Aaron

Erhardt

minister & author

At first, Tina Dwyer of North Carolina thought it was a scam. The letter said that her $615 debt to Everest College was forgiven. “You no longer owe the balance of this particular debt,” it read. “It is gone.” But it was not a scam. A non-profit debt buyer called “Rolling Jubilee” really had bought and then forgiven her debt. And she was not alone. The group claims that it has forgiven $18.5 million in debts.

 

Wouldn’t it be great to open a letter stating that someone had forgiven your debt? — No more car note, medical bills, student loans, credit card balances, mortgage payments, or whatever the debt might be. To be told you now owe zero, zip, zilch, nada. It’s gone. — I don’t think words could express the joy that news would bring to most people.

 

Jesus once told a story of a man who had accumulated a debt so large it could never be paid back and then it was forgiven. It is commonly called the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

 

Let’s look at the parable.

 

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 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. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 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.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 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. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart” (Matthew 18:23-35).

 

The king in this parable is God. The debt is sin. The debtor who owed much is us. The debtor who owed little is anyone who sins against us. The unending punishment is hell. The parable was prompted by Peter’s question about forgiveness (v. 21) and is designed to teach that those who have been forgiven by God must forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). However, it is the grandeur of God’s grace that I want to emphasize.

 

Grace Retained

 

A man owed a king ten thousand talents. Some translations say “millions of dollars.” This was a staggering debt, especially when one considers that the combined annual revenue of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea was six hundred talents. It would have taken him multiple lifetimes and then some to pay back that amount of money.

 

Since the man could not possibly pay back what he owed, the king ordered for him, his family, and all that he had to be sold. This was a common practice among Gentiles in the first century. The Law of Moses also allowed for men to be sold in certain circumstances (Leviticus 25:39).

 

As one might expect, the man was devastated. He was about to lose everything. His whole world hung in the balance. Therefore, he fell upon his knees and begged for the king to have patience. He promised to pay back everything, though such was not possible to do. In a remarkable display of grace, the king released the man and forgave his debt. There was no payment plan, probationary period, or alternative penalty imposed. It was gone!

 

Unlike a bank that may give you a grace period, this was “Grace, Period.” The king acted freely and favorably toward one who did not deserve it. He was under no obligation to forgive the debt and had every right to demand payment. This was solely an act of unmerited favor.

 

Grace Restrained

 

Shortly after leaving the king’s chamber, the man ran into someone who owed him a hundred denarii. Some translations say “hundreds of dollars.” Regardless of the exact amount, it was nothing compared to what he had just been forgiven. The man chocked him and screamed, “Pay what you owe!” He even had him thrown into prison, despite his plea for patience and promise to pay back what he owed. When the other servants saw this, they went and told the king. He was furious.

 

The king immediately summoned the man back into his chamber and rebuked him for being merciless after having received mercy himself. He then handed him over to the jailors, or torturers, until the debt was paid.

 

All of us had accumulated a great debt (Romans 3:23). We owed an astronomical amount that we were incapable of ever paying off. There was no way to work long enough, hard enough, or good enough to get out from under this burden. Yet God demonstrated His grace toward us by forgiving that debt. He did what no one else could do or would do.

 

It is important for us to realize that we were all “multi-million dollar sinners.” Regardless of the nature or extent of our transgressions, the diagnosis, prognosis, and required sacrifice were the same. Until we appreciate that fact, grace will never reach its full potential in our hearts and lives. We must know how far we fell to truly appreciate how far we have come.

 

Conclusion

 

Tina Dwyer was being hounded with calls and letters to pay off her $615 debt to Everest College. Then one day she received a letter saying it was gone. She no longer owed the balance. It was forgiven. We too have been forgiven of a debt, but it was far greater than what Tina owed. Let us praise the King of Grace for His exceeding kindness and imitate His actions in our dealings with others. With great grace comes great responsibility!