Debt can weigh a person down. Financial debt can come through mortgages, car loans, student loans, credit cards, and even the overwhelming numbers of national debt. But the debt owed to the heavenly Father because of sin is far greater. Sin brings an eternal debt that no person can pay, and the big question is, “Who’s gonna pay for our debt?”
Jesus Christ comes to take that debt upon Himself. The Lord’s Prayer joins forgiveness received and forgiveness given: “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” Christ’s words from the cross, “Father, forgive them,” show the mercy that flows from God’s own heart. Forgiveness can be hard when somebody has hurt a family, wounded a church, or turned against another person. But Christ’s forgiveness comes into the lives of His people so that forgiveness can flow through them.
Jesus’ answer to Peter, “not seven times, but seventy times seven,” means that forgiveness is not counted out and limited. Jesus’ parable makes the point plain. The servant owes ten thousand talents, an amount so huge that he could never pay it back. The master has mercy and forgives the whole debt. Yet the same servant goes out and refuses to forgive a small debt owed to him.
The contrast between the huge debt and the little debt shows the relationship between God and neighbor. God sees the debt of sin against every commandment: other gods, forgotten worship, dishonor, lying, stealing, adultery, and coveting. The wages of sin bring eternal death, but God’s mercy sends His one and only Son to pay what sinners cannot pay.
Baptism names the believer as a child of God, called to belong to Christ forever. Christ’s body and blood bring forgiveness of sins and strengthen faith at the rail. Jesus has paid every last sin, including debts from the past and sins still to come. No debt is too big for His forgiveness.
Christ’s forgiveness also sends His people into a world full of people carrying the debt of sin. Christ did not die just for Lutherans, but for all people. The forgiven are called to love, forgive, and care for neighbors, even when hurt and disagreement make that difficult. Peace comes because the debt has been paid for by Christ.
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Key Takeaways
- 1. Christ pays the unpayable debt. Sin is not merely a mistake or a bad moment. Sin creates a debt before God that reaches beyond anything a person could repair through effort, regret, or good works. Christ takes that debt upon Himself and leaves no forgiven sinner carrying a balance before the Father. [34:37]
- 2. Forgiveness cannot be carefully counted. Jesus’ “seventy times seven” does not set a larger limit for forgiveness. Jesus removes the calculator altogether, because mercy received from God is not measured out in small portions. Christ calls forgiven people to reflect a forgiveness that keeps coming. [30:37]
- 3. The little debt exposes the heart. The servant’s refusal to forgive reveals how easily a person can receive great mercy while withholding mercy from another. The contrast between ten thousand talents and a few denarii puts human grudges in the light of God’s forgiveness. God’s mercy humbles the heart before it judges another person’s debt. [32:16]
- 4. Baptism and Communion proclaim forgiveness. Baptism declares that a believer belongs to Christ forever. Christ’s body and blood deliver forgiveness and strengthen faith because His payment is real, complete, and personal. No sin brought to Christ stands beyond the reach of His mercy. [35:33]
- 5. Christ died for all people. The world divides people by opinions, hurts, power, and stuff and things. Christ’s death breaks through those divisions because His mercy is not reserved for one group. Forgiven people are called to see even difficult neighbors as people for whom Christ died.
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