For our meditation we will study Jonah 4:1, “Jonah was very unhappy about this and became angry.” (GNB)
When the prophet Jonah preached to the people in the city of Nineveh, they took his words seriously, repented, and had a change of heart. God relented from punishing the people of Nineveh, and this made Jonah unhappy and angry. This is an interesting turn of events, as Jonah himself had a little while ago, disobeyed God’s word to go to Nineveh, and went in an opposite direction to Tarshish. God had to stop Jonah by sending a furious storm, and Jonah was thrown into the sea. However, God in His mercy prepared a huge fish that swallowed Jonah, where he remained for three days and three nights. This is what Jonah did from inside the fish.
We read in Jonah 2:1-2, “From inside the fish, Jonah prayed to the LORD his God: When I was in trouble, LORD, I prayed to you, and you listened to me. From deep in the world of the dead, I begged for your help, and you answered my prayer.”(GW)
Jonah 2:6, “I had sunk down below the underwater mountains; I knew that forever, I would be a prisoner there. But, you, LORD God, rescued me from that pit.” (GW)
God was gracious to Jonah, forgave him, and gave him another chance. It seemed that Jonah had set a certain standard for himself, and had a standard that was totally different for the people of Nineveh. Jonah wanted God to forgive Him, but was not able to accept the forgiveness that God extended to the people of Nineveh.
Those who want God to forgive them of their sins, and are not wanting the same grace, mercy and forgiveness of God given to others are in error in their thinking. Let us consider all that Jesus did for all of mankind as recorded in the verses below.
The sinless Christ died for sinners
We read in Romans 5:6, “Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.”(CEV)
Also in Romans 5:9, “But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger.” (CEV)
While we were helpless, and in a situation where nothing we did could ever atone for our sins, Christ Jesus died for sinful humanity. God the Father sent His only Son Jesus into this world, so that He could take on the sins of all mankind, so that everyone who believes on Him, could be made righteous. The word ‘justice or judge’ is usually used in a court of law. To be just or righteous therefore implies that one is considered as not having sinned, and this was brought about by the fact that Jesus took this punishment on Himself. God the Father made Jesus who knew no sin, to bear all of our sins on Himself, and thereby God freed us from the bondage of sin.
When God has so graciously forgiven us of all our sins, we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others. We are in strange times wherein if someone does wrong, it has become a habit of some others to mock and make a big deal of their mistakes, irrespective of who they are, be it a minister of God or a politician. Sometimes, even a small error in pronunciation, is made into a cartoon, jeered at, widely publicized, and sadly some have made it their full time job to do so. Yet another way people deal with the wrongs of others is to bring them up in debates, and thereby make it a major issue.
All of us are aware that our sins are laid bare before God, and nothing is hidden from His sight. The very fact that we are alive is only because of His grace. If God were to punish us for every sin we committed, known or unknown, none of us would be alive. With this realization, it would be wise for us to be cautious before finding fault or pointing a finger at others.
The forgiveness principle in the Lord’s Prayer
As Jesus taught the disciples to pray, in what we commonly refer to as ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ note these important words as recorded in Matthew 6:12, “Forgive us the wrongs we have done, as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.”(GNB)
One version refers to it as ‘debts’ and we are to forgive others their debts, just as God forgives us our debts. Every time we sin against God we become debtors to Him, and so also when others sin against us they become our debtors. The extent to which we are willing to forgive the ‘debts or wrongs’ that others do to us, the Lord will extend the same measure of forgiveness to us for our sins against Him. Forgiveness is an important principle, and that is why Jesus taught this specifically to His disciples.
The parable Jesus taught
Jesus taught this aspect of forgiveness through a parable, which was in response to a question that Peter, the disciple of Jesus asked Him.
How many times should one forgive?
