Every year, some US citizens make donations to help reduce the nearly $5 trillion national debt. Since the government began accepting gifts for that purpose in 1961, more than $52 million has been given. That's a lot of money, but it hardly scratches the surface of the debt.

How much is $5 trillion? Think of it like this: If you had $1 trillion and spent $1 million a day--$365 million a year--it would take almost 3,000 years to spend all that money. Now multiply that by five.

The servant in the parable of Matthew 18 had an enormous debt. It was so great that the king wanted the servant, his wife, his children, and all he owned to be sold as payment (v.25). He asked for more time and promised to repay all he owed (v.26). But the amount was so huge that there was absolutely no way he could. So the king had compassion on him and forgave the debt. The servant, however, was heartless and showed no mercy to someone who owed him but a fraction of what he had owed the king (vv.28-30).

What was Jesus saying in this parable? He was teaching us what it cost God to forgive us of our sin. And He wants us never to forget the importance of forgiving those who are indebted to us.  — Dennis J. De Haan