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The Debt

By Guy K. Henry

www.guyhenry.com

“Why is the king in such a bad temper today?” One servant asked.

“He just visited his treasure house, and it looked empty to him.” Another answered.

“Oh,” he said.

“Get me my record books!” The king commanded. The servants scurried to retrieve them while the king continued, “I will find out who owes me money.”

Within minutes the servants stood before the king holding the books. He ran his finger down page after page trying to see where his money had gone. Suddenly his eyes widened as his finger stopped at the figure ‘10,000 Talents’. This amount was a fortune, more than a servant could ever expect to see in their lifetime.

“10,000 Talents!” Bellowed the king as his eyes crossed the page to find the name that went with it. “Who is Mark, and why does he owe me so much money?!”

No one answered the king. While they feared his anger, they secretly were glad that they were not named Mark. “Bring this man Mark to me, NOW!” The crowd obediently rushed from the room in search of Mark. The king was left alone with his account books.

Across the city Mark was sitting down to breakfast. He blissfully chatted with his wife and two boys. The empty money bag hanging from his belt did not worry him. “I have everything I need!” he said as he looked at his family.

“Ahhhh!” Screamed his youngest boy when he saw a large bearded stranger poking his head through the window. The rest of the family froze in fear as the man’s eyes grew larger.

“I found him! I found Mark!” The intruder announced.

One second later the door burst into pieces, and the room was filled with people. Mark acted surprised and yet as he felt his empty money bag, he knew why they were there.

The largest man grabbed Mark while the others took hold of his wife and sons. The family that had just been eating a peaceful breakfast was now being herded down the main street.

The king had used the time to work himself into a wild angry frenzy. He was like a lion, ready to pounce, when Mark was pushed into the room.

“10,000 Talents! You owe me 10,000 Talents!” the king shouted. He waited for an answer.

Mark could not say anything. He nervously fidgeted with his money bag.

“Pay up now,” The king snapped.

Mark and the crowd were silent.

“I said, PAY ME!” the king boomed.

“I can not sir.” Mark whispered.

The king exploded like a bomb at those words. His arms were waving wildly in the air. Then he declared, “Mark, I shall sell you as a slave as a down payment on your debt.” He looked at Mark’s family. “And your wife and boys will be sold too.”

Tears began to form on Mark and his family’s eyes. They didn’t even hear the king say, “And your home, and all your property is to be sold.”

Mark melted from the inside out. He knew that the king was in the right. The thought of himself and his family being slaves was unbearable. ‘How did I get myself into this situation?’ Mark cried to himself.

Mark fell flat on his face and cried into the dirt floor. After a moment he lifted his face just high enough to speak. “Please!” he wailed. “Master, have patience with me! I will repay you!” his tears made a puddle in the sand.

The master’s face changed. He looked at Mark groveling before him. By now his family was also sobbing at his feet. His heart was touched. Quietly the king stood up. He reached down and touched Mark’s shoulder.

“Mark,” he warmly said. His voice was different. “Mark, come with me, I’ve made a decision.”

Together they walked over to the accounting books. The king turned to the page that recorded Mark’s debt of 10,000 talents. The king stuck his thumb into a jar of ink. As Mark watched the king smudged out the line with his name and the enormous amount of money.

The king smiled, “Mark, your debt is forgiven.”

Mark cried new tears while his wife and children watched in amazed silence. The king announced to the crowd, “Mark is free to go!”

Mark and his family found themselves hugging the king for a long time before leaving. The boys, his wife, and Mark himself had a smile that stretched from one ear to the other.

They moved into the street, still celebrating. It was then that Mark’s eyes fell upon his neighbor Felix. Felix was walking away from him on the road almost a mile away. Mark lost his smile. His eyebrows went from happy arches to angry V’s. “I’ll meet you at the house honey,” he hissed to his wife.

Mark stormed up the road to meet up with Felix. Each step he took fueled his anger. Soon he broke into a sprint to catch up with him.

Felix was whistling happily, unaware that Mark was huffing up behind him. Soon he was close enough to reach him.

