In Matthew 18:23-35, Jesus spoke a parable that teaches our need to be forgiving. This parable tells of a servant whose master was willing to forgive him of a debt he could not pay, but this same servant was unwilling to show mercy toward a fellow servant.
An interesting thing about this parable is that the servant owed his master “ten thousand talents” (verse 24), while his fellow servant owed him “one hundred denarii” (verse 28). The servant owed his master about 600,000 times as much as his fellow servant owed him.
This contrast has a lesson for us. No matter how much one has wronged us, it does not compare to how much we have wronged God. Without Christ’s sacrifice, the “debt” we owe God could never be paid. If God is willing to forgive us when we submit to His terms, how much more should we be willing to forgive others?
Similarly, if we are not willing to forgive others, why should we expect God to forgive us? Notice Matthew 6:14-15: For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
May we not hold grudges, bitterness, or resentment, but be forgiving toward others, as we desire God to be toward us.
– Michael Hickox