One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is to forgive. Peter in Matthew 18:21-22, knew that and wanted to know what Jesus had to say about forgiveness.
Here is what happened,
“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times? “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
That is four hundred and ninety times! I am sure that is not the answer Peter was expecting, but Jesus was trying to make a point.
Jesus then proceeds to tell a parable about a king who forgave a considerable debt of one of his servants. The forgiven servant then throw a fellow servant in prison for not repaying a debt owed to him. When the king heard what the forgiven servant had done to a fellow servant, he confronted the forgiven servant and scolded him for not having compassion. The king throws the servant that was forgiven into prison until he pays his debt. (Matthew 18:23-34;NLT)
Jesus is telling us that the most important thing to do is to forgive. It is not the number of times that we forgive but forgiving that person. In the parable, Jesus went on to illustrate that we as believers have experienced forgiveness on a grander scale. Our debt of sin is much more massive than what anyone has ever done or will do to us. What is even more unbelievable is that God had offered forgiveness to us before we knew we needed to be forgiven. How great is God’s love for us?
So when God calls us to forgive, we need to forgive. Even though we might not feel like it or want to.
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13;NLT)
“Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32; NLT).
It is hard to forgive those who have treated you wrong, but Jesus told us in Matthew 6:14-15:
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”(NLT)
When you have experienced hurt and pain, forgiveness is probably the furthest thing from your mind, and yet Jesus calls us to do just that. So in the midst of the hurt, cry out to the Lord for the strength to forgive as He has forgiven you. He is the one who is the Great teacher on forgiveness. I love this quote from Corrie ten Boom on the forgiveness of God.
“God takes our sins – the past, present, and future, and dumps them in the sea and puts up a sign that says NO FISHING ALLOWED.”
EXCELLENT!
Thanks for sharing! “Our debt of sin is so much more massive than anyone has fond of will ever do to us.” Amen! This is so true and very humbling. Good reminders!