding scales to accommodate our own failings because we are guilty of offending someone—particularly God. We cannot forgive only to a certain level. We must forgive completely (seventy times seven). This is radical forgiveness.

The parable’s central message is clear. God forgives us, and He expects us to forgive others in like manner. While we await His glorious return, our Lord Jesus Christ expects us to practice a radical forgiveness that glorifies Him while transforming others and us. Why not start today?

What a Wonderful Savior!

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