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At all times people needed not only to forgive, but to learn to forgive others. Depends on whether a person is truly happy or not. The ability to forgive is a necessary condition for a strong, stable and Mature relationships between people.
The theme of forgiveness is one of the main themes of Scripture. Although our world seems unfair, it does not mean that we have to adapt to it. Forgiveness is liberating! Release yourself! It benefits primarily those who forgive.
The famous writer C. S. Lewis once said, “Everyone says that forgiveness is a wonderful thing… until it’s to actually forgive someone”.
Unimaginable debt
Once the question of the Apostle Peter: “Lord! how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? till seven times?” Jesus said, “Not telling you “seven,” but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21, 22). This He illustrated by the parable (Matthew 18:23-35), which reflects the attitude of God to us. The parable teaches us the right attitude towards others. The Savior talks about the king and his servants who managed the Affairs of his Kingdom. The Emperor represents The Lord, and his servants with us.
The king one day decided to conduct an audit of the financial Affairs of his servants-rulers. As a result of inspections it turned out that one of his subordinates owed to the Treasury of the Emperor fabulous sum that would have been impossible to assemble, even working all my life just to pay off the debt. The king was disposed to sell his slave, together with his family and possessions into slavery to partially repay debt. In the ancient East, such situations were resolved in this way.
The debtor had nothing left to fall before the king and, bowing, begging to give him a chance — to give the chance eventually to return the entire debt. The debtor seems to be not absolutely understood, that on its own it can be done. But the king knew perfectly well.
Many people with feelings of guilt and remorse, hoping to earn the mercy of God. They, like the debtor in the parable, do not realize that their debt is an endless list of sins is so great that to repay it with his own merits it is impossible!
Again free!
In the parable, the king showed mercy to the debtor. He forgave him the debt, allowing the servant to go free.
So does God, if we truly recognize ourselves as sinners and repent, frees us from this debt, forgiving.
Compassion of the king to the debtor is a manifestation of God’s grace as undeserved mercy.
Life is good! Everything is fine! The servant was released. He is happy that he has escaped not only jail time, but he is forgiven a huge debt.
Blinded by selfishness
But the parable does not end there. The forgiven servant “went out and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat, saying, pay me what you must.”
Incredible! Just forgiven, the debtor was not willing to forgive the debt of his friend, who was in 500 thousand times less than his duty to the king. You can resent and condemn this character like we have never done. But sometimes it is enough to remember its state in queues, traffic jams or crowded public transport, etc., to little to see yourself.
The forgiven debtor in the parable, who couldn’t forgive a debt to his friend, it seems, was absolutely blinded by selfishness. He didn’t comprehend the magnitude of the sovereign mercy to him. He was ruthless. The irony in the fact that his friend begged to defer the payment of the debt is exactly the same as recently, he pleaded with his king. It didn’t help. Forgiven the debtor has ensured that his fellow-debtor thrown into prison until he will return the entire debt.
If there is something unforgivable in the world is the inability to forgive.
Azhar Emile, French writer
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Eyewitnesses were shocked. They went and reported to the king about everything. The king did very strongly. He called the servant and said, “Wicked servant! all that debt I forgave you because you begged me; should not you to have mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you? And in his anger, the Emperor delivered him to the torturers until he should pay him the debt”.
In this parable shows the infinite difference between the callousness of man towards his fellow man and the mercy of God. The one who refuses to forgive others, losing hope in receiving God’s forgiveness for yourself. This is evidenced by Jesus, summing up: “So also My heavenly Father do also unto you, if you forgive not each one of you from the heart of his brother their trespasses”.
Forgive and be forgiven
Before you condemn others or demand that they pay for any of the charges and the offense, it would be good to consider how God dealt with us in similar circumstances and how we wanted to us other. Due to the infinite mercy of God to us, we are called likewise to show mercy to others.
If I want God so did to me? Ask yourself this every time. Want the Lord forgave you, forgive you.
Only sincere forgiveness
When the Apostle Peter asked Christ: “Lord! how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? till seven times?”, — he clearly was talking about the limited mechanical forgiveness. Peter had yet to grasp what forgiveness is from the heart, born of love for God and neighbor.
The words of forgiveness to the address of the perpetrator mean nothing in the eyes of God, if you do not come from the heart. No wonder the prayer “our father” contains the words: “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12).
If we are nurturing resentment and the spirit of unforgiveness for others and in prayer ask God to forgive us as we forgive ourselves, then, in fact, we ask God for not forgiving yourself.
Every time you forgive someone, you convey a drop of water out of that vessel that God has given you. This means that in all circumstances our primary goal should be forgiveness and reconciliation. Because forgiveness transforms us and makes us strong and Mature individuals.