The Question
By Jack Wyman
He’d been a member of the firm for 16 years.
Capable, loyal, decent, hardworking.
Ben would have trusted Dan with his life. He was a close friend, soulmate, and just a super guy.
They went fishing together, played golf together, joined the rotary together.
They attended the same church and were in a men’s Bible study together.
Dan was the Chief Financial Officer.
Ben didn’t want to think the worst when the money came up missing. It had to be an honest mistake - not embezzlement. It wasn’t a big company - about 80 employees on average. There was a logical explanation, a bookkeeping error, an innocent oversight.
Trying to convince himself, Ben wrestled deep inside. This had never happened before. Ever.
When Ben asked Dan about the missing $100,000, Dan evaded a direct answer, feigned ignorance and told Ben, “We’ll get to the bottom of it, it’s some kind of mistake.”
“You know, Ben, I’d never do this to the company - certainly never to you.”
Dan fidgeted. He talked about his family, his time with the firm, their close friendship. He seemed to look everywhere but at Ben.
Ben’s heart sank. He was more nervous than Dan - and Dan was plenty nervous. Ben knew Dan was lying. After he asked him directly, “Dan, did you take the money? Yes or no?” Dan confessed. He’d been depositing company funds into his personal account.
“Ben, I’m so sorry.”
Ben couldn’t believe it. Was this happening? Had one of Ben’s closest friends - and most reliable employees - been caught stealing? The man he trusted above all others to manage the firm’s finances? Ben was too stunned to be angry. He was devastated. A speeding locomotive of jumbled emotions plowed through his heart and mind.
They left the office that night in an awkward and terrible silence. Neither of the friends knew what to say to the other. Both men were in profound pain - the betrayer and the betrayed. There was no further communication. Dan didn’t come in the next day.
Two days later, Ben was talking with Jim, a mutual friend. He confided what had happened. Ben told Jim he knew he could have reported Dan to the authorities, fired him on the spot and pressed charges.
“Dan’s got a kid still in college. His wife doesn’t work. This will ruin him. Disgrace, fines, likely jail time. Jim, I don’t know what to do. I’ve got the power to destroy one of my closest friends. I’m within my rights, I know. The thing is, Dan confessed everything.
Ben looked at Jim, tears glistening in his eyes. “I’ve prayed, I’ve struggled, I’ve thought long and hard. This is tearing me up inside. I’ve never faced anything like it.”
Jim looked at Ben intently. Then he asked him a simple question.
“If the situation was reversed, how would you want to be treated?”
Peter asked Jesus, “how many times should I forgive my brother?” (Matthew 18:21).
There had to be some reasonable limit. Some things were simply unforgivable. We can’t be played for fools, taken advantage of, disrespected. We can’t be naïve. After all, we have rights too.
“Seven times?” That ought to do it.
Jesus smiled at his impetuous disciple. “No, not seven times,” he answered, “seven times seventy.”
That will do it.
This reminded Jesus of a story (Matthew 18: 23-35).
A king had some outstanding loans - owed to him. He decided it was time to settle up. One of his servants owed the king a considerable amount - more than he could possibly re-pay. The king said in that case, the servant, his wife, his children - and everything he owned - would have to be sold to settle the debt.
The debtor fell to his knees before the king and begged him for mercy. “Please be patient,” the servant pleaded, “and I will repay it all” (Matthew 18: 26). The king had compassion toward the man and showed him kindness. He released him of all his debt and let him go.
But the forgiven debtor was not so kind to another servant who owed him a far smaller sum. He threatened him, grabbed him by the throat and demanded payment immediately. When the servant begged him to be patient and promised to repay, the man who had been the recipient of so much grace and mercy refused to be merciful.
He had the pleading servant thrown in jail.
When the king heard about this, he summoned the unforgiving debtor. “I had mercy on you and forgave you all your debts. Then you go and do this! How dare you!” The king had the heartless creditor thrown in jail until his entire debt was paid.
This was just one of many stories Jesus told to remind us that as we have been forgiven much, we too must forgive others. You and I owed a debt we could not pay. The burden and wages of our sin.
Jesus, on the cross, paid a debt he did not owe. He paid the price for our transgressions. What a great price it was - only he could pay it and set us free. God laid on him “the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
Considering what we have been forgiven - and the great debt paid by the One who knew no sin - how can we be unforgiving toward those who have wronged us?
The woman at the well, the publican standing in repentance, the woman caught in adultery, the woman at Simon’s house, Zacchaeus, the prodigal son, the thief on the cross.
All lost sheep the tender shepherd brought back to his fold.
Ben forgave Dan. They both wept. Ben gave Dan another chance and kept him on at the firm. Dan’s making restitution - a biblical precept. He’s paying it all back. Every dime.
Their friendship’s been restored.
A trophy of grace embraced with a question and answered with the Golden Rule.
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