Suppose you crash your car into a brand-new expensive automobile doing well over $ 5000 worth of damage. Not having insurance to cover the costs, you entreat the owner to forgive you the debt, and to your surprise he says “yes.” Then the next day you hear a baseball crashing through the back window of your house. When the teenager who hit the baseball comes to your door to tell you he is sorry about the accident, you rant and rave about the fact that he has no business playing ball near your house. Then you hand him a broom and make him pick up every piece of broken glass and insist that he have the window fixed that same afternoon. What if you find out that the teenager is the son of the man whose car you wrecked. What do you think the man would do when he finds out how you dealt with his son?
Jesus tells a similar story when Peter asked him how many times he should forgive a brother (Matthew 18:21-35).
“That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold…in payment of the debt. At that the servant fell down, did him homage and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master let him go and forgave him the loan.”
Part one of the story tells us about a king whose mercy outweighs his justice. Even though the servant owed him a “huge amount,” the man forgave him the entire amount when the servant pleaded for mercy.
Now we listen to part two of the story.
“When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused.”
Had the man already forgotten the mercy that was shown him by the king? Did he realize that the small amount of money that he had loaned his fellow came from the huge amount that he had borrowed? Now was his turn to show mercy; instead, however, he demanded strict justice. When his master heard about the incident, he
“…summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you? Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers…”
Jesus concluded with the words:
“So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from the heart.”
We forget sometimes that the “brother” who offends us is also the beloved son of our heavenly Father. Even a so-called “small” offense against God deserves great punishment. When we step into the confessional and confess our sin, He immediately forgives us, no strings attached. Does he not expect us, in turn, to show mercy and patience to his other children who harm us in some way?
