|
South End |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
King of Grace
At first, Tina Dwyer of North Carolina thought it was a scam. The letter said that her $615 debt to Everest College was forgiven. "You no longer owe the balance of this particular debt," it read. "It is gone." But it was not a scam. A non-profit debt buyer called "Rolling Jubilee" really had bought and then forgiven her debt. And she was not alone. The group claims that it has forgiven $18.5 million in debts. Jesus
once told a story of a man who had accumulated a debt so large it could never be
paid back and then it was forgiven. It is commonly called the Parable of the
Unforgiving Servant. Let’s
look at the parable. “Therefore
the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts
with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him
ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be
sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So
the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I
will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant
released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he
found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing
him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow
servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay
you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed,
and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his
master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all
that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your
fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him
to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father
will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your
heart” (Matthew 18:23-35). The
king in this parable is God. The debt is sin. The debtor who owed much is us.
The debtor who owed little is anyone who sins against us. The unending
punishment is hell. The parable was prompted by Peter’s question about
forgiveness (v. 21) and is designed to teach that those who have been forgiven
by God must forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). However, it is the grandeur of
God’s grace that I want to emphasize. Grace
Retained A
man owed a king ten thousand talents. Some translations say “millions of
dollars.” This was a staggering debt, especially when one considers that the
combined annual revenue of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea was six hundred talents.
It would have taken him multiple lifetimes and then some to pay back that amount
of money. Since
the man could not possibly pay back what he owed, the king ordered for him, his
family, and all that he had to be sold. This was a common practice among
Gentiles in the first century. The Law of Moses also allowed for men to be sold
in certain circumstances (Leviticus 25:39). As
one might expect, the man was devastated. He was about to lose everything. His
whole world hung in the balance. Therefore, he fell upon his knees and begged
for the king to have patience. He promised to pay back everything, though such
was not possible to do. In a remarkable display of grace, the king released the
man and forgave his debt. There was no payment plan, probationary period, or
alternative penalty imposed. It was gone! Unlike
a bank that may give you a grace period, this was “Grace, Period.” The king
acted freely and favorably toward one who did not deserve it. He was under no
obligation to forgive the debt and had every right to demand payment. This was
solely an act of unmerited favor. Grace
Restrained Shortly
after leaving the king’s chamber, the man ran into someone who owed him a
hundred denarii. Some translations say “hundreds of dollars.” Regardless of
the exact amount, it was nothing compared to what he had just been forgiven. The
man chocked him and screamed, “Pay what you owe!” He even had him thrown
into prison, despite his plea for patience and promise to pay back what he owed.
When the other servants saw this, they went and told the king. He was furious. The
king immediately summoned the man back into his chamber and rebuked him for
being merciless after having received mercy himself. He then handed him over to
the jailors, or torturers, until the debt was paid. All
of us had accumulated a great debt (Romans 3:23). We owed an astronomical amount
that we were incapable of ever paying off. There was no way to work long enough,
hard enough, or good enough to get out from under this burden. Yet God
demonstrated His grace toward us by forgiving that debt. He did what no one else
could do or would do. It
is important for us to realize that we were all “multi-million dollar
sinners.” Regardless of the nature or extent of our transgressions, the
diagnosis, prognosis, and required sacrifice were the same. Until we appreciate
that fact, grace will never reach its full potential in our hearts and lives. We
must know how far we fell to truly appreciate how far we have come. Conclusion Tina
Dwyer was being hounded with calls and letters to pay off her $615 debt to
Everest College. Then one day she received a letter saying it was gone. She no
longer owed the balance. It was forgiven. We too have been forgiven of a debt,
but it was far greater than what Tina owed. Let us praise the King of Grace for
His exceeding kindness and imitate His actions in our dealings with others. With
great grace comes great responsibility! |
The contents of this site are Copyright of South End Church of Christ except where noted. © 2009 all rights reserved.
All content may be reproduced as long as content is not edited.