Two Wolves

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

- Jesus, Matthew 6:14

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18:23-35 is a sobering reminder of the importance of forgiving others. The servant, who was forgiven by his master for a huge debt he could not possibly repay, turned around and punished another man who owed him a small amount. When the master heard about it, he called the servant back in and rescinded the forgiveness he originally offered.

Jesus tells us that our forgiveness from God also comes with a responsibility to forgive others. Jesus said in Luke 6:37, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” He did not say, “Don’t worry, you are forgiven regardless of what you do,” but instead said, “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” He reiterated this in Mark 11:25 when He said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you of your sins.”

We, like the Unforgiving Servant, have a responsibility to reciprocate the forgiveness that has been offered to us.

We have a choice... we can hold on to the debts of others or we can release them from their debt. We can be imprisoned by our bitterness and what we feel we are owed, or we can free ourselves, and them, by setting their debt aside.

It is no easy matter, though. Our sense of fairness often makes us hold on to the debt, filling us with anger, frustration and bitterness.

The story is told of a Cherokee elder teaching his young grandson about life.

“A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt and ego.

The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

This same fight is going on inside of you – and every other person, too.”

The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The elder simply replied, “The one you feed.”

May we feed the forgiveness of others, as we have been forgiven.

Pastor Ken

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