Forgiveness

As God has forgiven us, we are to forgive each other. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus is teaching His disciples, and us by extension, that forgiveness should be in like proportion to the amount forgiven. The first servant had been forgiven all, and he then should have forgiven all. In like manner, a child of God by faith through Christ has had all sins forgiven. Therefore, when someone offends or sins against us we should be willing to forgive him or her from a heart of gratitude for the grace, compassion, and forgiveness we have received from God.

Forgiving others isn’t always easy. Consider a time when you found it difficult to forgive someone. How did that impact your relationship with them? How did it impact your relationship with Jesus?

When Jesus tells Peter in v.22 he should forgive others “seventy-seven times” or “seventy times seven" times he is teaching us that there is no limit to the number of times we are to forgive others. Have you ever felt like you’ve forgiven someone enough times? How does this lesson from Jesus make you feel about that? Consider how you will respond to that person if there is a “next time.”

The servant who stood before the king was faced with viewing his condition through the eyes of the king. Have you ever experienced having to view your sinfulness from God’s perspective? If so, how did you feel? How did you respond? If not, consider how this might make you feel and how you might respond.

After being forgiven his debt, others observed the harsh treatment and lack of mercy the forgiven servant showed to a fellow servant who owed him a lot less than he owed the king. How can our lack of mercy and forgiveness influence other believers? How can it influence non-believers?

The king expresses his expectation of the unforgiving servant in v.33, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” God expects the same of us today (read Ephesians 4:32). Are there areas in your life where you can express more kindness, compassion, and/or forgiveness to others? Consider how doing so will strengthen your relationship with them and with Jesus.