Debt Forgiveness

Now we return to our lucrative ground or field where we are picking, eating, taking and sharing our harvested, do not, Godly treasures.

And he said, A hundred measures of oil. So he said unto him, Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much do you owe? So he said, A hundred measures of wheat. And he said to him, Take your bill, and write eighty. Luke 16: 6 – 7

Remember that when Jesus told this parable, He spoke about a rich man’s steward, who was wasting his wealth or goods. In other words, that steward was being dishonest, untruthful and totally wicked to his lord and master. This steward was then made quite aware of his master’s mind regarding his unfaithfulness. He knew that his master was no longer satisfied with him and was ready to let him go, no longer to be his servant. The shrewd servant decided to be even more disingenuous in his final handling of his master’s goods.

Knowing his master’s affairs, since he was the person who was the steward in charge, he knew that there were people who owed much to his master. In other words, he was familiar with his master’s debtors. That crafty, quick-thinking servant, decided to offer debt-relief help to those debtors. Understand this fully. The freeing of debt is Biblical, for it is ordained and ordered by God, in laws given to His people.  This is what we read in Deuteronomy 15: 1 – 2. At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. This is how it is to be done. Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from among their own people, because the LORD’s time for cancelling debts has been proclaimed. 

Now the forgiveness of debt, or the writing off of debt is a good thing, but this must be of God and not of human determination. The text quoted for us states specific conditions and instructions regarding the forgiveness of debt according to God, who is Good, Righteous, True and Sincere. One of this sure facts of truth which we must take away from this, is that debt forgiveness must be genuine, right and true. It must be in response to truth.

In another parable which Jesus told about the Kingdom of heaven, He likened it to a king who was merciful to a man who owed him ten thousand talents, quite a substantial debt, but he could not repay it. You see, when the king and master was finally ready and began his debt settlement, the person with the huge debt, could not repay it. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Then the master of the servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him his debt.  Matthew 18: 25 – 27. What is the important point for us to gather here? It is that the forgiveness of debt comes from a compassionate heart, an understanding heart, a merciful heart. Such is the heart of God.

We bring this understanding of the forgiveness of debt, straight home to all of us who are disciples of Jesus.  I say this because, when Jesus gave His disciples the Model Prayer as it is commonly known, He was very deliberate and upfront about forgiveness and debts. However we pray this and whichever words we choose to use, as Bible translations all differ, the meaning remains untouched. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Matthew 6: 12. When we pray, in such manner, what are we asking our Father in heaven? When we ask forgiveness, it is because, like the servant in the parable who owed a great deal and could not pay, we know that we are debtors to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.

We know that we cannot even begin to repay even the smallest part of the debt we owe. Our Lord has forgiven us and written off all our incurred debt due to sin. However, our Lord and Master Jesus, wants us to be exactly as He is, with compassion, pity, mercy and love for others who are indebted to us. When we come before Father God in prayer and ask Him to forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, we are acknowledging that because we know freedom from all debt in Jesus, our Lord and Master, we are free to be able to forgive all who owe us debts. You see when Jesus forgave us, it was for all time. I was forgiven yesterday, and I am forgiven today, for I am eternally indebted to my Master, since daily I incur conscious and unconscious debts. Faith and faith alone allows us who know ongoing freedom from debts, to be to others as our Master is to us. No believer in Jesus, who has received His forgiveness, is punished for any debt, regardless of the quantity of the debt or the quality of that debt. It is the ever-grateful, mercy-receiving caring heart, who is fully able to forgive others their debts.

We have spent considerable time on debt forgiveness, so that we will get as full a picture as possible of the severity of the actions of the steward in the parable who is offering debt forgiveness.