Matt. 18: 21-35
God’s Definition of Forgiveness
When sincere Christians differ, it mostly has to do with differences in their assumptions including differences in the definitions of the same words their using.
“Forgiveness” is one of those words we have different definitions for that causes “doctrinal” differences between sincere Christians.
I feel Christ is giving us Deity’s definition for “forgiveness” in
Matt. 18:21-35, “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant”.
Most commentaries give us what the parable does not say and only the ending “Moral to the Story” (forgive others) without getting into the factual details and explain what appears to be God taking back His forgiving.
We need to figure out the “question” the parable is addressing and the context.
Just prior to the parable we have:
Matt. 18: 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Peter asks a good question and seems generous by providing his take on the answer of “is it seven times”, since three times is the Old Testament was given.
Christ makes a huge change by saying 77 times (virtually saying: “always”), so it is important to try to put yourself in their shoes hearing this idea for the first time, do you think the disciples would be thinking: “How is this change going to impact my life”, this is normal people’s thinking with new information. So will they will go on to think “How can I keep from being taken advantage of by brothers and sisters?”
We know from all other previous encounters: Jesus knowing their thinking, so He will address in a parable their problem with His previous answer, by giving them the true definition for “forgiveness”.
First off: This debt is totally unbelievably huge, no one has that kind of money to lend, no one could get into anywhere near this kind of “debt”, and there was no way to make that kind of payment. It is actually hard to believe one person could even spend this much money in a life time in the first century.
Matt 18:25 “Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered…” Here we know the Master knew there is no way to pay this debt and this servant entrusted with such a huge responsibility would also realize he could never pay it back.
Matt 18: 26 “…‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’” This servant is not asking for unconditional forgiveness, but “more time”, with the promise of paying it back in full, but the Master is not an idiot, the Master just previously said there is no way to pay this debt, and since this servant has been entrusted with and spent already 10,000 talents, he knows he cannot earn that amount. The servant is lying to the Master and maybe lying to himself.
When the Master: canceled (forgave) the debt and let him go, what did the servant “hear” (think) and possibly believe: “Oh the Master accepted my offer”, “I got time”, “I did OK”, “The Master does not care about the money”, or “the master must really like me”?
Luke 7: 36-50. Christ teaches us this truism: “He that is forgiven much Loves much” so Godly type Love would come automatically if a person was forgiven of an unbelievable huge Debt meaning he will automatically receiving an unbelievable huge Love (Godly type Love), so how is it possible for this “forgiven” servant to not Love one of the Master’s servants and treat him graciously?
Matt. 18: 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. There is no other debt mentioned, so this debt has to be referring to the debt the Master forgave, but if the debt is unconditionally forgiven how can the Master talk about the servant needing to pay it back in full, since it is a forgiven debt?
If we take all these Biblical truisms and allow them to define “Forgiveness” instead of taking our definition of forgiveness and force us to make an acceptation for God (Allow God to mislead us (lie)) Deity’s definition will resolve these apparent Biblical contradictions.
There is more to our having God’s forgiveness, than God just unconditional forgiving us, but this “more” will not mean God’s forgiving is conditional.
The “conditional” part for the potential receiver of forgiveness is found in completing the definition of forgiveness and not in the part the forgiver plays (God).
In order to complete the definition of Biblical forgiveness the person being forgiven has to humble accept that forgiveness as pure, undeserved charity.
The unmerciful servant did not humbly accept the Master’s unconditional forgiving as pure undeserved charity, so the transaction of forgiveness was not completed. We know this because he did not Love much and he still owes the money.
Again, it is not the Master taking His unconditional forgiveness back, but forgiveness itself, by definition did not happen.
How does this explanation address the question: “How can I keep from being taken advantage of by brothers and sisters?”
Are we responsible for following up on those we have forgiven to see if forgiveness took place?
Look back at the Prodigal son:
When did the Father, first forgive His young son?
When did the Father, let the son know he was being unconditionally forgiven?
When did the young son humbly accept the Father’s unconditional forgiveness as pure undeserved charity?
When was the son just willing to humbly accept the Father’s unbelievable, undeserved, unconditional charity?
Are we all already forgiven by God, yet some are still not accepting that charitable gift as pure undeserved charity?
As forgivers our responsibility does not begin and end with our forgiving our debtors, the parable shows there is more to it, we need to make sure the person being forgiven understands forgiveness and accepts the forgiveness as pure undeserved charity, so they can Love all the more.
