The Measure We Get
Matthew 18:21-35 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
The Lord Jesus has instructed that we forgive one another as He has forgiven us. If we do not forgive others, then the Lord will do the same to us. Similarly, the Lord Jesus tells us in Matthew 7:2 “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” If the measure we give to others is judgment and unforgiveness, then this will be the measure we ultimately will receive.
This parable of the unforgiving servant should make us tremble in our faith. For we see a man who earnestly plead before the king on his knees to be given time to discharge his debt. His plea was desperate because there was going to be punishment on him and his entire family. Out of pity, the lord of this servant pardoned him of the debt. Shortly afterwards, the unforgiving servant refused to pardon a much smaller debt owed to him by someone else. The observing servants are grieved by this behavior and they call to mind angels who will give a report to the Lord of our actions. The unforgiving servant heaped on himself the wrath of the king because he chose not to forgive, but he himself had begged for forgiveness. So indeed, the measure he gave was the measure he received.
When it comes to forgiving others, these people may be our loved ones, our friends, our enemies, and strangers. When we pray for those who are indebted to us, those who have wronged us, those who have hurts us, do we pray for them with a spirit of vengeance or love? Do we secretly hope that the punishment of God awaits our enemies while we ourselves long for the eternal paradise of the Lord’s presence? Do we fall on our knees and pray for our enemies so that the Lord would forgive them as He has forgiven us? Do we pray for those who have wronged us like we pray for our own loved ones?
Let us love and forgive one another. Let us lift up our hearts before the Lord and beg His forgiveness on those who have wronged us. As Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).