Grace: An Extravagant Forgiveness

Forgiveness By Grace

By Apostle Felix

21  Later Peter approached Jesus and said, “How many times do I have to forgive my fellow believer who keeps offending me? Seven times?”
22  Jesus answered, “Not seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven times! 

Matthew 18: 21, 22

Jesus often taught in parables partly because He was fulfilling the prophetic word of Psalm 78: 2, which says, I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old. And this prophetic word was confirmed in His ministry.

Mat 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them:
Mat 13:35  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. 

Matthew 13: 34, 35

Jesus used parables to communicate to the people because parables were a means to separate those with ears from those whose hearts were hardened.

Hurting World

31  Let all bitter, sharp and angry feeling, and noise, and evil words, be put away from you, with all unkind acts;
32  And be kind to one another, full of pity, having forgiveness for one another, even as God in Christ had forgiveness for you. 

Ephesians 4: 31, 32

We are living in a world that is engrossed in bitterness. Families are in disarray due to bitter circumstances life has brought along. We are hearing of wars and tensions across the globe today. Conflicts have become the order of the day. There are insurrections around us like the just ended one in Angola. People are bitter and angry. Church has become a breeding ground for bitterness and conflict. Our modern day prophets are giving prophecies that are dividing families and communities, instead of preaching reconciliation. Families have been ripped apart by the so called men and women of God. So many lives have been left in limbo.

Husband and wife cannot get along because of financial constrains. There are more divorce cases today than any other time in history. Marriages are under an attack with so much stress and bitterness. Couples no longer know the meaning of the word, ‘forgiveness.’ Families are at loggerheads with each other. Forgiveness is the thing of the past. It longer exists.

Well dressed men and women walk around and sitting in fancy offices while carrying the pain of yesterday. Some are carrying the pain of what someone did to them some years ago. How somebody disappointed them. Some are carrying the pain from their previous employers. And some from their past relationships or marriages. That pain is called unforgiveness. The only remedy to that pain is forgiveness.

The disciples of Jesus had a similar challenge of how to forgive. It did not just make sense to see the person repeating the offense and yet keep on forgiving. Probably, they had seen the way Jesus was treating those who offended Him. He kept forgiving them. So, Peter approached with this question of how many times should one forgive. Seven times? Maybe, he had constant conflict with one of the disciples or someone he knew. But Jesus’ approach had posed a huge challenge to him, regarding forgiveness.

Jesus’ response amazed everyone of them, when He said, seventy times seven, one has to forgive. In principle one should forgive four hundred and ninety times in twenty four hours. That is be able to forgive someone who is offending you every after three minutes, if you all stay awake. This kind of forgiveness has to be extravagant and it can only be by grace.

Jesus spoke of a parable of the unforgiving servant. He had received extravagant forgiveness himself but he failed to give forgiveness to his friend. The failure to forgive affected his family and career as well. The failure to forgive someone who offended you in the past has the potential to affect your present. The decision to hold a grudge against your boss at work may start affecting the way you relate with your family members, such as your wife/husband and children. Forgive! You have been forgiven extravagantly, therefore choose to forgive extravagantly.