Look inside this book.Where the Bush is Burning: A Daily Devotional by [Thomas Tice]

Tag: Matthew 18

Because You Begged Me

Because You Begged Me

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? 

Matthew 18:32-33 

Christ clearly illustrates how the process of forgiveness works. In the parable from which our text derives, He tells the story of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One servant comes before him who owes a large sum, ten thousand talents. For our purpose this could be ten thousand dollars or ten million, if that helps us get the idea. He pleads with the king who is about to sell his family into slavery and liquidate all his assets. He says, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Christ relates, ‘Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.’ That servant went out and found another servant who owed him a hundred denarii, let’s say, a hundred dollars. That man pleads as well, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ The first servant refuses to hear, and throws the second servant into prison. Others go and tell the king. He recalls the first servant and our text is his reasoning. Thus we see that God, who is the King, forgives on the predication of repentance. We dare not ignore this if we are going to discuss forgiving as God forgives. This is how Christ illustrates forgiveness for us to understand.  

Our God of Grace and Glory, 
we rejoice that there is forgiveness with You. 
We praise You that You teach us how to forgive others.

 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
 

Because You Begged Me

Because You Begged Me

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? 

Matthew 18:32-33 

Christ clearly illustrates how the process of forgiveness works. In the parable from which our text derives, He tells the story of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One servant comes before him who owes a large sum, ten thousand talents. For our purpose this could be ten thousand dollars or ten million, if that helps us get the idea. He pleads with the king who is about to sell his family into slavery and liquidate all his assets. He says, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Christ relates, ‘Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.’ That servant went out and found another servant who owed him a hundred denarii, let’s say, a hundred dollars. That man pleads as well, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ The first servant refuses to hear, and throws the second servant into prison. Others go and tell the king. He recalls the first servant and our text is his reasoning. Thus we see that God, who is the King, forgives on the predication of repentance. We dare not ignore this if we are going to discuss forgiving as God forgives. This is how Christ illustrates forgiveness for us to understand.  

Our God of Grace and Glory, 
we rejoice that there is forgiveness with You. 
We praise You that You teach us how to forgive others.

 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
 

Because You Begged Me

Because You Begged Me

Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you? 

Matthew 18:32-33 

Christ clearly illustrates how the process of forgiveness works. In the parable from which our text derives, He tells the story of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. One servant comes before him who owes a large sum, ten thousand talents. For our purpose this could be ten thousand dollars or ten million, if that helps us get the idea. He pleads with the king who is about to sell his family into slavery and liquidate all his assets. He says, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Christ relates, ‘Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.’ That servant went out and found another servant who owed him a hundred denarii, let’s say, a hundred dollars. That man pleads as well, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ The first servant refuses to hear, and throws the second servant into prison. Others go and tell the king. He recalls the first servant and our text is his reasoning. Thus we see that God, who is the King, forgives on the predication of repentance. We dare not ignore this if we are going to discuss forgiving as God forgives. This is how Christ illustrates forgiveness for us to understand.  

Our God of Grace and Glory, 
we rejoice that there is forgiveness with You. 
We praise You that You teach us how to forgive others.

 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning
 

Christ Illustrates Forgiveness

Christ Illustrates Forgiveness

Christ Illustrates Forgiveness

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me….

Matthew 6:12; 18:31-32

As we continue to consider Christ’s teaching on forgiveness based upon our text from the Lord’s Prayer, we extend our contemplations to the other, more specific statements which He made on the subject. The more detailed remarks more clearly expound the general statements, which is exactly what we would expect. The additional text which we have recorded at the beginning of today’s devotional is from an illustration which Christ gave. The story is of two servants. The first servant owed a great sum to the king. When the king called him into account and threatened him with dire consequences, he ‘begged’ for ‘patience,’ and the king ‘forgave him.’ He had no more gone out from the king’s presence when he encountered another servant who owed him money. The first servant refused to accept the repentance of the second servant and threw him into debtor’s prison. The king heard of the servant’s unforgiving spirit and called Him into account for his hardness. He declared that he was prepared to forgive the first servant on the basis of his repentance, and that he should have forgiven the second servant on the same basis. Once again, Christ relates forgiveness to repentance. It is the refusal to forgive in the face of repentance that Christ is targeting. We learn to forgive from Christ Himself. He forgives on the basis of repentance and teaches us to do the same.

Our Gracious Master and Our God,
we rejoice in Your Wisdom.
We praise You that You give us insight into Your Word,
that we may understand both how to think and how to do.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning