Friday, January 12, 2007
When Is Enough, Enough?
Jesus appeared to keep raising the bar as He taught. Just when He had said something that seemed impossible to accept, He would come out with something even more difficult.
Earlier in the passage, Jesus challenged the disciples' view of importance by proclaiming a little child as closer to entry into God's kingdom than a mature adult. In those days, children were loved by parents, but they were not valued by society. Jesus challenged the prevailing world view by His illustration.
Then Jesus taught on forgiveness, which sparked a very good question by Simon. Jesus outlined acceptable guidelines for forgiving others. Simon asked, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Some historical accounts record that the standard teaching within Judaism during that day was three instances of forgiveness demonstrated a forgiving spirit. Some rabbis may have called for four times. Simon doubled the common standard and added another instance just to be generous. Surely, that would be enough.
Jesus must have surprised Simon when He said, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." That's a lot of forgiveness. The point seems to be that we should not keep score. Instead, God's people should be known for limitless forgiveness for those who are truly sorry. Developing a heart attitude of forgiveness should be the hallmark of God's people.
Jesus went on to tell a parable about a servant who was forgiven a huge debt by a king and then later demanded payment from another person who owed him a small debt. The servant demonstrated no real mercy and had the person with the small debt thrown in prison. The king heard about what had happened and then had the unforgiving servant thrown in prison.
Jesus compared us to the unforgiving servant compared to the great mercy shown all men by God. He said that we would all be treated the same was as the merciless servant unless we forgive others from our heart. While this may seem impossible, we must realize that Jesus never preached a lifestyle He expected people to be able to do on their own. The very work of God's people requires God's help and spirit to accomplish.
The wicked servant lacked mercy because he forget how great a debt he had been been forgiven. When we come to understand our guilt and sin before God, we are much more likely to forgive others who harm us. Christians must come to the point that they see the heinousness of their sin and their responsibility for killing Jesus, God's beloved Son. When we know ourselves as truly corrupted by sin, we see that we are all in the same boat.
Forgiving God from the heart seems even more difficult than just mumbling mere words. In some cases, such as a violent crime or deep betrayal, this might seem impossible if it were not for God's power. Forgiveness is important for both the guilty person and the person who has been wronged. It begins the road of restoration and allows healing for all involved. Sometimes when we end up forgiving someone, we become the one who gets set free from pain and bitterness.
Ultimately, Simon learned that the key to God's grace to flow to his life is that he extend that same love and mercy to others. This is among the most important lessons that Jesus taught Simon.
Christ's disciples were never meant to just gather God's blessings for themselves. They were supposed to be vessels that God used to bring blessing on the whole world. This is the message that many Jews had forgotten. Their way of life was never meant to be just for them. They were to be a bright light to the darkness around them.
May the Church today not lose sight of this principle! God has blessed us so that we can share His love with the whole world.
Earlier in the passage, Jesus challenged the disciples' view of importance by proclaiming a little child as closer to entry into God's kingdom than a mature adult. In those days, children were loved by parents, but they were not valued by society. Jesus challenged the prevailing world view by His illustration.
Then Jesus taught on forgiveness, which sparked a very good question by Simon. Jesus outlined acceptable guidelines for forgiving others. Simon asked, "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Some historical accounts record that the standard teaching within Judaism during that day was three instances of forgiveness demonstrated a forgiving spirit. Some rabbis may have called for four times. Simon doubled the common standard and added another instance just to be generous. Surely, that would be enough.
Jesus must have surprised Simon when He said, "Not seven times, but seventy times seven." That's a lot of forgiveness. The point seems to be that we should not keep score. Instead, God's people should be known for limitless forgiveness for those who are truly sorry. Developing a heart attitude of forgiveness should be the hallmark of God's people.
Jesus went on to tell a parable about a servant who was forgiven a huge debt by a king and then later demanded payment from another person who owed him a small debt. The servant demonstrated no real mercy and had the person with the small debt thrown in prison. The king heard about what had happened and then had the unforgiving servant thrown in prison.
Jesus compared us to the unforgiving servant compared to the great mercy shown all men by God. He said that we would all be treated the same was as the merciless servant unless we forgive others from our heart. While this may seem impossible, we must realize that Jesus never preached a lifestyle He expected people to be able to do on their own. The very work of God's people requires God's help and spirit to accomplish.
The wicked servant lacked mercy because he forget how great a debt he had been been forgiven. When we come to understand our guilt and sin before God, we are much more likely to forgive others who harm us. Christians must come to the point that they see the heinousness of their sin and their responsibility for killing Jesus, God's beloved Son. When we know ourselves as truly corrupted by sin, we see that we are all in the same boat.
Forgiving God from the heart seems even more difficult than just mumbling mere words. In some cases, such as a violent crime or deep betrayal, this might seem impossible if it were not for God's power. Forgiveness is important for both the guilty person and the person who has been wronged. It begins the road of restoration and allows healing for all involved. Sometimes when we end up forgiving someone, we become the one who gets set free from pain and bitterness.
Ultimately, Simon learned that the key to God's grace to flow to his life is that he extend that same love and mercy to others. This is among the most important lessons that Jesus taught Simon.
Christ's disciples were never meant to just gather God's blessings for themselves. They were supposed to be vessels that God used to bring blessing on the whole world. This is the message that many Jews had forgotten. Their way of life was never meant to be just for them. They were to be a bright light to the darkness around them.
May the Church today not lose sight of this principle! God has blessed us so that we can share His love with the whole world.
