“‘主啊，我弟兄得罪我，我当饶恕他几次呢？ …’” – 太 18:21
每当我读到耶稣所讲的那个不肯饶恕的仆人的比喻时，便会怒火中烧。我的想法是：“这人是多么忘恩、卑鄙、和贪心，他的为人简直一无是处！”他欠的债是他穷此一生也无力偿还的。可是，当这笔巨额债务被免除后，他却执意要追讨另一个只欠他少量借款的人。这个被免了债务的人自己得了怜悯，但他竟不肯怜悯欠他债的另一个人。
为这件事感到愤怒并没有错，事实上，耶稣期待的正是这样的反应，然而我们一定不可以止步于这种愤怒的情绪。耶稣构思了这个故事，是要帮助我们以神儿女的身份，去忠心地思想和行事。我们应该怎样回应神向我们彰显的慈爱呢？神已经赦免了我们那笔巨大的罪债；我们是否能够同样地对待那些得罪我们的人呢？
我们很容易恳求神饶恕我们、但我们对其他恳求饶恕的人却仍然怀有积怨和恶意。我们很容易记着和怨恨别人对我们说敌对的话和做敌对的事。然而，假若我们接受了神的饶恕、但却不肯饶恕别人的话，我们就和耶稣的比喻中那忘恩的人没有分别了。
耶稣教导我们要饶恕人、并且要不断地饶恕，以致我们无法数算我们饶恕了多少次。当我们与圣灵同行时，我们便被圣灵改变，而神的恩慈也开始从我们生命中涌流到别人生命中。
祷告
父啊，感谢你饶恕我的罪。求你激励我去饶恕别人，让他们看见你彰显在我身上的赦罪的恩慈。奉耶稣的名祈求，阿们。
马太福音 18:21-35
21那时，彼得进前来，对耶稣说：“主啊，我弟兄得罪我，我当饶恕他几次呢？到七次可以吗？”
22耶稣说：“我对你说，不是到七次，乃是到七十个七次。
23天国好像一个王要和他仆人算帐。
24才算的时候，有人带了一个欠一千万银子的来。
25因为他没有什么偿还之物，主人吩咐把他和他妻子儿女并一切所有的都卖了偿还。
26那仆人就俯伏拜他，说：‘主啊，宽容我！将来我都要还清。’
27那仆人的主人就动了慈心，把他释放了，并且免了他的债。
28“那仆人出来，遇见他的一个同伴欠他十两银子，便揪着他，掐住他的喉咙，说：‘你把所欠的还我！’
29他的同伴就俯伏央求他，说：‘宽容我吧！将来我必还清。’
30他不肯，竟去把他下在监里，等他还了所欠的债。
31众同伴看见他所做的事，就甚忧愁，去把这事都告诉了主人。
32于是主人叫了他来，对他说：‘你这恶奴才！你央求我，我就把你所欠的都免了。
33你不应当怜恤你的同伴，像我怜恤你吗？’
34主人就大怒，把他交给掌刑的，等他还清了所欠的债。
35你们各人若不从心里饶恕你的弟兄，我天父也要这样待你们了。”
Forgiven And Forgiving
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? . . .” – Matthew 18:21
Whenever I read Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, my blood begins to boil. I think, “How ungrateful, mean, and greedy this man is. There isn’t a kind bone in his body!” Here was a man who owed more money than he could ever repay. But after he was forgiven of his huge debt, he punished another man for owing him just a small amount. The forgiven man had received mercy, but he did not show mercy to the other man.
It is not wrong to be angry about this. In fact, this is the response Jesus is looking for. But we must not stop there. Jesus designed this story to help us think and act faithfully as children of God. How should we respond to the kindness God has shown us? God has forgiven our huge debt of sin; will we do the same for others who have sinned against us?
It is easy for us to ask for God’s forgiveness and yet carry grudges and ill will toward others. It is easy to remember and resent what others have said and done against us. But if we accept God’s forgiveness and yet fail to forgive others, we are no different from the ungrateful man in Jesus’ parable.
Jesus teaches us to forgive and to keep forgiving so that we can’t remember how many times we have forgiven. When we walk with the Spirit, we are changed. God’s kindness begins to flow from us to others.
Prayer
Father, thank you for forgiving my sin. Move me to forgive others, showing them the kindness you have shown to me. In Jesus, Amen.
