The Only Way to Settle a Debt

The lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
–Matthew 18:27

Why should we forgive people who hurt us? The best arguments in defense of forgiveness are found in a parable Jesus told in Matthew 18:23–35.

There was a king who needed some cash, and he needed it quickly. So he decided to call in his accounts receivable. He started with the person who owed him the most money: a slave who owed him ten thousand talents. This was an astronomical amount. In other words, this slave owed a debt he could never repay. When the king demanded his money back, the slave begged, “Have patience with me and I will repay you everything” (v. 26). How in the world was he going to pull that off? The slave was hopelessly in debt. Moved with compassion, the king “released him and forgave him the debt” (v. 27).

I think compassion was not the only motivating factor behind the king’s decision to forgive. Forgiveness is often the only way to settle a debt. The slave owed a debt he could not pay in ten thousand lifetimes. So what alternative did the king have? He could have had the slave thrown in prison, but then the slave wouldn’t be able to work and repay anything. The king was an acute businessman. He understood that the account receivable he was holding was worthless, so he might as well incur the loss himself.

One reason we have a hard time forgiving is that we imagine there is some payment we could exact from our offender to make up for what they did to us. But we don’t realize that usually our offender is totally incapable of paying for what they’ve done to us. Think about this: What payment could anybody ever make to compensate for a child killed by a drunk driver, a marriage destroyed by adultery, or a reputation ruined by slander?

The fact is, your offender is probably incapable of rendering sufficient payment for the hurt they brought into your life. Jesus was saying that sometimes the only way to end the vicious cycle of hurt and vengeance is through forgiveness. Take the loss and move on with your life.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “Forgiveness on Trial,” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2015.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.