Peter obviously thought he was to forgive 7 times. The Lord said 70×7. In one day that would be a huge task for us. But the Lord told them about loving each other and forgiving one another. The rest of this chapter deals with men who owed money.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded
him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and
payment to be made.
26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his
fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on
him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto
him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou
desiredst me:
33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if
ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
In today's time the amount the servant owed the king would be $384,384,000. That's more than any of us could pay back in a lifetime. The man proved worthless. He had squandered his goods. With all this debt, this huge amount, he still asked the king for time to pay it. He asked for the king's mercy. This is much like what we did when we asked Jesus to save us. We owed all, but He set us free. There is nothing like feeling free from debt. Our sins were many and He cast them as far as the east is from the west…and you can never get there. The master forgave the servant. God, in Jesus' name, forgives us.
This same servant went out to get payment for what amounts to about $3,000. He grabbed the man by the throat demanding payment. The man showed no mercy to his fellow servant no matter how much the man begged. He even through him in jail. We will be measured by how we judge our brothers and sisters. We are to forgive over and over. Jesus tells us that we ask Him to do for us, we are to do unto others. IF NOT HE WILL NOT FORGIVE US. The king was not pleased by the servant's actions and did the same to him as he did to his fellow servant.
The Bible gives a story taught by Jesus in the book of Matthew. He told them when we feed and clothe others and take in strangers, we do it unto the Lord; He likewise says when we do not do it, we don't it unto the Lord. Some people have sins piling up due to forgiveness. We want preachers to have spotless records; the Bible says the deacons are called to such service as well. Stephen, one of the first deacons, was also a preacher. This is what got him into trouble. He was so hated that he was brought to law under the accusations of blasphemy. We are to preach it straight just like Stephen did. We can't be too strict. None of us will get forgiveness with unforgiving hearts. They gnawed on Stephen and took him out and stoned him. He saw the heavens open and did exactly what Jesus did from the cross. He said don't lay this to their charge. Even at the time of his death he showed a forgiving spirit. Stephen just went to sleep.
There are a lot of church members casting stones. The records have to be cleared here, not there. I'm sure Jesus met Stephen and said "well done." Stephen surely planted a seed in the heart of Saul that day. I can imagine that the Lord pointed Saul out to him and told him that one day Saul would lead multitudes to God.
Has someone made you suffer? Look at the Lord and say lay not this sin to their charge. We are to forgive others as God forgives us.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 