Months ago Bryan taught on the parable Jesus told about a king who forgives a MASSIVE debt of one of his servants (Mt 18:21). We are talking HUGE, absolutely-impossible-to-ever-pay-back size debt. And the Master forgives it, completely, unconditionally, amazingly.

You would expect that first servant to be absolutely overjoyed. He’s just been given his life back. This ENORMOUS weight is now off his shoulders and the shoulders of his family. He is free!! His debt is gone! You’d expect he’d go around smiling for days. He has just been given his life back.

But this is a servant who apparently doesn’t appreciate mercy.

Instead, this ‘just forgiven’ servant goes out and cruelly demands payment from a fellow servant who owes him a little. Yes a debt is owed but when compared to the first debt, it’s a mere pittance.

The master hears about this and is obviously shocked. He calls this ungrateful first servant back in and has him thrown in prison to be tortured, essentially till he dies, to pay back his debt.

The Master essentially says “since you did not appreciate the mercy and grace you were shown I will take it back.”

Jesus then wraps up the parable by saying “this is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

Hmmmmmmm…

Well, this verse plagued me awhile back because I was irritated with someone … I mean really irritated and it lasted A.L.L. D.A.Y.

I kept thinking about this person and my frustration. Over and over I replayed the wrong and by mid afternoon the debt this person owed me seemed enormous in my eyes and I wanted payment!

It totally soured my night.

I ended up frustrated with my husband, irritated with my kids, and then I had to sit down and write what I was going to say for Sunday morning, knowing as well that we would be celebrating Communion and I’m suppose to eat at the Lord’s table declaring peace between me and God and me and all my brothers and sisters in the Lord.

It’s so easy to focus on what other people have done to us, how someone else let us down. The sin of everyone else can seem huge in comparison to our own failures. But our heavenly Father sees each sin as equal, your’s and mine. And He has forgiven us. How can we do anything less? Especially as we are about to enter into the Lord’s presence and eat at His table.

Not exactly how I felt… until I forgave. Until the Lord reminded me of how much I had been forgiven. My huge debt was gone. Could I not forgive the little debt I felt was owed to me?

What about you? Believer, have you ever asked God, “is there someone I need to forgive? Is there bitterness and anger that I’m not letting go of?”

This amazing King has forgiven the huge debt you owe Him. Can you not forgive the little debt that is owed to you?