Student Devotional Week 24: Why Forgive? Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Colossians 3:13)

Jesus tells this parbable in Matthew 18:21-35 about a servant that owed his master more than he could pay and the master forgives the debt. Well, the servant has a hired hand that owes him a very small amount of money, much less than his debt to the master, and the servant has the hired hand thrown into debtors prison. The master gets wind of what his servant had done and not only wants the original debt paid back, but had him tortured in prison until the original amount was paid.
This parable Jesus said is about the Kingdom of God and how serious God takes the act of forgiveness. Jesus said if you don't forgive you brother or sister, then how do you expect your heavenly father to forgive you? It's double-minded to ask for forgiveness from God for your sins and then refuse to forgive someone who has wronged you. Sometimes we take ourselves to seriously and think we are more important to God than others. God doesn't owe us anything, but He freely gives us grace not because we deserve it, but because there is no other way and He loves us.
How hard is it to forgive those who wrong you? Jesus says vengence is the Lords, have you ever paid back those who have wronged you? How did it make you feel? The Bible talks about showing kindness to our enemies is like throwing hot coals on their laps, in other words they are shocked and don't know how to respond to kindness. So, kill them with kindness, not revenge!