Forgiveness Is A Requirement

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟏𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐃 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊 𝐎𝐅 𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝟏: 𝐃𝐚𝐧 𝟑:𝟐𝟓, 𝟑𝟒-𝟒𝟑

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟐𝟓:𝟒-𝟗 “𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐎 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐭 𝟏𝟖:𝟐𝟏-𝟑𝟓

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: “𝐍𝐨, 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧!” (𝐯.𝟐𝟐) 

               Do you still remember the saying we all grew up with? 𝑻𝒐 𝒆𝒓𝒓 𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏, 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒆! I’m sure you are all familiar with that, and it may not have been taken out of the Scriptures, but it certainly has some Biblical foundation for while man indeed is sinful, the reality is that God’s forgiveness is greater than all our iniquities and transgressions.

         But while God is so generous with his forgiveness, there are some of us who will stick to our own set of beliefs saying: “𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦.” I too held on to this bond of unforgiveness in my growing up years. I grew up wallowing in poverty and the names of those who humiliated and ridiculed me remained etched in my memory and I vowed then that I would get back at those who treated me with abasement.

          That opportunity came when I started my career as a Reporter for the biggest Radio TV network in the country but for some reason, I never got to see anyone of those who shamed me and made me feel small. I didn’t know then that God was opening a new door for me – the path to having a forgiving spirit.  

         There also was a time when I was swindled by two former business associates of a large amount of money and my day was filled with anger against those two friends of mine and this made my life miserable as my mind and heart was imploding with anger and hatred.  

         But God works in mysterious ways and when we were invited to the renewal movement, God led me to forgive my two former business partners and all those vengeful thoughts just vanished and was erased from my mind. Now I still talk to my former partners, and I realized that I am more blessed because I have a God who supplies all my needs.

         I have also learned to forgive my high school classmates who were mean to me and honestly, I sympathized with those whose lives were met with misfortunes and did not turn out the way they planned it.

         But who on earth doesn’t have a debt? Being in debt is not just about money we owe but even favors we may have asked of others. And those who are in the world look at favors as a debt that need to be repaid, and many times relationships go sour when favors are not reciprocated.

         Spousal and family relationships, friendships, ministries, congregations, offices within the church or community, and even civilian governments and organizations have been ruined and shattered by divisions. The culprit? Hurts, ill-feelings and recriminations that we harbor toward one another that lead to unforgiveness, bitterness and resentments.

         The tragedy of life is that many among us miss living the kind of a fulfilled and abundant life that God has reserved for us (𝐉𝐧 𝟏𝟎:𝟏𝟎) because we allowed the spirit of unforgiveness to take root in our lives. And it becomes a sin when we withhold our forgiveness to those who may have hurt us because unforgiveness stems from pride which is a sin that disfigures the godly nature that is in us.

         When God forgives, so should man. This is the law that Jesus brought to the attention of his disciples as a response to a question from Peter who asked how often we should forgive a brother who has sinned against us. In this passage we see Jesus going against the existing traditional currents of his time to reorient their concept of forgiveness.

         We also see here the familiarity in the way Peter related to Jesus. Known for being hasty and impulsive, Peter asked Jesus a question but with his misdemeanor he also impishly provided the answer that he knew was beyond what the Jewish law on forgiveness provides. It was the existing law at the time that a man can forgive another only up to three times and the fourth infraction committed by a man against another will be left for God to decide.

         And Peter thought he was already being generous when he suggested seven times and he and the other disciples must have dropped from their seats when Jesus surprised them by saying 𝐯.𝟐𝟐 “𝐈 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧.”        

         In saying this, Jesus laid down the parameters of right Christian conduct in which we are to forgive one another as God has forgiven us which Paul would later write in his letter to the 𝐄𝐩𝐡 𝟒:𝟑𝟐 “𝐁𝐞 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫, 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”

        To illustrate his principle of never-ending forgiveness, Jesus narrated this parable which was about a servant who could not pay his master the sum of 10,000 talents representing his debts but for which he was forgiven. But then this servant also lent a hundred denarii to another servant whom he sent to jail for his failure to pay him.

         Biblical scholars placed the equivalent of 1 talent in current value to around $1,000 while the 100 denarii will not be worth more than $18 at an exchange rate of One denarii is to $0.18. So, if we are to use this computation, the first servant owed his master at least $10-Million while the debt he tried to collect from the other servant was a mere $18.00.

         With this illustrated contrast in the enormity of the debt of the first servant as against the minuscule amount of the other debt, the disciples understood the message that was being driven by Jesus – that God will not tire in dispensing his forgiveness to everyone and so we too must forgive one another tirelessly.

         Because God has forgiven us of all our sins, so we too are being commanded not to withhold our forgiveness for those who may have wronged us. This may be easier said than done because this is what divides a Community, Ministry and or the Church for that matter. In effect, what this Gospel narrative is saying is that forgiveness is a requirement to a sound Christian life.        

        The negative impact of unforgiveness is now being recognized even in the medical profession, which has found some evidence that recognize the relationship between stress on the soul and its impact on the back, the link between worry and ulcers and, on distress and migraines.

         Some medical practitioners claim that our souls are weakened by negative emotions, and they even suggest that unless we turn over these negative emotions to God these will be absorbed by our bodies. And Paul warns us to dispose of all kinds of sin and negative emotions that can destroy our relationships with others and even our physical well-being.

        In his letter to the 𝐂𝐨𝐥 𝟑:𝟓, 𝐏𝐚𝐮𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬: “𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞: 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝...𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫, 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞, 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞.”            

         And Jesus himself may have given a hint as to the relationship between sin and sickness when he told the paralyzed man who was able to walk in 𝐉𝐧 𝟓:𝟏𝟒 “𝐒𝐞𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧. 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮.”          

         In this Season of Lent, it would do us a lot of good if we will reflect on this Gospel narrative and examine the areas of our lives we need to contend with. We can begin by asking ourselves if we have forgiven all who may have hurt us. Are we so consumed by our pride that we continue to withhold our forgiveness to those who wronged us?

         To forgive means to wish those who offended us well and not harm. It doesn’t mean that we will no longer hold them responsible for what they did. What it means is that we will turn them over to a just and loving God rather than attempting to get even with them ourselves. Thus, to exact vengeance is not in our job description as Christians.

         What Jesus is clearly telling us in the Gospel is that both the divine and human forgiveness go together. It cannot be either or. This is also why we need to seek and remain in the light of Christ for it is through his light that we can learn to forgive which is the food for the soul.

         The Apostle Paul tells us that "𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝" (𝐑𝐨𝐦 𝟔:𝟐𝟑). There is no way we could repay God the debt we owed him because of our sins and offenses. Only his mercy and pardon could free us from such a debt.

          Hence, there is no offense our neighbor can do to us that can compare with our debt to God. If God has forgiven each of us our debt, we too must forgive others whatever debt they may owe us. To forgive is to make peace with your neighbor as God has made peace with you. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 10, 2026)