Matthew 18:28-35

Matthew 18:28-35

But after that slave went out, he found one of his fellow slaves, who was owing him a hundred denarii.  And after seizing him he was choking him while saying, “Repay that which you owe!”  Therefore, after that fellow slave fell down he cried out to him while saying, “Have patience upon me, and I will repay you.”  And he did not desire it.  But rather going away he cast him into a prison until he should repay that which he owed.  Therefore, after his fellow slaves saw that which happened they were being greatly distressed and after going they gave a detailed report to their lord – everything that was becoming.  At that time, after his lord called him he says to him, “Evil slave, did I forgive all that debt to you because you called out to me?  Is it also not necessary for you to show mercy to your fellow slaves as I also showed mercy to you?  And after becoming angry, his lord handed him over to the jailor until he should be repaid all that was being owed.  In the same manner will my heavenly Father do to you all unless each of you all should forgive your brother from your heart.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

As I said yesterday, we are in the same place as the slave with a great debt.  We can never repay God for our debts.  This means that we are also in place of this slave who has been forgiven and who goes out and meet people who owe them, too.  We all have other people in our lives who have sinned against us and created “debt.”  Every single one of us is in this exactly position daily.  Each and every day every single one of us faces the question of whether we will continue to hold the grudge or whether we will learn to forgive.  And the truth is that every single one of us knows what it is like to be like this evil wicked slave.  Every single one of us knows what it feels like to treat people the way we want them to be treated rather than treat people the way that God has already treated us.

Why do human beings treat people differently than we are treated by God?  What is the cure for this poor choice in behavior?  When are you likely to treat other people differently than how God treats you?

Second Thought:

Look at what the slaves surrounding the two slaves in the parable do.  They go to the lord.  When the slaves see injustice being done, they go to the master and let the lord sort it out.  I think that these people are the true unsung heroes in this parable.  They don’t take justice into their own hands.  They don’t become vigilantes.  They don’t become rebels without a cause.  They simply turn to the master, make sure the lord knows what has happened, and then trust that the lord will make it right in the end.  What an incredible example!  So often we want to fix injustice where we see it – and yes, sometimes God does call us to that course of action.  But God does not always work through us.  Sometimes God solves problems through other means.  Sometimes God will simply wait until the Day of Judgment to truly hand out His verdict.  The other slaves in the parable are content knowing that it rests in the lord’s hands.

How easy is it for you to let things rest in God’s hands?  How easy is it for you to let God be in true control and only intercede when He calls and in the manner in which He has called?

Third Thought:

The last sentence of this message reminds us of the first sentence from yesterday’s reading.  This is a parable in which Jesus is comparing heaven to this lord and his kingdom.  In other words, the lord of this parable is symbolic of God the Father.  Now, we likely know this.  But let that reality sink in.  So many people only think of God as the God of love and the God of grace.  Of course, God is the God of love and the God of grace.  But God is also a God who has expectations for us.  We calls us to Him, but He calls us to Him in order that we change and behave differently!  He calls us into a relationship with Him so that we can stop being our human nature and start imitating Him!  In the parable, the slave who doesn’t imitate Him is thrown into prison until the debt can be paid.  Don’t forget that the debt was an impossible debt: 200,000 years worth of work.  Yes, God is very much a forgiving God.  That’s clearly the point of the parable.  But He is a forgiving God that expects us to imitate His character – or at least try to do so and ask for forgiveness when we fail.

Why is it important to remember that God is forgiving?  Why is it important to remember that God expects us to change and imitate Him?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 19:1-6