Tuesday Scripture: Matthew 18
Pay Me What You Owe Me!
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The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.
A man who owed him 300 million dollars was brought to him.
Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
At this the servant fell on his knees before him.
‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’
The master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him $100.
He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
But he refused.
Instead, had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and told their master everything that had happened.
Then the master called the servant in.
‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’
In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.
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The first servant owed a RIDICULOUS debt.
You have to wonder--what was the king thinking when he let this rascal run up such a high debt in the first place?
He had to know that scoundrel could never pay it back.
The only reason to allow such a debt is that the king valued the servant more than the cash.
I have been blessed by that kind of King.
I've not been a very profitable servant to my Master.
I owe Him more than I can ever repay.
And I can't explain why, but He thinks I'm worth it.
My debt has been forgiven, and God doesn't even want me to try to pay it back.
But God DOES want me to use that stockpile of forgiveness to forgive the debts of others.
And I'd be glad to do that...
But clearly, Jesus doesn't understand how often my fellow servants get on my very LAST good nerve.
Jesus says there are dire consequences when we fail to forgive.
This isn't popular theology today.
We don't like to talk about the wrath and punishment of God.
But maybe Jesus is just describing reality.
When you fail to forgive, you are already in prison.
When you fail to forgive, that prison engulfs your whole family.
When you fail to forgive, you torture yourself.
And you have to stay in that self-made cell until you accept forgiveness and give it to others.
Then God will cancel your debt and set you free.
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Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.