Mark stretched both his hand in front of him and closed them around Felix’s throat. Then he tackled him and slammed his face into the dirt.

“You owe me 100 pennies!” Mark railed. “Pay me!”

With great effort Felix raised up enough to say, “Mark, is that you?”

“Pay me now!” Mark screamed manically.  “I want my 100 pennies now!”

Felix had no money. He meekly said, “Please have patience with me. I will pay you just as soon as I can.”

This was not the answer that Mark wanted to hear. “No! I will not wait! You’re off to prison until you can pay me.”

Along the side of the road were two sisters, Grace and Abby. Their mouths fell open in shock as they watched Mark mistreat Felix. They were certain that the King would want to know about this, so they dashed down the road together.

Mark marched Felix to the prison. “Lock him up!”

Felix had been in tears the entire trip to the prison. “I’m sorry, I’ll find money to repay you.”

Mark hatefully said, “You pitiful fool, you can stay here in prison until you have my money!”

Mark turned his back on Felix and left the prison. As soon as he stepped out the door and onto the street he knew he was in trouble.

“Mark!” a familiar voice called. “Mark! Come here NOW!” It was the voice of the king who had come to meet him.

The king’s eyes now glared at Mark. Mark forgot how to breathe. The king peered into the window of the prison and saw Felix, still crying.

“WHAT IS THIS! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!” The king demanded.

Mark still couldn’t breathe, much less talk.  His whole body trembled, which was the only answer he could give.

The king said, “Just about an hour ago, didn’t I forgive you of a tremendous debt?”

After no answer from Mark the king answered himself, “Yes I did.”

The king continued, “Should not you also have had compassion on Felix?”

Mark still could not talk.

The king made a new declaration and said to Mark, “You wicked servant, because of your unforgiveness you shall be thrown into the darkest prison until you can pay your entire debt.”

I based this story on one that Jesus told in Matthew 18. One could easily wonder how someone could be as stupid as the servant I named Mark. Don’t be too rough on him.

In Matthew 18:21 Peter comes up to Jesus and asks, “Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” Peter probably thought he was being generous when he continued, “till seven times?”

Peter was a little off. Jesus answered him, “I say not unto thee, until seven times but, until seventy times seven.” By my way of figuring, that’s 490 times.

It turns out that forgiving a brother 490 times was just the beginning. As Peter was scratching his head, Jesus told the story of the unforgiving servant.

Peter probably had a fellow in mind when he asked the question. He most likely wanted Jesus’ approval to go to him and say, “You’ve used up your chances, and I won’t forgive you any more.”

Jesus didn’t give him that approval. Instead He fixed Peter’s perspective. He showed Peter that he owed a debt that was beyond his ability to pay. (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”). That being the case, Peter needed to be quick to pass forgiveness to others. Not to do so would be grossly inappropriate.

Jesus might have been telling that story to Peter and the assembled crowd, but he was talking to you and I as well. It is so easy to ‘forget’ that we’ve had a tremendous debt cancelled. If you’ve trusted Jesus to take away your sin then enormous mercy has been heaped on you.

Has unforgiveness crept into our hearts? How easily can someone ‘push our buttons’ or ‘light our fuse’? Do we draw lines that once crossed, banish a brother or sister to unforgiveness? Do we keep mental records of injuries? It is the world’s wisdom that tells us that we must ‘collect on that debt’.

Luke 6:36-37 says, “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.  (37)  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.” When we truly comprehend the extent of the forgiveness we have received, our hearts should well up with forgiveness.

I have always been amazed at the example Jesus Himself set. Luke 23:34 tells us that while Jesus was nailed to the cross he said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” He said this about soldiers who were, at that moment, unjustly executing him.  My mind is hardly able to understand that quantity of forgiveness.

We do forget. We loose sight of how much mercy we’ve been shown. That’s when we start keeping accounts of wrongs and injuries. That’s when unforgiveness breeds in our hearts.

There can be only one response. Dip your thumb into that jar of ink. Let’s erase that record of debt.

There is a better way. It runs contrary to the advice of the world. Ephesians 4:30-32 says, “And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  (31)  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:  (32)  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

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