Finally Free
Once upon a time there was a man who owed a lot of money. Let's call him Walter.
Walter owned a printing company that for some years had been belly-up in debt. The recent reversals and upheavals in the economy had hit his business hard, and the only way he had been able to stay afloat had been a series of bad loans that he was now being ordered to pay. When Covid hit, he had mortgaged his house to support the business, and before he knew it, had mortgaged the business to support itself. His wife was working two extra jobs just to put food on the table, while Walter spent every waking second trying to scrape the funds together to pay back his massive debts. Now he stood in debtors' court, facing the judge, who also happened to be the brother to the bank president to whom Walter owed so much money.
Walter was out of time, out of money and out of hope. He owed upwards of $50 million, and there was no way he could think of to pay it.
He heard Judge Cameron call his name, preparatory to reading the verdict, and he stood, head bowed in shame, waiting to hear his sentence. He was going to jail, he knew it, he was going to lose his house and business, and what would his wife and kids do without him? How would they survive without a home or a father and husband? Through a fog of misery, he heard the judge begin: "In the case of Walter Simmons, business owner, this court finds him guilty of neglecting to pay his debt of $50,523,891.00. The bank is confiscating his home and business, and this court is remanding him to prison to work off his remaining debt until such time as it should be paid in full...."
"Excuse me, Your Honor," a firm voice cut in. Judge Cameron looked up, astonished at the interruption, then his face relaxed when he recognized his brother standing and addressing him from the prosecuter's bench.
"What is it, John?" he asked.
"Your Honor, may I approach the bench?" John Cameron asked. Judge Cameron beckoned him forward, and Mr. Cameron walked toward him, stopping right in front of his brother and began speaking earnestly in a low voice.
The crowd in the courtroom imperceptibly leaned forward, straining to hear the conversation, but all they caught was a startled "Are you sure?" from Judge Cameron as he glanced at the miserable defendant, who had sunk back down in his seat with his hands covering his face. Mr. Cameron nodded decisively, then returned to his seat. Judge Cameron cleared his throat, shuffled the papers in front of him and addressed the courtroom in general.
"Well, it seems there has been a change in the case against Mr. Simmons. Mr. Simmons, if you would please stand?" to that bewildered man, who faced unexpectedly a judge who was now smiling gently at him. Walter stood.
"Mr. Simmons, in light of the extreme amount of your debt and the great unlikelihood of your ever completely repaying it, Mr. Cameron, the president of Cityview Bank, to whom you owe so much money, has elected to forgive your debt completely. You are free to go. Court is adjourned." The court immediately erupted into excited conversations.
Walter stood in dazed confusion as Judge Cameron banged his gavel, then rose and retired from the court. His lawyer shook his hand enthusiastically and congratulated him on his good fortune, while several bystanders grinned at him and added in their congratulations as well. It seemed to Walter that he stood in a sea of people swirling about him, all talking to him as if from a great distance, and he couldn't really understand what anyone was saying. In his head, phrases from the judge's pronouncements spun around and around: "...this court finds him guilty....neglecting to pay his debt...owe so much money...free to go."
Free to go? How could he be free to go? Had Mr. Cameron decided to extend the deadline of his loan to give him more time to come up with the money? Yes, yes. That must be it! Mr. Cameron! Where was Mr. Cameron? Walter shook himself out of his daze and looked quickly around. Yes! There he was! Surrounded by his lawyers, he was just now leaving the courtroom with a pleased smile on his face. Walter hurriedly grabbed his coat and pushed past the people around him, almost running down the aisle to catch up with the man.
"Mr. Cameron! Oh, Mr. Cameron!" he called, and the bank president turned and waited for Walter to reach him. When Walter did, he grasped Mr. Cameron's hand and shook it heartily, his words spilling out over each other. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Cameron! Thank you! I promise I'll pay the money back just as soon as I am able! Just a few more months, I promise!"
Mr. Cameron laughed and withdrew his hand, throwing his own up in defense. "No, no, Mr. Simmons, you misunderstand. I am forgiving your debt completely; you owe me nothing." But Walter had already turned and rushed out of the building, eager to tell his wife the good news. Shrugging, Mr. Cameron turned back to his lawyers, and they returned his smile.
"Does that man realize how lucky he is?" one of the men asked Mr. Cameron.
"Not yet, but I'm sure it will sink in eventually," Mr. Cameron replied with a laugh. "Come on, let's get some lunch; I'm starving." The courtroom quickly emptied as everyone headed to lunch.
