Matthew 18:23-35 Debts and Forgiveness

Regarding Matthew 18:23-35, I have heard many monetary conversion rates to help us appreciate the debt the unforgiving slave had in comparison to his peer. But probably the absolute best reasoning point I’ve ever heard that not only drives home the point in a timeless way, but is easy to grasp is the following.

Quoting from the Insight on Scriptures, vol.1, starting on page 1179, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, under the heading “Illustrations,” we read: “A denarius equaled a day’s wages; so 100 denarii, the smaller debt, equaled approximately one third of a year’s wages. Ten thousand silver talents, the larger debt, equaled 60 million denarii, or wages that would require thousands of lifetimes to accumulate.”

To expand on the above, according to Matthew 20:10, a denarius (singular for denarii) was equal to a single day’s wage in the times when Jesus walked the earth. A drachma is also equal to one day’s wage. (We need this information to continue with equation.) A single mina is worth 100 drachmas. And a single talent is worth 60 minas. We need to break that back down now to determine the difference between a denarius and a talent. 100 (drachmas) times 60 minas is 6,000 denarii. But the unforgiving slave did not owe his ruler merely 1 talent. He owed 10,000. That is 60 million denarii. If a denarius is one day’s wages, then the slave owed 60 million days. If an average working life is about 60 years, that equates to 21,900 days. So that slave would have to live and die 2,739 lifetimes before being able to pay his debt and that doesn’t even count the debt he would incur during each subsequent life.

But how in world could any man amass such debt? Again, this was an illustration that Jesus made. In the book of Psalms we discover a point that makes Jesus illustration very plain. In Psalm 49:7-9 we discover that we are incapable of redeeming our sinful lives. If it weren’t for God’s willingness to forgive us through the value of Christ’s ransom sacrifice, we would indeed be as hopeless as the unforgiving slave. Yes, God forgave us all what he considers to be a huge debt. Since that is so, would any of dare to anger God by not being forgiving to our fellow man, even if what they owed us was a mere single lifetime!?

Love Extinguishes the Fuse

There are so many lessons that can be drawn from the account of Joseph's life. To keep each article short, I have decided that the best way to address those lessons is to break them up into a series of articles. I have already considered one incident in his life life--that of not allowing bad experiences to sour us on life and on our viewpoint of others.

Sibling rivalry and jealousy: In Genesis chapter 45, Joseph reveals to his brothers his true identity--that he is in fact their flesh and blood, the brother that they said was dead. He then directs them to go and bring his father Jacob to him. In verse 24 his parting words to them were: "Do not become upset with one another on the way." Why would he say that?

One possible reason is that he may have anticipated that the brothers would start blaming each other for what happened to Joseph and then start arguing how they were going to explain this whole thing to their father. Finger-pointing, scape-goating and blame-shifting could all come into play. In fact, Joseph’s earlier words at Genesis 45:5 definitely point to that being a concern of Joseph’s.

Today, if there is more than one child in a family, sibling strife is probably very common. On a more expansive scope, within the congregations we typically refer to fellow believers as “brothers and sisters” in the faith. This is in keeping with the scriptural precedent. And true to form, even these spiritual relatives can test our patience and love just as blood relatives can. As we make our “way” through life, Joseph’s advice  "Do not become upset with one another on the way," holds just as true today. Since we are all imperfect, it is expected that we will have disagreements with one another. We may thoughtlessly say things we later regret. We may innocently do things that others interpret negatively. Through it all, we should strive to “Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely.” (Colossians 3:13) Indeed, because we already know each and every one of us are imperfect, Peter’s words raise the bar on us--it goes beyond merely “putting up with one another.” Instead, we should “have intense love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins.” In this regard, Joseph’s treatment toward his brothers is a living lesson.

Forgiving Repentant Ones

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Are we required to forgive people that are not the least bit sorry for what they did?

At Luke 17:3,4 Jesus is quoted as counselling us: “Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother commits a sin give him a rebuke, and if he repents forgive him. Even if he sins seven times a day against you and he comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” (Context here.)

Although we are urged to freely forgive others, those who sin against us should willingly, humbly and honestly apologize in order to receive forgiveness. If they are not sorry, they shouldn’t expect that we have to tolerate their inconsiderate words or actions against us. Jesus' words here make it plain that we are right to expect an apology and repentance before extending forgiveness. In some cases though, you might decide to be the “bigger man” by not making an issue of someone’s prideful hesitance to apologize. Also, Jesus' words in Luke 17 are not a license for us to be petty and thin-skinned.

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It Is Beauty To Pass Over Transgression

The complete passage (found in Proverbs 19:11) reads: “The insight of a man certainly slows down his anger, and it is beauty on his part to pass over transgression.”

In what way is it a beauty (or, a “beautiful thing”)?

Being criticized, experiencing others’ cruel fault-finding, feeling rejected instead of accepted—we’ve all experienced it. When it happens to us, it is discouraging, to say the least. If it happens enough to sour us, we can become jaded and satirical. Soon, we begin to treat others the way we’ve become accustomed to being treated.

But what if, like a breath of fresh air, someone actually doesn’t “jump all over our case” and instead shows compassion and consideration? It is so very refreshing, that we may actually be shocked and apprehensive. The person that showed you compassion learned what that “beauty” was. It is a beauty not only of godly love but of wisdom. Ecclesiastes 7:21, 22 helps us to see what wisdom that person has gained when it says:  “Also, do not give your heart to all the words that people may speak, that you may not hear your servant calling down evil upon you. For your own heart well knows even many times that you, even you, have called down evil upon others.”

Yes, that person acknowledges his own imperfection and knows that “with what measure you are measuring out, it will be measured out to you in return.” (Matthew 7:1,2). In other words, even if no other human treats him or her with dignity, he is determined to rise above the self-centered cruelty of this world knowing that in the finality of things, it is God that will amply reward his kindness in like manner. That alone is ample reason not to “return evil for evil” to anyone. (Romans 12:17)