Of course, the point is not to make notches after each “forgiveness” and count them again every day, anticipating the long-awaited revenge after the 490th mark...
Of course, the point is not to make notches after each “forgiveness” and count them again every day, anticipating the long-awaited revenge after the 490th mark. To forgive means to forgive, leaving no notches, not counting the sins of one’s neighbor, not keeping an evil memory in the heart. Hard, is it not? But there is another option: my brother sinned, I forgave him, and in order not to give him the opportunity to sin against me again, I simply break off all relations with him. It would seem reasonable and quite feasible.
Everything would be fine, but one phrase from the Lord’s Prayer gets in the way. Yes, yes, “and forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.” Moreover, Jesus considers it necessary to emphasize the significance of these words separately (Matt. 6:14-15). That is, the heavenly Father forgives us exactly as we forgive. It remains only to imagine that after our very first sin He would forgive us and then break off all relations with us...
This means that in His answer to Peter Jesus does, after all, have in mind something unreasonable and not very possible for us. In this way He again directs His disciples, and you and me, to let into our heart the One Person who can forgive in this way, because His love for people is perfect. But without our effort, our consent, our desire to forgive, nothing will come of it: God does not compel, but gives strength.
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18:22 Till seventy times seven - That is, as often as there is occasion. A certain number is put for an uncertain.
18:23 Therefore - In this respect.
18:24 One was brought who owed him ten thousand talents - According to the usual computation, if these were talents of gold, this would amount to seventy - two millions sterling. If they were talents of silver, it must have been four millions, four hundred thousand pounds. Hereby our Lord intimates the vast number and weight of our offences against God, and our utter incapacity of making him any satisfaction.
18:25 As he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold - Such was the power which creditors anciently had over their insolvent debtors in several countries.
18:30 Went with him before a magistrate, and cast him into prison, protesting he should lie there, till he should pay the whole debt.
18:34 His lord delivered him to the tormentors - Imprisonment is a much severer punishment in the eastern countries than in ours.State criminals, especially when condemned to it, are not only confined to a very mean and scanty allowance, but are frequently loaded with clogs or heavy yokes, so that they can neither lie nor sit at ease: and by frequent scourgings and sometimes rackings are brought to an untimely end. Till he should pay all that was due to him - That is, without all hope of release, for this he could never do. How observable is this whole account; as well as the greatinference our Lord draws from it:
- The debtor was freely and fully forgiven;
- He wilfully and grievously offended;
- His pardon was retracted, the whole debt required, and the offender delivered to the tormentors for ever.
And shall we still say, but when we are once freely and fullyforgiven, our pardon can never be retracted? Verily, verily, I say unto you, So likewise will my heavenlyFather do to you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.