Lenten Thoughts - Forgiveness From Your Heart

What2Say2Day? I'm going to be taking a journey this Lent through a grouping of readings from Creative Communications. They've printed a bookmark that can be used as a daily devotional during this season. Today's reading is From Matthew18:32-35.

'Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.'

I've always had a difficult time with this parable, especially because of how it ends. Today, though, after praying that I may hear God's voice speak to me I have a different perspective. In verse 21 Peter asks Jesus how many times one should forgive. When Peter suggests 7 times Jesus responds (in what seems to me a frustrated way)by telling Peter he should forgive 77 times. The study bible I'm using makes a note that the number 7 normally suggests a completeness of things. With this in mind I now understand that Jesus is "doubling up" on Peter's suggestion.

Now we jump into the parable that has the master turning over his servant over to be tortured until his debt could be payed. As I said earlier I've always had a difficult time with this one. However, with my newly found understanding of how the number 7 relates to this parable I see that Jesus is telling a story of being honest to ourselves in our forgiveness of others.

The slave in question is shown mercy by his master in the forgiveness of an unusually large debt. When the opportunity for the slave to do the same for someone else he chooses instead to have that person thrown in jail for not paying what was own. The master hears about it and gets very upset, turning the slave over to be tortured until he could pay his debt (which would have taken a long time as that debt was extremely high).

I now understand that the "moral" of this story is that we are forgiven by God through Christ for everything we have ever done, large or small. Therefore we should in turn do the same for others. And this forgiveness should be one that comes from our heart, not be done simply because that's what we're supposed to do. In this way the forgiveness is not just completed (7 times) but is complete (77 times).