We read in Matthew 18:21-22, “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, if my brother keeps on sinning against me, how many times do I have to forgive him? Seven times?" "No, not seven times," answered Jesus, "but seventy times seven,”(GNB)
Peter’s question to Jesus was if seven times would suffice to forgive a brother who had done him wrong. Jesus told Peter that he should be willing to forgive him not just seven times, but seventy times seven. This did not in any way mean one had to keep a count until it is four hundred and ninety times, on the other hand it meant that we have to keep on forgiving, without keeping count of it.
In order to help understand this more clearly, Jesus taught them a wonderful parable.
The servant who owed much
We read in Matthew 18:23-24, “because the Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who decided to check on his servants' accounts. He had just begun to do so when one of them was brought in who owed him millions of dollars.” (GNB)
This is a parable about the Kingdom of God, which indicates that this is a Kingdom where God rules as King. The Kingdom of God is in heaven, and God desires to establish His rule on this earth. This is made possible on the earth, only by the children of God who believe in Him. God works in those who have put their faith in Him, transforms them, endows them with His character, so they can reflect this heavenly kingdom on earth. Forgiveness is the key aspect of this kingdom. In this parable there is a servant who owes the King a huge sum of money, and he is called to give account to the king.
The servant’s predicament
We read in Matthew 18:25, “The servant did not have enough to pay his debt, so the king ordered him to be sold as a slave, with his wife and his children and all that he had, in order to pay the debt.” (GNB)
This servant’s predicament was such that even if he did work all of his life, he would not have been able to pay back the debt he owed. The king therefore ordered that this man along with his wife and children be sold as a slave, along with all that he possessed, in order to pay up the debt he owed.
This is the exact condition of all of mankind that Jesus explained through this parable. Every time we do wrong against others, we must bear in mind that all of our sins and wrong-doing are primarily against God, and His kingdom. As per the law of our land, if we have an issue with our neighbor, and the person does us harm, we have no right to get even, but must take it up to the law who will deal with it, and set it right. We must therefore be reminded that all sin and wrong-doing is first and foremost against God, and there is no way anyone can set right these things in one’s lifetime. Therefore, if anyone thinks that they can do something as a substitution for their sins, this is an impossibility as the burden of sin on each one of us is really enormous.
The servant begged for mercy
This is what happened as we read in Matthew 18:26-27, “The servant fell on his knees before the king. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay you everything!' The king felt sorry for him, so he forgave him the debt and let him go.” (GNB)
The servant fell down on his knees before the king, and pleaded with him to be patient, and have mercy on him. When he did that, the king had compassion on the man, forgave him all his debt, and released him to freedom.
Anyone who wants to have their sins forgiven, must with penitence and humility acknowledge that he or she is a sinner. This parable clearly teaches us that if the King (Lord) does not have mercy on us, there is absolutely no recompense for our sins. Just like the king let go of the servant, it is the Lord Jesus alone who can set us free from our bondage to sins. Only Jesus can lift us up out of the pit and misery of sin. To explain this, imagine there is a pit in which lots of people have fallen in. If they need to be saved, only someone from outside the pit can help them. So also, when mankind was wallowing in the mire of sin, Jesus came down to earth, lived a sinless life, gave His life as a ransom for sin, and thereby could lift human beings from the pit of sin.
The king forgave the servant all his debt, implies that the loss that was incurred because of the servant’s inability to pay back was borne by the king himself. All of it belonged to the king, and was rightfully the king’s property. So also, God has given everything to us freely, and this life that we have is God’s gift to us. Sadly, mankind has not used all that we received from God the way we should, and we too are in debt to God. Jesus took all of sin’s debt that we owed on Himself and paid the price for our sins.
As this servant walked away from the presence of the king this is what happened.
The merciless servant
We read in Matthew 18:28,"Then the man went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a few dollars. He grabbed him and started choking him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he said.(GNB)
On his way out this man met one of his fellow servants who owed him a very small sum of money. This man who had just received pardon for his debt, was unwilling to extend the same mercy to someone who owed him so little.
