(Source from The Word Among Us)

Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you? (Matthew 18:33)

People saddled with impossible debt, desperate pleas for more time, threats of imprisonment and even torture­—why did Jesus tell such an upsetting parable? To help his disciples understand the need to show mercy when someone sins against them.

Peter’s question started it all: “How often must I forgive?” (Matthew 18:21). It was understandable. Shouldn’t there be a limit to how often we should forgive, especially repeated offenses? An honest look at ourselves might help us see the answer. How often do we go to the Lord asking for mercy for the same sins again and again? We would never want him to tell us we have reached our limit. Thankfully, he never does; he repeatedly forgives us.

Not only does God forgive us again and again; he doesn’t hold our sins against us. Remember the unforgiving servant. His entire debt was wiped out. There was nothing hanging over him. Similarly, God has pardoned every sin we have ever committed and stands ready to forgive every sin we will ever commit. Nothing is outside the scope of his mercy. He forgives us everything.

This is the standard of mercy that Jesus calls us to imitate. It’s not so different from the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us . . . as we forgive” (Matthew 6:12). Granted, today’s parable is more graphic. But it shows us that God doesn’t want us imprisoned in unforgiveness and tortured by resentment. He knows how hard it is to forgive. But he went so far as to give us his only Son to cleanse us and soften our hearts so that we could share that same mercy.

Mercy goes beyond simply not punishing offenses. It forgives the entire debt. That’s how God treats us. Let that truth change how you treat the people who offend you.

“Heavenly Father, strengthen me to be able to forgive others as you have forgiven me!”