Jesus Paid the Debt

Do you truly believe that through Christ you are fully forgiven? Have you ever sat in silence and thought about what this really means?

In today’s parable, we hear of a servant who owes his master an unpayable amount. His master orders that him, his family, and all he owns be sold to make up for what he cannot pay. The servant begs for more time, promising that he will eventually be able to pay what he owes. The master compassionately forgives the servant of his debt, knowing that he will never be able to pay back the full amount.

After being forgiven of this great debt, the same servant goes out and finds a fellow servant who is indebted to him (note that this is a much smaller amount compared to what the servant had owed his master). He forcefully insists that the servant pay what he owes. Just as the servant had begged his master to be patient with him, this servant begs for more time, promising that he will eventually pay what he owes. Instead of forgiving his debt as his master did to him, the servant chooses to punish him by throwing him in prison until his debt is paid.

If anyone has a right to withhold forgiveness, it would be God. Throughout time, humans have constantly chosen sin over God. He offers us everything we could ever need. He knows what will hurt us and what will keep us safe, yet we turn away from Him time and time again. Every time we do this, God is patient with us, waits for us to run back to Him, and forgives us. He doesn’t do this because we deserve it, but because that’s who He is.

God sent His son to pay the debt that we couldn’t pay – forever forgiving us of our past, present, and future sins.

If God can so easily forgive us, knowing that we are going to turn away from him again, why is it that when someone hurts us, our natural response is to be filled with resentment? Just as what the servant owed the other servant was nothing compared to what the servant owed his master, the debt owed to us by others is nothing compared to the debt that we owe God.

Knowing that we are fully forgiven through Christ should change everything about the way we treat ourselves and others. We must remember the weight of what Christ did for us on the cross. We were forgiven of a huge debt and therefore have no right to hold onto the small debts that others owe us.

In times when we find it exceptionally hard to forgive ourselves or others, could it be because we don’t believe that God has fully forgiven us?

God, I pray that you help us never lose sight of what Jesus did for us. Help us to know and believe that, through Him, we are fully forgiven. Reveal to us the people in our lives who we need to forgive and give us the courage to forgive them as you have forgiven us, not just with our mouths, but in our hearts.

Carmen K