FORGIVENESS AND KINGDOM LIVING
In his book "What's So Amazing About
Grace," Phillip Yancey tells the story of Ernest Hemingway, an American
novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. Hemingway grew up in a
very devout evangelical family, and yet there he never experienced the grace of
Christ. He lived a life of no morals that most of us would call
"dissolute"… but there was no father, no parent waiting for him, and
he sank into the mire of a graceless depression.
A short story he wrote may reveal the
grace he hoped for. It is the story of a Spanish father who decided to
reconcile with his son, who had run away to Madrid. The Father, in a moment of
remorse, takes out this ad in El Libro, a newspaper. "Paco, meet me at
Hotel Montana, Noon, Tuesday… All is forgiven… Papa." When the Father
arrived at the square in hopes of meeting his son, he found 800 Pacoes waiting
to be reunited with him.
Was Paco such a popular name? Or is a
father's forgiveness the salve for every soul? This story conveys one of the
most powerful aspects of God the Father's love expressed in forgiveness. Just
like Paco in the story, we all have sinned against God and run away from home,
starving for our heavenly Father's love and affection. On the other hand, God
graciously invites us to come back home in repentance, and all will be
forgiven.
For the past several weeks, you have
been reflecting on the Lenten Series: From Cross To The City. Last
week, you looked at the Humility of Christ and how it is an essential aspect of
Kingdom Citizens. Today, we will look at the Biblical Significance of
Forgiveness and how Kingdom Citizens should practice it regularly. Matthew
18:21-35.
I want to explore the following
question: What does the Bible say about forgiveness? Why do we need
forgiveness? Is forgiving and forgetting Biblical? How often should I forgive?
What happens when I don't forgive? What are the practical implications of
forgiveness?
I. Forgiveness of Our Sins Opens the Door to the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Let's admit that when it comes to
confessing our own wrongdoings, we seem to struggle with short-term memory, but
when it comes to pointing out others' wrongs, we seem to have endless memory,
at times with very specific details. A few years ago, I was counseling a
couple, where the husband wanted to show me the angry behavior of his wife,
which he proudly video recorded for me to believe that he was innocent and that
all was his wife's fault. Where is love in that marriage? I wonder how long a
marriage would last without love and forgiveness.
John the Baptist called for people to
repent of their Sins, and those who repented were baptized in the river Jordan
for the forgiveness of their sins. Matt 3:5-6. Jesus, after He was baptized not
for the forgiveness of his sins but to set a model for us, preached the same
message of repentance, "Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven has come near."
Matt 4:17.
Later on, his disciples picked up the
same message and called people to repent of their sins and be baptized to
receive eternal life. After preaching a powerful message on the day of
Pentecost, the Apostle Peter urged the convicted group to do this. Acts 2:38-39,
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who
are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
All these scriptures point to one
truth: that only through the forgiveness of our sins can we enter into Heaven. During
this Lenten season, God is inviting us to reason with Him: "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the Lord."Though your sins are like
scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
Isaiah
1:18. If you haven't yet received God's forgiveness of your sins, you can
receive it today by asking Jesus to forgive your sins. Jesus told a parable to
help the Kingdom Citizens live a life of forgiveness.
II.
The Importance of Forgiveness For Kingdom Citizens. (Matthew 18:21-35)
Jesus
was addressing how to deal with a brother or sister who sins, particularly
against you, in the Church. In that context, Peter came to Jesus with a
question, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who
sins against me? Up to seven times? (Vs 21). Peter must have been proud,
thinking, "I am pretty tolerant of forgiving someone seven times." Jesus
must have humbled him, saying, "not seven times but seventy-seven times, a
total of 490 times. To further drive this point home to his disciples, he told
the following parable: (The Message)
Matthew
18:23-35, "The kingdom of Heaven
was like a king who wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. As the
settlement began, one servant who owed him ten thousand talents,
approximately $ 10 million, was brought to him. To put it into perspective, "if
one denarius was what a man like the ungrateful servant could earn in a day, in
those days, he would need to work 6,000 days to earn one talent. Ten thousand
talents would equal 60 million denarii or 60 million days of work.[1] A
million days is approximately 2,738 years.
You could only
imagine whether that servant would ever be able to pay back what he owed to the
king. So, he begged the king to be patient with him, and the king took pity on
him, canceled the debt, and let him go. He goes and finds a fellow servant who
owed him only 100 denari100 denarii. He forced him to pay the whole
amount back. How much would that cost in dollars? "When the NASB was translated in the 1960s, a denarius was
worth approximately $0.20. Therefore, 100 denarii was about $20, which doesn't
seem that big in the 20th/21st century."[2]
The servant begged him to be patient, but the unmerciful servant handed him
over to be put in prison.
That unfriendly and
unmerciful act of the first servant infuriated the king. The king called him
and said, "I forgive your huge debt, which you will never be able to pay,
since you begged me so." Then should you not have mercy on your fellow
servant as I had mercy on you? In anger, the king handed the unmerciful servant
over to be tortured until he should pay back all he owed. Then Jesus proclaimed:
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you
forgive your brother or sister from your heart." Let us pay attention
to this proclamation!
III. Forgiveness And Kingdom Living
Here are a few suggestions on how to practice forgiveness as Kingdom Citizens: First, our sins are like a huge debt we could never repay in a lifetime. When we beg Jesus's
mercy, he takes pity on us and cancels our debt (forgives our sins). If Jesus
mercifully forgave our huge debt, then should we not be merciful to our
brothers and sisters who may sin against us or hurt us (like owing a small
debt)?
Second, when we forgive others, let us do it wholeheartedly, which means not to say I forgive you in words but not to hold any more resentment or bitterness in our hearts toward them. Three, how many times should we forgive those who sin against us? Seven times or 490 times? Maybe the right question here is how many times you want God to forgive your sins?
Four, our Lord taught
us to pray. "And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our
debtors." Matthew 6:12. After the conclusion of that prayer, Jesus further
qualified it by saying, "For if you forgive other people when they sin
against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Matthew 6:14-15. Finally, is forgiveness optional or a command for the Kingdom
Citizens?
It
is a command for all Kingdom Citizens with repeated action, which means we need
to forgive those who have sinned against us continually. Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in
Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32. So dear friends, as we leave, let
us not hold on to unforgiveness, forgive them as Christ forgave you.
[1] https://www.grandrapidscoins.com/how-much-was-a-biblical-talent
worth/?doing_wp_cron=1772824076.6065869331359863281250
[2] https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/50919/was-the-100-denarii-owed-by-the-second-servant-in-jesuss-parable-supposed-to
be#:~:text=When%20the%20NASB%20was%20translated,big%20in%20the%2020th%2F21st%20century.
