Forgiveness and the Lord’s Prayer
What One Thing Did the Servant Still Owe the King?
Have you ever felt like a hypocrite when you pray?
Perhaps you have been so consumed with bitterness after someone deeply offended you that even the mere utterance of “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us” feels like a lie? It’s as if Satan himself is mocking and taunting you for your hypocrisy as you recite the Lord’s prayer.
But don’t be fooled into thinking you’re alone in this struggle. Everyone has faced the demons of unforgiveness. And Jesus, who knew this better than anyone, made sure to emphasize the importance of forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer. That’s why, in the very next words following his prayer, Jesus said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive yours” (Matthew 6:14-15).
The problem for most of us, is that forgiveness gets weird and super complicated because we combine forgetting, reconciling, and the strong emotions of being wronged, hurt and offended all into the same pot.
This must be why Jesus clarified forgiveness in so many ways. Remember his story about a master whose servant owed him a monstrous debt – something he could never repay in his lifetime. After the servant begged, the master had compassion on him and forgave the debt.
Shortly afterward, the servant found someone who owed him just a few dollars. The servant got so mad he started to strangle the guy before having him arrested and thrown into jail. When his fellow servants saw this, they reported it to the master who summoned him and declared, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave all your debt because you begged me. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?’ In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should repay all that he owed.”
There are books written about this little story and the many lessons behind it. But for today, let’s focus on Jesus showing us how the servant only owed his master one more thing. Can you see what it was? Notice how Jesus never said the man owed respect to the king. Jesus never said the man even owed reverence of the king. He no longer owed the king money. And he was released from his debt so that he no longer needed to apologize. So, what on earth did the man still owe the king?
Simply to forgive the debts of others.
And when he refused to do so, look at how the man found himself imprisoned. Literally tortured, the same way we torture ourselves when we choose to be unforgiving.
With all this in mind, consider this…. Do you enjoy times when you’ve been forgiven? And do you enjoy the peace in your own heart and mind when you’ve chosen to release someone from a debt they owe you? Or do you prefer to hang onto your bitterness and unforgiveness?
It sounds like such a stupid question, but just think of all the people who go through life struggling with the cancer of unforgiveness and broken relationships. No wonder why Jesus wants us to be forgiving! So, we too can live in joy and peace!
Let’s say this prayer together again and again…. “Dear Jesus, please forgive ___________ (say their name out loud) for the debt they owe me. And Dear Jesus, please help me to forgive them too.” If you said this prayer, I promise that Jesus is smiling at you right now, and you are making great steps toward freedom in forgiveness!
