Observation: Jesus explains forgiveness with this parable of the king who forgives and servant of their massive debt, but then the servant won't forgive a peer of a very small amount. As a result, the king reverses his mercy and punishes the wicked servant. Jesus summarizes the parable this way ... as we are unworthy of forgiveness but receive it anyway, so we need to forgive others unconditionally.
However, there is one prerequisite ... the person must ask for mercy. This opens up an interesting nuance - or loophole - which is, do we need to condition our forgiveness of others upon their requesting it? Do they need to understand their wrong and seek forgiveness for us to effectively forgive? And are we not accountable to forgive others until and unless they ask for it? Is this not similar to God's model, where he does not forgive our sin until we take intentional action to acknowledge him, obey his word, accept Jesus as our Lord and savior, and in that faith ask for forgiveness?
The answer is obvious: No. No, they do not need to ask. No, we don't get away with not forgiving them just because they didn't ask. We are to forgive proactively, just as our father in heaven desires to show us mercy, and proactively gave us Jesus as the Messiah, for us to find that path to forgiveness he already wanted to extend to us. We may want the loophole to exist. We may want to offer forgiveness only when someone who has wronged us has come to terms and humbly sought our mercy. But that is just wrong. We are already children of God, and by the very knowledge of the mercy we have received, so we must show mercy.
Application: I jumped on this verse, knowing this is what I wish ... that those who wrong me need to come to me, acknowledge their wrongdoing, and then receive my mercy. Oh, how terrible I am for even thinking that. And without doubt, that is completely wrong-headed.
And yes, this is the danger of The Message. It isn't a translation of God's word in the bible. It is a modern-language writing of the word in the bible, and in attempting to write at a 3rd grade level of understanding, it just flat-out oversimplifies the complicated truths. In this case, it added an entire clause that isn't in other translations ... they don't refer to a need for "anyone who asks". They MIGHT imply that forgiveness is explicit to other believers, whom you may already be talking to about their rights and wrongs, as this is the context of the passage and perhaps the meaning of 'brothers or sisters' as the object of forgiveness. But that is very different than any lesson about a prerequisite for offering forgiveness.
I thank God today for guarding my heart with his truth. It would be SO easy for me to declare that I don't need to forgive others, to push this false loophole. However, he clearly showed me that, no, that is wrong. I need to continue to let go of all anger and sadness and depression and worries about what has been done to me in the past, take into my heart the forgiveness I have professed and declared, embrace the forgiveness and atonement I have sought and thus received for my own errors, and move into the joyful life I now have in the Lord.
Prayer: Lord, yes I say it, thank you for your correct word, and correction, in my life. I have forgiven. Please continue to help me also forget. Amen.
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