Theme: Not seven, but seventy times seven
Text: Gen. 50:15-21; Rom. 14:1-12; Matt. 18:21-35
One of the great themes of biblical revelation is that of forgiveness. This is not surprising since from the time man sinned by disobeying God his greatest need has been for forgiveness. God gave the Law to reveal sin and the need for forgiveness. He instituted the sacrifice of animals under the Old Covenant to forgive sin but these sacrifices were never sufficient and had to be repeated over and over again “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins”. (Heb. 10:4) These sacrifices pointed to the ultimate sacrifice of Christ at Calvary that would atone for sin forever and would never need to be repeated again. His sacrifice was more than enough to pay the price of sin so that our past, present and future sins were forgiven. God has forgiven us is the best news we have to share. Why then do we have a problem forgiving another person? If it cost Christ His life for us to be forgiven should we also not forgive as we are forgiven? Should you not forgive, in the word of Christ, not seven but seventy times seven?
Every person inherits Adams sinful nature for in Adam “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God”? (Rom 3:23). We all need God’s forgiveness and God “so loved us, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”. (John 3:16) Forgiveness is a gift from God because Christ paid the price for sin in our place by shedding His blood
For “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins”. (Heb. 9:22) Christ died to give us eternal life “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. (Rom 6:23) Christ gave His life to save us from destruction.
Our forgiveness does not depend on anything we have done but on what Christ has done for “By grace are we saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God”. (Eph. 2:8) God has forgiven us so much that we have no reason not to forgive. No amount of hurt should make us forget God’s forgiveness to make us retaliate in return. Joseph had every reason to be hurt. His own brothers sold him into slavery when he was still a teenager. He was wrongly accused by the wife of Potiphar and put in prison. In spite of all he suffered Joseph forgave them. When his brothers expected him to take his revenge on them for what they had done to him after their father’s death they did not know the power of forgiveness. Joseph had forgiven them and told them that he was not in the place of God and that what they had meant for evil against him God meant it for good. He told them that God used them to save many people during the time of famine. Forgiveness allows God to turn around what man meant for evil for good. Who do we need to forgive today?
Forgiving is our response to God’s forgiveness. We forgive because God has forgiven us and to forgive is to be like Him. He paid the price for our forgiveness by His death on the cross. Our response to such forgiveness can only be to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us”. (Ephesians 4:32) We forgive because we have been forgiven much. God has forgiven us and demands we forgive one another. By forgiving we understand more fully the cost of our forgiveness and the need to stop erecting barriers of resentment, hate or revenge between God and us. Forgiveness is for our own good. God forgave us all our sin so we also need to be ready to forgive every sin and not keep count. No matter how often someone sins against us we are to continue forgiving, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
The demand for justice is deeply rooted in every society and society is troubled when crime goes unpunished. This makes forgiveness difficult as it often appears unfair and against our natural desire for justice. Forgiveness is not a sign of weakness but enlightened self interest. As one forgives he releases and frees himself. To forgive is to set the prisoner free only to realise the prisoner was you. When we fail to forgive we remain bound to the people and what it is we are unable to forgive. But when we forgive, we do not only set the other person free, we also set ourselves free.
Forgiving one another pleases God and gives us access to His presence and blessings. When we value the sacrifice Christ made for our forgiveness we cannot help but forgive. It is very easy to forgive if we know how much we have been forgiven. God has forgiven us all our past, present and future sins. Forgiving one another attracts the favour of God. It is proof that we are His beloved children who are always ready to do what is pleasing to our Father. Forgiving one another proves that we are righteous with the righteousness of Christ. This righteousness compels us to forgive as we enjoy the blessings of God.
In the parable of the unforgiving servant Jesus narrates the story of a servant who was forgiven a debt he could never repay. It was purely an act of grace as the servant did not deserve the King’s forgiveness. When the servant forgot how he had been forgiven and failed to forgive his fellow servant the king had him jailed for a debt he could repay. The debt he could not pay was forgiven but he now found he had a debt he could pay and had to pay. This debt was the debt of forgiveness that he could pay by forgiving as he had been forgiven. This story is about each one of us. God has forgiven us so much. He has forgiven us our sins something we could never pay for yet we fail to forgive our fellow brothers who have hurt us. What happened to that servant is what will happen to each one of us unless we forgive. A debt of forgiveness is paid by forgiving and when it is not paid imprisonment follows. Prison is not a pleasant place and in this particular case you will be tormented with guilt, anger and bitterness. These torments result in ulcers, high blood pressure, insomnia, migraine headaches, and lower back pain and make your life miserable. Forgiveness unlocks the door to your blessings and it is in your own interest to forgive your wife or husband, your children and parents, your brothers and sister, your relations and in-laws. Let us forgive everyone who has wronged us and enjoy God’s blessings.
Many people today have been hurt, abused, mistreated and taken advantage of. Many others are bearing scars from the past and find themselves in captivity because they have not forgiven those who have wronged them. Holding on to an offense against someone is like being a jailer. You put the offending party in jail and lock the door. You have the key and you want to make sure they remain in jail. As the jailer you also cannot leave the prison. The offender might be behind the bars but you also cannot go anywhere. The only way to be free yourself is to let the offender go. There are many people who are miserable and suffering because they refuse to forgive. If we do not forgive we remain bound to the people and what it is we are unable to forgive. But when we forgive we not only set them free but we also set ourselves free. Let us forgive one another and be set free so that we can live the life that is God’s will for us to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
