Parables: Forgiveness

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Parables are stories that are told to help explain complex concepts or situations in a way that is easier to understand.
We have looked at Most of Jesus’s parables and we have learned a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven and how to Follow Jesus.
We have seen how God’s heart is for the lost, and the under privileged, for those that society looks down upon.
We have seen how God’s plan is to use the church to spread his Gospel and his love to everyone who needs it.
We have seen the importance of caring for those who cannot care for themselves.
And we have heard the warning to be prepared, to be ready for his return as it could happen at any moment, and we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
Now we are going to deal with what might be one of the hardest things to follow through on and that is forgiveness.
Its all well and good to help others and to give to charity, and to do good for people we might never interact with again. But what about those who have done wrong to us, or people who have hurt us or our friends?
There are some people in the world I don’t want to forgive.
They don’t deserve it.
But no one deserves God’s forgiveness.

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Some versions have differences on the number given here. Some say “seventy seven times” and other versions say “Seven time seventy times”
We will get to that.
In Jesus’s day the common teaching was you forgive someone 3 times, if they wrong you a fourth time then your hands are clean.
Peter wants to take it a step further, doubling the forgiveness, and adding one to get to seven times
Seven is a number that represents completion
So peter is asking if i forgive my brother seven times and he wrongs me again, haven’t i already completely forgiven him?
Jesus answers with either 77 or seven times seventy. = 490.
This phrase is only used one other time in the bible.

23 Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man for striking me.

24  If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold,

then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

Depending on which version of the Bible Jesus was quoting when refering to this verse, wheather it was the greek Septuagint, or the original hebrew, the verse could say “lamech is avenged 77 times, or 70 times seven times.”
Greek says 70 x 7, hebrew says 77.
Either way it is saying Completely abundantly forgive, forgive above and beyond.
and in a strange sense it is hinting at “think of the worse person you could imagine, and forgive him.”
Then Jesus proceeds to tell a parable:

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

Talent = $600,000
10,000x600,000=6,000,000,000 6 billion.
Buy Buckingham palace for 2 bil. and the whitehouse for another one
Most baseball teams are in the 1-2 bil.
Private islands are usually less than 1 bil
60 Boeing 737 airplanes
The most expensive car is less than 1 bil
The world’s most expensive yacht is 5 bil.
Space travel is feasible at $1 bil.
In otherwords he owed more money than most of us could ever imagine
Debt entirely cancelled
Denrius = a days wages, roughly $120
120x100= 12,000
Its no laughing matter, but he was just forgiven.
God has forgiven us a debt we could never repay, and so God calls us to forgive others around us.
This is actually a key aspect of God’s Character, he is willing to forgive anyone.
Except those that do not forgive others.

36 One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. 37 And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, 38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.”

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. 46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. 47 Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.” 48 And he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 50 And he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

This Pharisee is interesting, based on similar stories from the other gospels we find out that his name is Simon, and that He was also called “Simon the leper” and he was related in some way to Lazarus.
There is a substantial implication that Jesus had previously healed this leper pharisee, who now invites him to dinner.
He had been given much,
And he still has that pharisee opinion that he is better than everyone else.
He sees the woman, and pulls away.
Ironicaly the same way people would have pulled away from him when he was a leper.
HE was given much, but he couldn’t look past the mistakes of others
We are people who have been forgiven much, and who have been given much.
We need to forgive others.
We need to love much
and we need to forgive completely and abundantly more than seems right to forgive.
This is not easy.
So we pray for God’s help

9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10  Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

11  Give us this day our daily bread,

12  and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13  And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Church we need to be able to forgive.
Challenge: look into your heart and see if you need to forgive anyone of a wrong they have done. Then try and reach out and do something nice for them.
Forgive much
Love much.
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