A way to live a mission for seeking spiritual health;
Begin forgiving others by forgiving them within your own heart.
Based on Matthew 18:21-35
A way to live a mission for seeking spiritual health based on Matthew 18:21-35, a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, 9/17/17.
Peter asks Jesus if it is enough to forgive seven times a church member who has done him wrong. Jesus answers forgive seventy-seven times and tells a parable about a king who is settling accounts with his slaves [servants]. One who could not pay a huge debt of ten thousand talents [one talent was more than 15 years’ wages for a laborer] was ordered to be sold with his wife, children, and possessions to pay the debt. The servant pleaded for patience and promised to repay the debt in full. Out of pity, the king forgave the slave’s debt. But that some slave would not forgive a fellow slave who owed him a hundred denarii [one denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer], a much smaller debt. The slave pleaded for patience while he repaid the debt. The slave who was owed the debt refused and had the debtor put into prison until the debt was paid. The debtor’s fellow slaves told the king of the harsh punishment. The king called for the unforgiving slave and rebuked him for his lack of mercy. In anger, the king handed the unforgiving slave over to be tortured until he paid the whole debt. Jesus comments that his heavenly Father would do the same to all who will not forgive their brother or sister from their heart.
A theme: Forgive fully everyone who offends you.