Walter, meanwhile, had already returned to his printing shop and was canvassing his records, trying to figure out where he could get the money he needed to repay the bank. Did he still have any customers who owed him money? He thought he had collected all his due, but it was just possible he had overlooked one, and until new orders came in, that was his only hope of getting any money to pay back his debt. Then he saw it, there at the very bottom of a page--one Malcolm Tobery, who owned a little bistro in town, had ordered menus, place cards and banners last year from Walter's business and had yet to pay for the order. Walter gasped when he read the amount owed: $500! Why, that was a great-sized amount to take to Mr. Cameron today to prove his ability to repay his debt! Walter jumped up from his office chair and rushed out of his shop immediately, heading for Tobery's restaurant.
Thirty minutes later, John Cameron, bank president, was just finishing his meal at his favorite café when he heard a commotion in the back of the restaurant--voices yelling and things crashing. He signaled a waitress and asked what was the matter.
"There's a man in the back," she said with a sidelong glance toward the kitchen. "He says Mr. Tobery owes him money, and he's gonna take him to court if he doesn't pay up."
"Oh?" John raised his eyebrows, intrigued. The morning's events were still fresh on his mind. "Mind if I take a look? Maybe I can help Malcolm out--loan him some money till he can repay." The waitress hesitated, then nodded and led Mr. Cameron toward the back of the restaurant.
They walked into the kitchen just in time to see Walter Simmons with his hands around Malcolm Tobery's throat, choking him and shouting, "Give me my money or else!" The kitchen staff stood around, frozen in horror, while the floor was covered with broken dishes and food from where Malcolm had been working when Walter burst in.
"Please," Malcolm gasped out. "Please...I'll pay you...the money...just give me...more time!"
"You've had a year," Walter snarled. "I'm taking you to court now!" And he dragged Malcolm out of the restaurant, completely missing the stunned face of John Cameron behind him. The kitchen staff all began talking as soon as the door closed behind the two men, but John Cameron didn't say a word. Quietly, he returned to his table, paid for his meal, bid his friends goodbye and went to see his brother.
Two days later, Walter Simmons was arrested for assault and battery and defrauding the Cityview Bank, his home and business were confiscated, and he himself placed in jail until his debts were completely repaid, a process sure to last him the rest of his life. The End.
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Before we go any farther, let me just say, this story is completely made up--it is not based on an actual event. It is a modern retelling of a parable that Jesus told, and while it may seem unbelievable that a person could actually be sent to jail because he or she owed money, not even 200 years ago that was a reality in many places in the world.
Jesus told this story to his disciples (his version was much shorter 😉) to illustrate to them the importance of forgiveness in a child of God's life. We, like Walter, have been forgiven an incredible amount, more than we could ever hope to repay. The only difference is Walter's debt consisted of money; our debt consists of sin. We didn't deserve God's mercy; we did nothing to earn it. In fact, our best efforts, just like Walter, only sunk us deeper and deeper in debt, yet God forgave us our sins, wholly and completely, through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross.
The question is, are we living like we are forgiven?
Walter was forgiven, but he didn't believe it. He didn't realize it, and because of that, he was unable to show the same mercy he had been shown to those who had wronged him. And yet, their debt was nothing compared to his! So too, the wrongs that others do to us pale in comparison to the wrong we have done to Jesus. If we really understand the depth of God's mercy and grace toward us, then we can let go of any hurt, anger or resentment we feel toward those who have wronged us.
Notice I said "can". It is a choice we make. Forgiveness is always a choice. It's not something you feel, because if you wait until you feel like forgiving someone, you never will.
around us by sharing with them what we ourselves have been given. It is also the only way to freedom.
Much has been said about the way that bitterness and unforgiveness entrap us, putting us in a cage that grows smaller and tighter the longer we allow it to fester. Who was it that said that when we forgive someone, we find to our surprise that the prisoner we released was ourselves? It's true. Harboring resentment and unforgiveness toward someone, anyone, wraps our heart in chains that grow longer and heavier the more time we allow it to stay there. The person you're angry with may never know how they hurt you, they may not care, they may not feel your resentment, but you will. You will feel the bitterness and anger eating away at you whenever you see them or hear of them, and you might not even notice how those feelings control you instead of you controlling them, but they do.
Viewed like this, forgiveness is really a matter of self-preservation.
So, what does forgiveness look like? If it's a choice, then it's choosing to treat that person(s) with fairness and kindness even when we don't feel like it. It's choosing to seek their best interest in all things, which is the essence of love. And it's choosing not to give in to the anger or hurt we feel when we're around them, but instead to remind ourselves of how much God has given us and them--if He can choose to love them after all they've done, so can we.
It's not easy or quick. It's a process. It takes time. But like any habit, when practiced consistently, it becomes a way of life. And one morning we wake up and realize we're finally free.
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