Forgiving the undeserving

Forgiving the undeserving

Recently, I heard a message based on the parable of the unmerciful servant, and spent some time contemplating on this.

Now Peter had asked the Lord this question “How many times should I forgive my brother? Seven times?” And the Lord replied “Not seven, but seventy times seven.” and then proceeded to tell them the parable of the unmerciful servant. The parable of the unmerciful servant is about a servant shown unlimited grace by his king but he himself not showing even very limited grace to his fellow servant. He had owed the king a few million dollars and was forgiven when he asked for mercy. However, when his fellow servant who owed him a few dollars asked for mercy, he would not forgive him. His unforgiveness earned him great wrath from the king, and we will to if we do not forgive others.

This is indeed one of the most serious commands that Jesus taught - we must forgive so that our Heavenly Father will likewise forgive us. But how can we forgive terrible sin against us? How can a rape victim forgive her assaulters? How can a wife forgive her adulterous husband? How can a man forgive his own family members who mutilated him? How can the lone survivor forgive the gunmen who killed his entire family? Terrible as all these may be, Jesus is still telling us that we must forgive, and the magnitude of God forgiving us is far greater than how much we have to forgive our fellow men in life. To even begin to comprehend the difference, we only need to look at the cross, for Jesus Christ, the sinless perfect Savior endured all the punishment due to us on the cross, so that we might receive God’s forgiveness. No matter how much we have suffered, we only need to look at the cross to see that Jesus Christ suffered far, far more.

Humanly, there are many sins committed against us that we just can’t find it in our heart to forgive in our own strength. However, when we look at the cross, and meditate on the sacrifice of our Lord, we shall indeed find the strength to forgive. It is written that we love because God first loved us. We cannot force ourselves to love our enemies on our own. Only when we look at Jesus and understand and feel His love will we be able to reciprocate this same love to the undeserving who have hurt us. After all, we too were undeserving but God still loved us and even gave His precious son for us.

Forgiveness as we need to understand it is not based on feeling, but based on choice. We need to make a conscious decision to declare “I forgive ………. In Jesus name, from my heart.” Forgiveness releases the victim, setting him or her free to love Christ and receive His love and forgiveness unconditionally.  Sometimes, we may not feel any different, but as we confess with our mouth, and believe in our heart, over time, we will sense that forgiveness flowing through us. We need faith to forgive.

May the Lord give us the strength to forgive all who sin against us that we too may receive His love and forgiveness. In Jesus name, Amen.