Jesus told a story about the kingdom. A king had servants who would invest money for him. He decided to give an audit of these servants. They checked the book of one, and the auditors discovered a very large discrepancy. Billions were missing.
The king suspected theft and was going to sell everything – home, wife, children – of the servant’s and throw him into prison to recoup some of the loss. The servant fell on his knees and pleaded with king for patience, he would pay this totally impossible amount. The king had compassion, and forgave the servant. He cancelled the whole debt.
The servant, thanked the king profusely, left his presence, and spotted a fellow-servant who owed him a $100. He demanded his money. The second servant pleaded for patience. But the first servant had him thrown into prison.
When the king heard about this, he called the servant to him. The king said that since he had forgiven the servant billions, he should have forgiven his fellow servant the hundred. And the king threw him into prison.
The story is obviously about the importance of forgiveness in the lives of the citizens of the kingdom of God. God takes this very seriously. Jesus said if we act like the servant, we will be treated like the servant.
The heart of the kingdom is forgiveness. We petition for admittance by faith and repentance. We are admitted by the Father’s forgiveness.
The Bible says the forgiveness is woven into the nature of God. (Justice – ie punishing wrongdoing – is also woven into the nature of God.) It is also his intention that our nature grows to become like his nature. Forgiveness should be woven into our being.
Moreover, there should be a radical confrontation of where\what we were, and where\what we are. We were like the first servant. We owed billions! To be forgiven billions is such a tremendous gain that no debt we had against anyone can compare. The release of our debt should produce profound effect in our hearts.
It was the first servant’s reaction to the second servant that demonstrated being forgiven had no effect on his heart. His repentance was not real; it was only words. His focus was not his life, its failures and the justice coming to him. His focus was solely on avoiding punishment. In other words, it was selfish motives.
The king suspected theft and was going to sell everything – home, wife, children – of the servant’s and throw him into prison to recoup some of the loss. The servant fell on his knees and pleaded with king for patience, he would pay this totally impossible amount. The king had compassion, and forgave the servant. He cancelled the whole debt.
The servant, thanked the king profusely, left his presence, and spotted a fellow-servant who owed him a $100. He demanded his money. The second servant pleaded for patience. But the first servant had him thrown into prison.
When the king heard about this, he called the servant to him. The king said that since he had forgiven the servant billions, he should have forgiven his fellow servant the hundred. And the king threw him into prison.
The story is obviously about the importance of forgiveness in the lives of the citizens of the kingdom of God. God takes this very seriously. Jesus said if we act like the servant, we will be treated like the servant.
The heart of the kingdom is forgiveness. We petition for admittance by faith and repentance. We are admitted by the Father’s forgiveness.
The Bible says the forgiveness is woven into the nature of God. (Justice – ie punishing wrongdoing – is also woven into the nature of God.) It is also his intention that our nature grows to become like his nature. Forgiveness should be woven into our being.
Moreover, there should be a radical confrontation of where\what we were, and where\what we are. We were like the first servant. We owed billions! To be forgiven billions is such a tremendous gain that no debt we had against anyone can compare. The release of our debt should produce profound effect in our hearts.
It was the first servant’s reaction to the second servant that demonstrated being forgiven had no effect on his heart. His repentance was not real; it was only words. His focus was not his life, its failures and the justice coming to him. His focus was solely on avoiding punishment. In other words, it was selfish motives.
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