Matthew 18:23-35 – Why practice forgiveness?

Still on forgiveness, Jesus tells a parable in these verses. For personal health, survival and even our eternal wellbeing, exercising forgiveness is no longer a choice but a needful experience to incorporate in our daily living. In this story, Jesus provides two powerful reasons why all believers should develop a forgiving spirit. It tells of a man who owes his master a debt of gargantuan proportion. It was a debt that even if he were to work all his life, he would never be able to fully discharge it. The master however, heeded his plea for mercy and shown compassion to him, and cancelled all that he had owed. But when it came to a meager debt a fellow servant owed this forgiven man, he sternly refused to forgive his debtor. This man actually had him thrown into prison and would not entertain his cry for forgiveness. He displayed a heart filled with arrogance and devoid of even a small ounce of compassion. His attitude was so hard to stomach even to the bystanders, that they finally reported him to the master. We are told that the master of this wicked and cruel servant had to summon for him, and then meted out severe punishment for him. Of all people, he should have shown mercy for he himself was the recipient of his master’s mercy. But he didn’t. This parable concluded with Jesus saying, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Firstly, this parable tells us that forgiveness ought to be shown with the clear perspective that at the heart of it all, we ourselves need God’s forgiveness. Conscious of it or not, we have short-comings on a daily basis. We are always either doing things which we should not do or not doing things that we should. And like it or not, we need God’s mercy and forgiveness every moment in life. If we care to admit, most of the offenses against us are mere smidgens, compared with our offenses against God. If God so freely forgives us so huge a flaw, it would be incongruent for us not to forgive others of far lesser offenses against us.

Secondly, we also need to show forgiveness with the clear perspective of the day of reckoning. There’s coming a day of judgement in which, Jesus said elsewhere, whatever measure we mete out to others will be the same measure meted out to us. Unforgiving people will not be able to find forgiveness on that day. Such people won’t fit into the environment of heaven. They won’t be comfortable in an atmosphere where mercy is not only the treasure but also the content of songs that will be sang forever. If we are to be found in the presence of Jesus as He sits on the throne of His glory to reign, we must practice forgiveness, while still here on earth.

It is sad to see how much anger, spite, unkindness, bitterness, resentment and so on even among purported Kingdom people. It is true that among the Lord’s many instructions, only a few of them would exclude a person who fails to do it, from heaven. The unwillingness to forgive and show mercy are clear indications that would cause a person to be shut out of the kingdom of God. In keeping with the Lord’s Prayer, as we receive forgiveness for our daily trespasses, let’s also forgive others of their trespasses against us!