This was so much like Jonah who happily received mercy from God, and was unwilling to accept the same compassion that God extended to the people of Nineveh. God is observing us every day, and every time we go to him with a repentant heart, He is willing to forgive us all of our sins. The Lord therefore, expects that we confer the same forgiveness to others who do us wrong. We are sadly lacking in this aspect. This unwillingness to forgive has been the cause for the break-up of many families. There are so many court cases pending because of un-forgiveness. There are so many quarrels and break-down of relationships simply because people have chosen not to forgive. The Lord is admonishing us today that if we are not ready to forgive others, this will be taken note of by God in heaven. This will be the consequence for those who withhold forgiveness from others for whatever reason.
The act that enraged the king
We read in Matthew 18:32-33, “So he called the servant in. 'You worthless slave!' he said. 'I forgave you the whole amount you owed me, just because you asked me to. You should have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you.'” (GNB)
The sum of the king’s verdict was that since his servant had received mercy from him, he too should have extended the same clemency to his fellow servant. It was beyond the king’s understanding as to why the man had withheld forgiveness after having himself received so much of it himself.
We must understand that the fact that we are alive is the grace of God alone. However, those of us who have been beneficiaries of God’s forgiveness are so hesitant to pass on this forgiveness to those who offend us. It is good for us to think about this, and to realize that it is God’s will that we be like Him, and have the same forgiving heart that He has toward us. If there are those whom you still haven’t forgiven, decide that you will forgive them from your heart. As long as we are not ready to forgive, this will become a burden that we carry along with us.
There are so many who are having issues with others all around, at home, with neighbors, at work, and with others in society. Oftentimes, they will justify that others are against them, and that they are in the right. These are those who have faults within, but because of un-forgiveness throw the blame on everyone around them. Let us ask the Lord to help us to accord this forgiveness that we have received freely to those around us who offend us in any way.
The king’s verdict
This is the punishment that was meted out to the unforgiving servant as recorded in Matthew 18:34, “The king was very angry, and he sent the servant to jail to be punished until he should pay back the whole amount."”(GNB)
If we are unwilling to forgive, and hold on to bitterness and hatred, we will suffer many issues in our mind and bodies. The Lord invites all of us to forgive, and to be set free from the bondage of un-forgiveness. Those who receive the manifold mercies and forgiveness from God, and are not ready to forgive others, holding on to grudge and bitterness, will become the recipients of untold misery on themselves, and become subjects to God’s wrath.
The danger of not forgiving
These are the words of Jesus as recorded in Matthew 18:35, “And Jesus concluded, "That is how my Father in heaven will treat every one of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."”(GNB)
Jesus summarized that those of us who have received God’s forgiveness in abundance, and are not ready to forgive, are in danger of this kind of treatment from our heavenly Father. Everything that we have been forgiven of earlier, God will hold against us, and we will have to pay for them, if we are not willing to extend this forgiveness to those who sin against us. God will hand everyone who has this attitude of un-forgiveness to the tormentors, and no wonder then that there are so many calamities in the lives of many people. We must ask God to give us this supreme quality of forgiving others that was found in wholeness in the Lord Jesus Christ.
When the sinless Lord Jesus was cruelly treated, and crucified on the cross by sinful men, He was willing to pray forgiveness over them even in those painful moments. This is the quality that all of us need to have, and when we forgive we will receive manifold blessings in our lives, and when we fail to do so we are in danger of torment.
Jonah received this forgiveness, and got a second chance which was why God sent him again to preach to the people of Nineveh. Sadly, Jonah could not accept the grace and forgiveness that God showed to the people of Nineveh when they repented, and was instead sad and angry about it.
Let us never be those who expect punishment, and God’s wrath on those who wrong us, but rather be willing to forgive them. If we do not do this, we are in danger of God cancelling all that He has forgiven us of. God has forgiven us of all our sins, and He has clothed us with His righteousness because of what Jesus did for us on that cross. As children of God who have received this bountiful forgiveness from God let us be eager to forgive others the same way. When we forgive we will find our health, relationships, church and society are all restored, revived, and rejuvenated. Let us pray to God to help us forgive others, just as He has forgiven us of all our sins.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
