“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”^[1]
– Matthew 18:21-35

                Forgiveness is both beautiful and ugly. It is both pleasant and unpleasant. Forgiveness is something we all desire for ourselves, however; it is something that is difficult to give to others. Forgiveness is easy to receive but hard to give. In Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, Jesus makes it very clear that forgiveness is not optional. If we do not forgive, we will suffer greatly. Forgiveness is something that must be learned and worked on. Forgiveness does not come naturally to sinful man. Therefore, to learn to forgive one must go to the school of forgiveness. The text for the school of forgiveness is the Bible and our teacher is none other than Jesus. As we learn about forgiveness from Matthew 18:21-25, there are several things we see that forgiveness does.

                Reflects the Character of God. The master seen in Jesus’ parable represents God. It gives us a picture of the character of God. The master had compassion on the servant. God is a compassionate God. He has no desire to condemn us or to cast judgement upon us. The master releases the servant. He sets him free. God does not want us to live in the bondage of sin. He wants us to live in freedom. The master forgave the servant’s debt. He took the debt completely way. The servant would not have to pay anything back. When God forgives us, He wipes the slate clean. He takes away our debt. We will never owe Him anything for our sin. We are free and clear. The sin is never brought up again and it is never laid to our charge. He forgives us completely. Why does God forgive us in this way? Why does He remove all condemnation? Because He loves us. The love of God is the motivating factor of His forgiveness. It is the love of God that is in our hearts that compels us to forgive one another. A good measure of how much we love God is how we forgive one another. The greater our love for God, the more forgiving we will be. God forgives because it is in His nature to forgive, it reflects His character.

                Ratifies Reconciliation to God. In Jesus’ parable, the relationship between the master and the servant was broken because of the debt that was owed. However, when the master forgave the debt, the relationship was restored. We were created to have a relationship with God. We were made for the purpose of bringing Him glory. We were made to know Him and to love Him and to serve Him. However, sin breaks that relationship. It separates us from God. On the cross, Jesus paid the debt for our sin and is at the cross that we find forgiveness. When we come to Jesus and receive Him by faith, our sins are completely forgiven and we are reconciled to God. The relationship is no longer broken. This is the doctrine of reconciliation. As believers in Christ, we are also given the ministry of reconciliation. We are called by God to reconcile others to Him by leading them to Jesus. This ministry of reconciliation includes being reconciled with others. As believer in Christ, we should never hold grudges. Every time there is a rift in a relationship, especially between two believers, reconciliation must be the goal. The Bible is very clear that if we do not love one another, then we do not belong to Him. The Bible is also clear that the world will know that we are His because of our love for one another. Our love is expressed in forgiveness. As we forgive, we are reconciled both to God and to one another. Broken relationships are healed through forgiveness, therefore, we must be quick to forgive.

                Restores Fellowship with God. The fellowship that the master and his servant once enjoyed was restored through forgiveness. The restoration that forgiveness brings is realized in three ways. (1) Process of restoration. It is my heart’s desire that I would live in right fellowship with God. Every day I spend time confessing sin. Why do this every day? Because I want to be in right fellowship with God. I do not want anything to come in between my relationship with Him. The process through which restoring fellowship with God is confession and repentance. To restore the broken relationship with God, there must be regular confession and repentance.  Just like the process of confession and repentance leads to restoring fellowship with God, there is also a process to restore fellowship with one another. It starts with initial forgiveness. This initial forgiveness is a decision to let it go and not hold the offense to their account. When this initial step is taken, restoring fellowship may not be fully realized. Trust has been broken and it takes time for broken trust to heal. The process of healing involves intentionality, acts of service, and time. To bring reconciliation one must be intentional. They must work at it. They must make an effort. This effort may involve simple acts of service. Lovingly caring for one another. Reaching out and meeting each other’s needs. This can go a long way to restoring fellowship. The most important part of the process of restoring fellowship is ‘time.’ It is true that time has a way of healing wounds. Relationships are restored over time if the parties involved are committed to restoration. As time goes on with intentionality and acts of service, the relationship is eventually fully restored. Forgiveness brings restoration and it is the first step in the process of restoration. (2) Hope of restoration. The word ‘hope’ in scripture has to do with ‘expectation.’ The hope of restoration is the expectation that restoration will indeed be achieved. Such hope helps to establish a lasting commitment. When you have a certain goal in mind, you tend to have the stamina to push through. The process of restoration may be long and difficult, but if the end result is in view, it makes the process much more bearable. It is in seeing the end, having that hope, that we are able to keep working at strengthening the relationship and bringing it to a place of full and complete restoration. (3) Reality of restoration. There is coming a day when our restoration with God will be complete. Absolutely nothing will be between us. All the sin that hindered our relationship with Him will be completely removed. We will enjoy a complete unhindered relationship with God throughout all eternity. Once we arrive at a place of complete restoration, there is a joy beyond compare. As a relationship is completely restored, you can now move forward hand in hand to accomplish great things for His glory and His Kingdom.

                Forgiveness may be difficult, but it cannot be neglected. Unforgiveness can destroy a family, a church, and a community. When you allow unforgiveness to fester in your heart, it will destroy you. Follow the example of Jesus and be quick to forgive. Do what it takes to bring about reconciliation and restoration. When you do, your life will be filled with great joy and with a clear purpose.

^[1] The New King James Version (Mt 18:21–35). (1982). Thomas Nelson.