Forgive us our Debts

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I'm republishing this old sermon because of our current national emergency.  I dressed up the type styles for you and reedited it.  What Moses and Jesus command is not optional.  This is a Christian problem.  I pray that we take it to heart.

 

Forgive us our Debts

Originally written around Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Grace, mercy and peace to your from God our Father, from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has set us free from every worldly slavery, and from the Holy Spirit, who gives light to our candles so that we may enlighten the world, and be the light bearers of God’s glory to the needy world around us.  May God grant us good success in all that we do in obedience to Him.

Our Grave Concern

This evening I would like to talk with you about a grave and urgent concern, not only to us on earth, but also to our Heavenly King, and to His Heavenly Kingdom, for it is He Himself Who has taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Or, if you prefer, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  Have we really understood and explored all that this one sentence, commonly called the fifth petition, has for us?

Forgiveness is a Necessity

I’m sure that most of us already know that an unforgiving heart is a most serious crime in the Kingdom of Heaven, for our Heavenly Father will not forgive those who do not forgive everything our brothers or sisters have done.  Most of us are so eager to be forgiven our own sins, that we zealously search our own hearts to put away every complaint and every grudge, as though these things were filthy gore fouled chains that would drag us down to Hell.  We want to come to prayer cleansed and purified of any such thing, so we commit the forgiveness of everything to God, and cast off this putrid burden, even before we make confession, or we mention any other prayer.  We do not want to be found by God to be an unforgiving person.

I’m equally sure that most of us remember Christ’s teaching about the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18.  You remember how his Lord freely forgave him a debt that would amount to over twenty-billion dollars in today’s silver market at $34 American per Troy ounce, and then how this same servant promptly refused to forgive a fellow servant a measly debt of less than thirteen-thousand dollars.  The ratio is about one and one-half million to one.  We can’t calculate this ratio because the Romans kept reducing the value and weight of the Denarius frequently (from 6.8 grams to 3.4 grams; 3.926bar yields the 1,500,000:1 ratio, even based on wages and which is far less reliable the ratio would be well over 3,000:1).  The parable contains a veiled insult as well.  The great debt is in noble Greek talents, while the minuscule debt is in servile denarii.  The Jews would not have missed the point.

But, did we remember that Christ gives this teaching to explain the meaning of His teaching about seventy times seven forgiveness.  He introduces this parable with the word “therefore” which is a sure-fire way of indicating that the parable is intended to explain what directly precedes the “therefore.”

There can be no doubt that seventy times seven forgiveness means absolute, infinite, unconditional forgiveness.  Seventy times seven forgiveness means no memory or record of past wrongs may be kept

Three Historic Examples

Genesis 4:15, 24 Seven and seventy seven-fold.  Fold, when used with numbers usually means times.  So seventy seven-fold does not normally mean “seventy seven;” that would be seventy-seven or seventy and seven.  Its normal meaning is seventy times seven, as in Matthew 18.  The implication would be that one’s brother is to be forgiven even if he is worse than Cain, who murdered Abel; even if he is as bad as Lamech, who is seventy times worse than Cain, his III great grandfather.

The Scripture specifies a year of rest every seven years, a Sabbath of Years (Leviticus 25:3-7, 18-22, 23-27, 29-34)

·         A rest for the land, “You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.  ... you shall not reap , nor gather....””... the sixth year ... will bring forth produce enough for three years ... until the ninth year; until [the eighth year’s] produce comes in....”

·         Required ransom and redemption of the land

·         Applies to houses in unwalled villages

·         Does not apply to houses in walled cities, except for the houses of Levites and their adjoining fields

The Scripture also specifies a year of rest every seven times seven years on the fiftieth year, a Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:8-17, 28, 29-34)

·         A year of remission, “... each of you shall return to his possession ... homeland

·         “... you shall neither sow nor reap ... nor gather....”

·         “... let a man not oppress his neighbor.

·         “... you shall buy ... and sell tenure ... according to the number of years....”

·         Ransomed land shall be released back to the heritage owner

·         Applies to houses in unwalled villages

·         Does not apply to houses in walled cities, except for the houses of Levites and their adjoining fields

The Scripture forbids taking usury or interest to a brother (Leviticus 25:35-38).

Conclusion

Isn’t it obvious that we are compelled by God’s Word to forgive both debt and trespasses?

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Glory be to this consubstantial Trinity, as it is now, was in the beginning, and ever shall be.  Amen

Yours in Christ,

Herb Swanson aka Augie