21At that point Peter got up the nerve to ask, "Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?"
22Jesus replied, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.
23-25"The kingdom of God is like a king who decided to square accounts with his servants. As he got under way, one servant was brought before him who had run up a debt of a hundred thousand dollars. He couldn't pay up, so the king ordered the man, along with his wife, children, and goods, to be auctioned off at the slave market.
26-27"The poor wretch threw himself at the king's feet and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' Touched by his plea, the king let him off, erasing the debt.
28"The servant was no sooner out of the room when he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him ten dollars. He seized him by the throat and demanded, 'Pay up. Now!'
29-31"The poor wretch threw himself down and begged, 'Give me a chance and I'll pay it all back.' But he wouldn't do it. He had him arrested and put in jail until the debt was paid. When the other servants saw this going on, they were outraged and brought a detailed report to the king.
32-35"The king summoned the man and said, 'You evil servant! I forgave your entire debt when you begged me for mercy. Shouldn't you be compelled to be merciful to your fellow servant who asked for mercy?' The king was furious and put the screws to the man until he paid back his entire debt. And that's exactly what my Father in heaven is going to do to each one of you who doesn't forgive unconditionally anyone who asks for mercy."
Debt is a big topic these days—personal debt, corporate debt, national debt. What are we to do about it? It is/was wrong for (fill in the blank—Greece, the poor, the banks, the US government …) to run up so much debt. They must suffer, they must pay! Woe are we if somehow the deficit is not dealt with soon. Many of the comments in this passage reflect it seems Jesus’ connection of debt and sin; we do that regularly when we pray the Lord’s Prayer. So what does this story Jesus told say to us today? (Note the picture is from road in Peloponnesia, Greece.)
Imagine for a moment you are the debtor, for we all are. The money’s been spent, the good times had, the emergencies borrowed for and past— what are we to do now? How can we repay?
Be in this place for awhile. Feel the fear, the hopelessness, and the guilt. Search for the solutions. Meet your creditor.
The Jews have the year of the Jubilee (Lev. 25: 39 – 43) to free the debtor.
What should be the Christian response to debt, to sin?
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