“Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he owned be sold to repay the debt.” (Matt. 18:25)
THIS MASTER’S ACTIONS MAY SEEM CRUEL. The man who couldn’t pay his debts lost everything. But the truth is none of us can pay our debts—the eternal kind called sin. Debts of anger, selfish actions, and immoral and destructive habits all build up, even the little white lies we figure won’t harm anyone. We are sinners, sold as slaves to sin.
Jesus bought us with His blood sacrifice on the cross. We now belong to Him. He is a kind and forgiving master. He embraces a contrite heart. He catches us when we stumble. Jesus intercedes for us, erases our debts, and gives us His Spirit to help guide us away from the pitfalls of sin.
Scripture doesn’t tell us if the man, his wife, and his children would have been sold to a benevolent master. But we know we have been. No amount of good works can begin to repay Jesus for what He did, and still does, for us by His death.
Once we realize that, perhaps our hearts will find a bit more room to forgive the debts of others. Once we realize we have all fallen short of God’s glory, as Paul stated in his letter to the Romans, the magnitude of our own debts dwarfs the little debts others owe us.
Spend time in prayer tonight, thanking Jesus for buying you.
Julie B. Cosgrove is an award-winning, multi-published author who regularly writes for several devotional websites and publications.
© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission
