Then Peter approaching asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus answered, "I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.' Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, 'Pay back what you owe.' Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?' Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart." (Mt 18:21-35)
Sin and forgiveness is one of the important themes of any religion and much more in Christianity. Today’s parable highlights this them. In the society, sin is punished. Any wrong done is ‘paid back’. There is no excuse, no patience and no forgiveness. Society and the laws speak only of paying back, prison and punishments even to the extent of death.
Peter and probably the followers of any religious values speak of forgiveness to a limited scale. Their arguments will be for ‘forgiveness’ for a time or for limited duration etc. This implies that the wrong done is punished but not with hundred percent revenge. There is a mixture of punishment and forgiveness. This is what we find very much in a society where religion plays its role. Most of the people are happy with this type of ‘forgiveness-punishment mixture’.
Jesus and the kingdom proposed only forgiveness. They propose forgiveness without any limitation, any condition and any shade of punishment. It is forgiveness that requires only forgiveness in return. Forgiveness that creates an ambient of forgiveness and that spreads only forgiveness. Forgiveness should begin with forgiveness and work through forgiveness and end in forgiveness. This is the kingdom which Jesus brought to establish.
