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BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus

by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.

Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson

All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:

The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.

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11.

HANDS OFF THE OTHER PERSON'S THROAT!

Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? till seven times?

Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but Until seventy times seven.

Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wickced servant, I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

--Matthew 18:21-35

HANDS OFF THE OTHER PERSON'S THROAT!

The floor was a sticky mess. A new, young employee at the Stayton (Oregon) Canning Company had dozed off, and the syrup was overflowing.

Fortunately for him, his supervisor was a Christian. Instead of firing the young man, Mr. Hamilton gave him two things: an appropriate lecture and another chance.

Years went by. The young man rose on the job to become a foreman himself. One day another new employee sat at that same machine--and dozed off. Again the syrup overflowed. This time the employee was fired--by the very man who had made the same mistake years before.

Mr. Hamilton looked straight into the younger foreman's eyes and said, "How soon we forget."

Peter had just asked Jesus an important question: "Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?"

Peter probably thought he was being generous in suggesting seven times. After all, the rabbis said three times was enough. But Jesus brushed aside such legalistic limits and got to the real principle. "I say not unto thee Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven." Then He gave the parable of the unmerciful servant.

In the parable the king's servant had so abused his position of trust and mismanaged the resources placed in his care that by the time he was caught, he owed his sovereign over ten million dollars. In the social system of the time that meant he must repay or else! Panic-stricken, he promised to repay all.

He must have known that he could never repay such a debt, but he was ready to promise anything to get off the hook.

As later events bore out, there was no genuine sorrow for his sins, only fear of consequences. He was not converted, just frightened. He never faced the real moral issue. His heart never changed. His desire to escape punishment was motivated by the same self-interest that had motivated him to embezzle his master's money. Self was his chief concern in everything.

Nevertheless, the king was moved with compassion and forgave him the debt.

"But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him a hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest" (verse 28).

How could a person who had just escaped a life-ruining ten million dollar debt put his hands on the throat of another man for a mere twenty bucks? Obviously mercy did not make much of an impression on him. How soon he forgot!

His fell-servants' sense of fairness was outraged. They reported the incident to the king, and the miserable ingrate was summoned and given what he deserved.

Now before we look at what the parable teaches, is important to look at what it does not teach.

Jesus did not approve the practice of jailing people and selling their families for debts. He merely referred to it as a fact of life in that day.

The king delivered the man to the tormentors "till he should pay all that was due unto him" (verse 34). There is no hint of purgatory in these words. The point is the man could never pay such a debt.

Neither does the parable teach vindictiveness. It teaches that justice parallels justice and mercy parallels mercy.

In this parable the Lord Jesus shows us that when we were in our sins, we were morally and spiritually bankrupt before God. We could never pay the debt. Our good works could never clear our account.

Also the moral debts others might owe us are trivial by comparison. If we truly perceive the magnitude of our wrongs against God and of His mercy toward us in Christ, we cannot demand stern justice for those who have wronged us. Neither can we feel or speak as strongly about the wrongs done to us as we do about our wrongs against Him.

Furthermore, Jesus teaches us that God is willing to forgive, fully and freely. Nevertheless, forgiveness has conditions. Salvation is free, but it is not without obligation. The cross stands as God's awesome answer to the subversive notion that pardon is cheap. The king was willing to cancel the debt, thus taking the total loss on himself. The merciful disposition of the king was greater than the servant's debt. The issue was not the king's willingness to forgive, but the fact that the servant did not meet the necessary condition. It was not the servant's debt that blocked mercy, but his attitude.

Divine mercy and human mercy are two meshed gears. The giant gear--God's mercy--drives the small gear--human mercy. But if we lock the gear of human mercy, we stop the gear of divine mercy toward us.

Jesus taught this fact very clearly: "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matthew 5:7). "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive your trespasses" (Mark 11:25).

Man-to-man reconciliation operates according to the same principles of moral propriety as man-to-God reconciliation. The willingness to forgive must be present in both, and mercy must flow freely in both when the conditions of repentance and faith are present. The actual exercise of mercy is conditional, but the disposition to mercy must be unconditional.

Although we do not show mercy to merit mercy (or to make God merciful toward us), we nevertheless must show mercy in response to mercy. If we have been pardoned, we will pardon. If we refuse to pardon, we have not been pardoned. If mercy is not in our hearts, we have not truly received it. They who have received mercy have a merciful heart. They are in fellowship with the Source of mercy.

Injuries, offenses, and grudges are like rocks. People who collect them carry a load that gets heavier with each addition. People who throw them away enjoy relief and freedom from an unbearable burden.

Some people get just enough religion to make them opinionated, self-righteous, harsh, and judgmental. But the forgiven person lives under grace and gives grace. Saved people use their civil rights in a civil manner.

Many who cry out against human injustices have never realized the greatness of their injustices against God. They demand the payment of social debts, but count as nothing their own moral debt to the Almighty. Let us confess our sins before we even think about demanding our rights.

Is the evidence of mercy in our lives? Father, mother, have you forgiven your son or daughter? Son, daughter, have you forgiven your parents? Or do you still have your hands on someone's throat?

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (verse 35).

Revenge is sweet for only a moment. An unforgiving spirit delivers people to the tormentors! Jesus warns us that one of the worst tragedies that could happen to us is to refuse to forgive.

Let us throw off the shackles of hatred, grudges, malice, and revenge, and be free. Let us receive mercy and allow it to operate in us.

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12. No Love, No Life

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