Unforgiveness and the torturers ∙∙
My heavenly Father will do that to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart. – Matthew 18:35
Matthew 18:31-34
31 When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.
32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.’
33 ‘Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’
34 Then, the angry king handed him over to the torturers until he had paid his entire debt.
The effects of torture are often horrific, brutal, and persistent. In Western societies, where we do not subject individuals to torture for scientific study, the findings researchers arrive at are based on anecdotal evidence. These conclusions are typically drawn from surveys of survivors of torture, often from foreign nations. It’s important to note that torture isn’t always physical – a significant portion of it is psychological and emotional. Some of the most distressing elements of torture include loss of control, uncertainty, and dread of the future.
However, the good news is that victims of such heinous acts can receive treatment, and their lives can be reconstructed and restored.
Lord Jesus Christ focuses on a specific form of torture: the self-inflicted pain, grief, and torment that we endure when we fail to forgive those who have wronged us. Unforgiven sin spans a broad continuum. It could be minor resentments we harbor against those who have slighted or offended us in one way or another. It may involve significant losses, betrayals, severed relationships, loss of resources or material wealth, or severe cases of physical or emotional abuse.
Lord Jesus Christ uses the forgiveness of financial debt to illustrate all forms of forgiveness.
The narrative commences with Peter inquiring about forgiveness. Lord Jesus Christ clearly instructed the disciples on the importance of forgiveness. Consequently, perhaps considering himself rather generous and magnanimous, Peter questioned the extent of forgiveness required. How much is enough? He proposed a hypothetical situation: if his brother were to sin against him and Peter chose to forgive him seven times, would Peter have fulfilled his duty to forgive in the eyes of the Father?
Naturally, this line of thinking presumes that it’s acceptable to tally sins and keep track of them. It also assumes that monitoring the number of times we have extended forgiveness is the correct course of action. The first insight to grasp here is that the Father does not maintain a record of our sins. Therefore, neither should we. In other words, constantly keeping a count of others’ transgressions against us and continually recalling them is simply wrong. The Bible sets forth lofty and often unattainable standards. Love it keeps no record of being wronged (1 Corinthians 13:5).
I suppose Peter thought the Lord Jesus Christ would say, “Good job! How kind, generous, magnanimous, and selfless.”
However, His response was quite shocking. He multiplied 7 times 70 for a total of 490 times.
This suggests that forgiveness should extend far beyond seven times. But who’s going to track such a sum? Do we really believe that Lord Jesus Christ was advocating for precise record-keeping of incidents of forgiveness? Certainly not. Instead, He was proposing a radical approach to behavior for the children of the King. Lord Jesus Christ essentially instructed us to continue forgiving indefinitely. There is no cap on the number of times we should forgive.
In other words, “Never stop forgiving.” Forgiveness should become a fundamental part of our lives as children of the King. Our standards are vastly different from those of the world. The unspoken implication here is: stop counting at all.
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?”
22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
REFLECT & PRAY
Dire things happen to people who choose not to forget and forgive. A transformed heart must result in a changed life that offers the same mercy and forgiveness as has been received from the Father (ESV).
Father I fall so far short of Your standards. Unforgiveness lurks in my heart and all too frequently jumps out and causes pain for others and torture for myself.
INSIGHT
To emphasize His message, Lord Jesus Christ tells a story involving three people. The first character is a wealthy master possessing great resources. The second character is a servant who is heavily indebted to this master, to such an extent that repaying it would be impossible. The third character is another servant who, unlike the first servant, owes a minor debt to the latter. Given enough time and opportunity, he could certainly pay off his debt.
Matthew 18:23-37
23 Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him.
24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.
25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold – along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned – to pay the debt.
26 But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’
27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.
The first servant begged his master for forgiveness. His master felt compassion and forgave him for all of his debt. You would think the servant would be grateful and give forward the generosity he received, but he did just the opposite.
Matthew 18:28-30
28 But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment.
29 His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.
30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full.
Word gets back to the master, who is infuriated by his servant’s lack of generosity, kindness, and compassion. Rather than offering forgiveness, he acts heartlessly and harshly. The master has the first servant arrested and turned over to the torturers.
Matthew 18:31-35
31 When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened.
32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.
33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’
34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
35 That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.
Each of us has an insurmountable sin debt owed to our Father, a debt we could never hope to repay on our own. However, through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf, this debt has been fully paid. In gratitude, we should strive to follow His example and become sin-forgivers. We should wholeheartedly forgive others’ debts and then erase the mental records we’ve kept of them. We should renounce entirely keeping track of wrongs suffered and maintaining a mental tally of them. The Lord Jesus Christ had a single-word description for those who refuse to forgive sins and persist in keeping a running record of them. It is a sin.
To the extent that we choose not to forgive, we align ourselves with earthly, soulish standards, failing to meet the Father’s expectations. The consequences are severe. Failing to forgive results in torment. Do you live in constant torture, haunted by the memories of past wrongs? Or have you transformed into a merciful, gracious, and compassionate forgiver?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 12-05-1
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 