Forgive us Our Debts

On Sunday we reflected on how radical it is that Jesus invites us to pray about forgiving other people’s debts. In the first century, in order to collect on debts, you could be sold into slavery by the one who owed your debt. That was s standard practice (and remember that 1/3 of the Roman Empire were enslaved).

So when Jesus invites us to ‘forgive those indebted to you’ he’s giving a radical teaching. He’s completely messing with the economy and politics of his day and age. HIs prayer had all sorts of practical implications. He’s talking about real life implications, especially for those who had the power and wealth to collect debts.

Bear that in mind as you read this text. Don’t just immediately go to the spiritual reading of it about personal relationships (though that’s not a bad way to read it). Think about the practical implications of this teaching and how you handle money and power.

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[h] was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” - Matthew 18:23-35