There’s a parable that’s taught in the book of Matthew. A servant is forgiven of this huge debt by his master. Once forgiven of this debt, the servant goes out and demands payment from someone who owes HIM. Mind you, this debt was much less than what the servant owed his own master. This gets back to the master and he questions him, why??? Why have you demanded payment from someone else after I’ve just forgiven you of your debt?
This is God speaking to us today. He gave his SON for us. For our sins. For a non-repayable debt. This debt so great that Jesus, the perfect sacrifice and atonement, had to die to make us right with God. We are made clean in His eyes through this great sacrifice.
How can we, as Christians, be so unforgiving? How can we read Matthew 18:21-35 and not see that the debts of this world don’t even come close to the debt that was paid on the cross for us 2000+ years ago?
My takeaway here (today in this moment…) is that relationships to others, in whatever form, are more important than money or any other worldly possessions. Let’s not get hung up on the temporary THINGS when people are God’s creation, here on Earth temporarily. Let’s not waste all this time together bickering about the nonessentials.
When it comes to money, it just seems so minimal. Yeah, it helps us have the life we do – helps us buy things. But that’s all it is. Things. People are priceless. People were created by God. Money was created by man.
There’s so much greed in this world that we live in. Greed breeds hate and strife. People were made to love God. If we can properly love God during the good and bad, just maybe we can love people and love them well. Love people more than some debt that someone may owe. Forgive people the way God has forgiven us.
This is a hard lesson. Sometimes it’s just difficult to forgive. Recognizing the reason for forgiving and the necessity it is in our Christian life is the first move toward that reconciliation. I hope we all take the first steps this week – in whatever we need to do to live with greater peace.