“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
What an awesome story to illustrate forgiveness. If we have ever been in debt over our heads this “forgiving of the debt” resonates with us. If we have ever had someone who forgave us of a great wrong, this type of forgiveness resonates with us. If we have ever NOT been forgiven this story can resonate with us. To better understand the story it would help to know the value of the “talent” and the “denarii.” In the Bible times a “denarii” was worth a days wages. A “talent” was worth 6,000 “denarii.” So, the servant who owed the 10,000 “talents” owed the equivalent of 60,000 work days. This is an amount that would be impossible to pay back. That is what makes the story so fascinating. He would never be able to pay back his debt, but the one he would not forgive had a reasonable chance to work it off. That is the lesson. How is it that God forgives us of our impossible to pay-back-God-for-my-sin and yet we can’t forgive a sin agains us by another failed human being. Before we object to forgiving others perhaps we might stop to think and remember what God has done for us.
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