How many times shall I forgive my brother or sister? (Matthew
18:21).
When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive,
Jesus illustrated his answer with a parable about a king settling accounts with
his servants. According to verse 24, one servant owes him ten thousand bags
of gold (and that was when a bag
of gold was worth a lot of money), but is unable to pay. The master avails
himself of the legal system and orders the man’s entire family – himself, his
wife and his children – be sold to pay what he owes.
The man begs him for mercy, making a foolish and desperate promise:
I will pay back everything (v.
26). At this, the master takes pity and cancels the debt.
As the forgiven man walks out of the courthouse, he happens
upon a friend who owes him a hundred silver coins (v. 28). He violently assaults him, demanding payment in full.
This story reminds me of Luke 7:36-50, in which Jesus tries
to explain to a Pharisee why his spiritual arrogance is so foolish. As a sinful
woman washes his feet with her tears, dries them with her hair, and anoints him
with perfume, the Pharisee looks down on her as one undeserving of mercy…
beneath his spiritual station.
The hook in this story is Jesus’ declaration: Whoever
had been forgiven little loves little
(v. 47). The lesson? We are the woman. We have been forgiven much. How
could we possibly withhold forgiveness from another?
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Reflect on where you fit in
this story. Are you the woman so grateful for God’s mercy? Or the Pharisee
satisfied with his own goodness?
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