LIVING WITH COMPASSION (Part 5)
Matthew 18. Verses 23-27 read:
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. “At this, the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.
One part of the expression of compassion is the flow of pardon from God to men. It is this aspect of compassion that we want to focus on today. Compassion is laden with divine benevolence, and it
is a feature in the operations of the kingdom of heaven. It is God’s plan that the occurrences in the heavenly kingdom will be replicated on the earth. For this reason, Jesus called on his disciples to pray that “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” Refer to Matthew 6 verse 10.
In today’s text, Jesus narrates a parable to give insight on the part God plays in the extension of compassion to men. Jesus speaks of a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. The king can be likened to God whilst the servants can be likened to men. As men, we will be required one day to give account of the resources God made available to us in life. These resources include but are not limited to his mercies, compassion, and grace. Beloved, we shall be accountable for whatever we have received from the Lord. We must ensure that these resources do not go waste.
One of the servants was brought before the king who owed ten thousand bags of gold. This was a very substantial debt. Owing this much is indicative of how wasteful this servant had been in handling the resources of God. As believers, we must guard against wastefulness. Scripture indicates that the servant was not able to pay for the resources he had wasted. The master, therefore, ordered that he, his wife, children and all that he had be sold to redeem the debt. Thus, the cost of his wastefulness extended beyond his personal life unto his whole family and possession.
The servant fell on his knees before the king and pleaded for pardon. He told the master to be patient with him and give him some time to pay back. The servant pleaded on the grounds of time to repay his debt. Notwithstanding, the king had compassion on him, cancelled his entire debt, acquitted him of any charges, and set him free. This story perfectly illustrates the work Jesus did for all humanity. He paid for all men the debt of sin, which we could not pay, and set us free from the guilt and punishment of sin and ushered us into the glorious liberty of Christ. This speaks of the measure of compassion and mercy, which we have received from God and must not take for granted. The best way to celebrate this compassion is to walk in the liberty it offers and extend it to fellowmen.
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