The Debt You Can’t Pay

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.”
Matthew 18:23-28 (NIV)

How silly would it seem if someone who just had all of their debt forgiven turned around and demanded payment for twenty dollars?

That’s the shocking reality of this passage. In the story, Jesus tells of a servant who owed his king 10,000 talents—$13.2 billion in today's money. To put that in perspective, if this man worked five days a week, 52 weeks a year, and gave everything he made to the king, it would take him 167,000 years to pay off this debt! In today's average life expectancy, it would require 2,283 lifetimes.

So when the king demands payment, the man begs, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." Hell will freeze over, pigs will fly, and I will become a Florida Gator fan before that man could ever pay that debt back!

But the king does something outrageous. Out of compassion, he cancels the entire debt and sets the man free.

Then this forgiven servant finds a fellow worker who owes him 100 denarii—about five months' wages. He grabs him by the throat and demands payment. When the man can't pay, he throws him in prison.

You're probably thinking, "What an ungrateful hypocrite!" But we do this all the time. We hold a grudge against someone for hurting our feelings, while God has forgiven us for rebelling against Him. We refuse to forgive someone's harsh words while God has forgiven our wicked hearts.

When you're tempted to withhold forgiveness, remember your own spiritual bankruptcy. When someone disappoints you, pray, "God, I owed you everything and you forgave it all. Help me forgive this small debt.” Forgiven people forgive people.

Prayer: Father, thank You for Your patience with me. When I want to hold grudges, remind me of the massive debt you cancelled for me. Thank you for your compassion that makes my forgiveness possible. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.