Daily Devotional For Thursday, March 14, 2024

For the last few days we have been looking at some Proverbs that are in sync with some of the statements Jesus made about relationships. Today, we are going to look at this issue of forgiveness again. Jesus said this in Matthew 6:14, “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (ESV). We read this and possibly think, “Yeah, right Jesus, but you don’t know what that person said or did to me.” The truth is: we may not take forgiving others seriously, Jesus Christ does.

Our continued forgiveness from God for our daily sins is contingent upon us confessing our sins to Him as well as our willingness to forgive those who hurt and harm us. Jesus was once asked this by Peter, His disciple,  “Then Peter came up and said to Him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (22) Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:21-22, ESV). And Jesus answer was shocking to Peter as well as to us. 

Jesus’ point is every times he sins against you, forgive him and keep forgiving him until you really mean it in your heart. Even families can have long memories of hurt, harm and offense. Remember the Hatfields and the McCoys feud? This was a feud that lasted nearly 48 years where over those 48 years, 60 families members on both sides were killed. 

Chuck Swindoll tells this true story over two feuding sisters. “Two sisters, both unmarried lived together. At  some  time they had an disagreement and stopped speaking to one another. Since they were unable to move-out on their own financially, they continued to use the same rooms, eat at the same table, use the same appliances, and sleep in the same room . . . all separately without one word. A chalk line divided the sleeping area into two halves, separating doorways as well as the fireplace. Each would come and go, cook and eat, sew and read without ever stepping into the other sister's territory. Through the black of the night each could hear deep breathing of the other, but because both were unwilling to take the first step toward forgiving the other over the silly offense, they co-existed for years in grinding silence” (Charles R. Swindoll, Improving Your Serve: The Art of Unselfish Living, pp. 69-70).

Peter is thinking, "How many times am I to forgive those who are of the same stock I am?” i.e, my Jewish fellow “brothers.” Peter is not thinking: Gentiles, Greeks, Romans, Samaritans, and  women. In other words, "Jesus how many times am I to forgive Judas? Matthew? John? and etc." He didn't understand what Jesus said earlier. So, in Matthew 18, Jesus told a parable to Peter to teach him how to be a dispenser of grace through forgiveness. 

Peter's question is not without warrant. It was the Rabbinic teaching based on Amos (see Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6) where there are listings of condemnations against different nations for three transgressions or four. From this it was deduced that that God's forgiveness extends to three offenses and He sends punishment on the fourth offense. Peter thought he was being generous. He double it and got six and added one to match the perfect number in Hebrew thought--"7". The number "7" also stood for completion and meeting all the requirements. 

Peter expected Jesus to praise him for his generosity, but Jesus responds with an answer that seem to put it in a legal format--7 times 70 or 490 times. Seeing that the disciples still do not understand (in their heads they are saying, "490 times? WOW! That is a lot." You can almost hear the disciples say too Jesus: "Jesus, the other Rabbis only require three times. You say I am required to forgive 490?" It seemed in their understanding Jesus had mandated forgiveness in a structured and numbered format. So, to clear the air--Jesus told a story to make it plain and simple. Jesus wants these disciples to understand  that our relationship to God is directly determined by our relationship to others in Matthew18:23-35,

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. (24) When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. (25) But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. (26) So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ (27) And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. (28) But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ (29) So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ (30) But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. (31) So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. (32) Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. (33) Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’ (34) And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. (35) My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (NASB).

Let’s put this parable into perspective. This servant owed his king 10,000 denarii. 10,000 denarii is equivalent to $20 million US dollars. Jesus intentionally made the discrepancy huge between the debt the man owed his king and the debt another person owed him. In that day, 10,000 denarii would be something impossible to repay, which is Jesus’ point. What point? We owe God a debt that we can never repay even if we try and yet, God through Christ’s death and resurrection offers us a “get out of hell free card” through forgiveness for our sins. When the man is forgiven such a debt, he showed his “gratitude” by finding someone who owed him 100 denarii. This is around $20 today in American currency. 

When this man could not repay, the ungrateful slave that had been forgiven his huge debt by the king, then had this man who owed him the $20 thrown into prison until he could repay his debt to the ungrateful servant. When the king heard about this, he was furious with the ungrateful servant and as punishment, had him thrown into prison as well. Why? As punishment and compensation for his debt to the king, his lack of gratitude for the debt he was forgiven, and for the ungrateful servant throwing the other man thrown into prison, rather than forgive him, who owed him $20. Implied in the text is this — it was possibly the same prison the man who owed the $20 had been thrown into earlier. The ungrateful servant had no way ever to repay his debt to the king and thus he is confined to live out the remainder of his life in prison. 

And what is implied is that for the rest of his life, this ungrateful servant would see the man he had imprisoned. This would in some way be a worse punishment — torture knowing had he not forgiven the man who owed him $20 after the king had forgiven him $20 million. This would torture this ungrateful servant for rest of his life. A torture that if he shown the same mercy, compassion, grace and forgiveness that had been shown to him, he would not be in this prison nor being tortured by the lack of ingratitude, forgiveness to another and regret.

There are a couple of points Jesus is making here. First, to refuse to forgive is hypocritical. Why? God has forgiven us a debt we owe Him that we could never repay. What is the debt? The “wages of sin.” Read Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (ESV). The Bible says this in Romans 5:8, “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (ESV). Notice — while we were still sinners. 

Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (ESV). What is God’s minimum standard to get into heaven on our own? — Perfection.  If we could live totally perfect lives with no sin, no errors, no mistakes, no faults then we could enter heaven. Yet, we all sin. Every single person. You and I are not the standard for entry into heaven — Christ is, who lived a totally sinless and perfect life. So, when we get hurt and offended by someone’s words or deeds, we have to remind ourselves that we hurt and harm others with our words and deeds. 

The Bible affirms we cannot save ourselves. We cannot get into heaven by being good. Why? Romans 3:10-12, “None is righteous, no, not one; (11) no one understands; no one seeks for God. (12)  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one” (ESV). This is why forgiving others is so important. To forgive others when God has forgiven us is not only hypocritical, but arrogant. It is to say to God, “I, due to my own goodness, I am better than everyone else.” 

Second, to refuse to forgive is to inflict inner torment on us. Something we will look at more in Friday’s devotional. 

Questions To Consider

1. Do you “collect stamps” on people who offend you or someone you love? If you do, why? Obedience is all that matters. How does this affect your relationship to them and to God?
2. Which is harder for you to do: forgive or forget and why?
3. If you do confront the offender, are you brutally honest or are you gentle? Why or why not?
4. Do you conceal an offense to promote love or do you gossip to others about someone’s offense done to you? Why?
5. Take your Bible and read Matthew 5:23-24 and Matthew 18:15-20. Does this describe you? Why or why not?
6. In Matthew 18:23-35, what stands out to you in this story by Jesus? What are the implications for you personally?

Scripture To Meditate On: Matthew 18:34-35, “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. (35) My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart” (NASB).

Prayer to Pray: “Dear Jesus, I have to confess that at times I do keep score and hold a grudge. I am at times reluctant to forgive and forget. I do not want to rejected by You nor turned over to “torturers” for my refusal to forgive. Please help me to be like You in my character and heart — a forgiver and leave setting the score to You later. In Jesus’ name, I forgive _________________ and will seek reconciliation and restoration in obedience to Your Word with them. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”

I love you Southside — Pastor Kelly