The Virus and Forgiveness (Mt.18:21-35).

The over 2 million cases worldwide show us that ‘coronavirus’ is good at infecting people. Its 14 day incubation period also means you can have the virus and infect others without even knowing it. Now ‘unforgiven sin’ operates destructively in our lives not unlike COVID-19. It infects us and we can spread around its effects even if we don't realize how its has influences us and those around us. 

Previously (Luke 5:17-26), we saw how Jesus healed a paralyzed man after claiming authority to forgive his sins. The ‘religious experts’ found this blasphemous. Yet, Jesus validated his claim by enabling the man to get up, and walk home a forgiven worshipper of God (Luke 5:22–26). As forgiven people one of our biggest challenges, especially when locked-up together, is the need to forgive one another from the heart. Jesus not only has authority to ‘forgive sins’ but he also taught with authority about forgiveness. Now I want to look at Jesus’ parable of the ‘unmerciful servant’ (Matthew 18:21-35). Peter was struggling with forgiving others, so he asked Jesus how many times he should forgive those who sinned against him. Peter asks, “up to seven times”. Jesus says, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Jesus tells his ‘parable of the unmerciful servant’. He says that the ‘kingdom of heaven’ was like a king who settled debts with his servants. He went on to say that one of the king’s servants owed him 10,000 bags of gold; which the servant could never repay. The man fell down before his master, the king, and begged for time to repay the debt. The servant couldn’t possibly repay such an enormous sum, but he begged his master, ‘Be patient with me; and I’ll repay everything.’ This seems self-deceptive or an attempt to deceive the master. Now despite all this the master had mercy upon his servant, and freely cancelled entire debt of 10,000 bags of gold (18:22-27). Note that one bag (ESV ‘talent’) of gold would have been small fortune, and ten thousand bags would have been beyond most people’s wildest dreams.

Then the servant, whose debt was cancelled, found a fellow servant who owed him 100 silver coins. A hundred silver coins (ESV ‘denarii’) was something like a hundred days’ wages. However, it was nothing compared to the debt his master had cancelled. Yet, the first servant grabs his fellow servant, chokes him and demands that his fellow servant repay him. The fellow servant falls down and begs, ‘Be patient; and I’ll repay you.’ But the first servant refused, and had his fellow servant thrown into prison until he could repay (18:28-30). The first servant had made the same request from his master who cancelled his massive debt that he could never repay. His fellow servant asks for time to repay his 100 silver coins debt. Unlike the master, the first servant refused to be patient even though his master, the king, had completely absorbed the cost of the 10,000 bags of gold.  

His fellow servant asked for time to repay a debt; which was possible if he was given enough time. The first servant, however, grabs his fellow servant, chokes him and demands that he repay his debt. Although they shared the common experience of being a servant encumbered with debt, he denied his fellow servant the experience of being freed from debt. When his fellow servant falls down and begs the first servant refused, and had his fellow servant thrown in prison until he could repay.

Some of the other servants saw this, and were distressed so they told their master, the king. The master calls the first servant in and says, “You wicked servant, I cancelled all your debt because you begged me. You should have had mercy on your fellow servant like I had on you! The master was angry and handed him over to the jailers until he repaid all that he owed (18:31-34). Jesus ends the story by saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat you if you do not forgive a brother or sister from your heart.

This story makes it clear that forgiven people are forgiving people. Those forgiven by God are about extending forgiveness to others. In other words, ‘forgiven people’ seek reconciliation and not revenge (Gen.4:24). Jesus, here and elsewhere, seems to be saying that those who refuse to forgive others will themselves be refused forgiveness! Unforgivess is like a virus that harms us and those around us.  

Matt 6:14-15     For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Mark 11:25       And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so tat your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Luke 11:4          Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. 

Is this consistent with the gospel of grace? The New Testament is clear that ‘forgiven people forgive’. One theologian explains this by saying that forgiveness isn’t like the meal that is waiting for you at home even though you failed to offer food to the person on the street. Forgiveness is more like the air we breathe. If we fail to exhale than we’ll suffocate. We won’t be able to take in another breath unless we exhale. If we are open to the forgiveness of God, then we’ll be open to forgiving others. If we’re not open to forgiving others, then we are not really open to God’s forgiveness.  Peter’s question and Jesus’ answer make it clear that if we’re counting how many times we’ve forgiven someone, we’re just postponing revenge.