September 2, 2026
Wednesday, September 2
If you plant a peach tree in your backyard, and eventually notice that it’s bearing tangerines, you’ll logically conclude you didn’t actually plant a peach tree. The fruit isn’t right. When Jesus says in Matthew 18:21-35 that saved people forgive, He’s giving us a warning: If there’s no fruit of forgiveness in you, then you might not be the tree you thought you were. You need to repent before God so He can truly save you.
Having said that, I don’t think our salvation is the point of this parable. He’s talking to Peter here, who he knew was a true disciple. This story is intended for Jesus-followers. Sometimes, even the most devout disciples nurse hurt and anger against those who did them wrong. This parable is a warning from Jesus, saying, “If you won’t forgive, after all my Father has forgiven you, then you will be under His wrath. The way the first servant was tortured, your own spirit will be tortured by your unrepentant bitterness, and the normal joy, peace, and hope that the Father gives His children will be cut off from you.”
I have been there. I think about a period of years when I nursed resentment against someone. Looking back on that time, I realize how miserable I was. It wasn’t the fault of the person I was angry with. It was me. I was under God’s wrath. I wonder how many people reading this devotional are miserable because they are experiencing the wrath of God for their unforgiveness. My prayer is that today, you would be set free, and once again feel the joy of salvation.
So what is forgiveness? At last, we will begin to define the term. We see it in how God forgives us. Not like a Grandma, who ignores the wrong, but like the King in this story. It starts with identifying with the person in need of forgiveness. The King didn’t see His servant through Grandma eyes. He was fully aware of how much the man had taken from him, and what it would do to His Kingdom. God doesn’t look on us with Grandma eyes, either. He is even more aware of our sins than we are. We might ignore, rationalize, or even forget our sin, but He doesn’t.
And yet in v. 27, Jesus says, “Out of pity for him…” Pity in this case doesn’t mean the King felt sorry for the man. It means he identified with him. He said, “I can see how this could happen.” The first step in forgiving someone is to identify with them. Here’s why: As long as you refuse to identify with them, you can see them as less human than you. You can say, “I would never do something like that” Maybe that’s technically true. Maybe they cussed you out, and you never use foul language. Maybe they physically assaulted you, and you are not a violent person. Maybe they lied, and you’re always honest. But you are still a sinner. Even if you can’t identify with their specific sin, you know what it’s like to do the wrong thing. Forgiveness starts with climbing off your moral high horse and admitting that you’ve hurt others, you’ve hurt God, and you needed forgiveness too. And you will again.
“Oh Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit would seek and destroy the self-righteousness that makes me think others aren’t worthy of my forgiveness. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Conroe
More from Pastor Jeff at his website: jeffbergerwriting.com
