Luke 7:41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.”
Ancient monetary values can never be calculated with complete exactness. But, a close approximation is surely possible. The Roman denarius was worth about a day’s wages in that time. So for our purpose here that helps us to see the difference between the two sums. The one debtor owed what would be the equivalent of several hundred dollars, up to maybe a thousand. The other owed more on the order of tens of thousands, up to one hundred thousand.
These amounts give us a good understanding of the comparison made. Both of these debtors owed enough to be consequential. But, the one owed such a sum that, depending on his circumstances, he might never hope to repay. The one who was forgiven less would surely be grateful, but the one forgiven more would feel indebted for his very life to the creditor.
Imagine if a person gave you a brand new riding lawn mower. You would be that person’s friend for a long time. But, if that same person gave you a house, well that would make them very special to you. You might even feel unworthy of the present.
Heavenly Father, I can be so skewed in my understanding of You. When I begin to glimpse the depth of my sin and the greatness of Your mercy and grace, it is overwhelming. I cannot help but wonder if my response is anything like what it should be. I don’t know what to say. In the face of Your amazing love and perfect justice I can only prostrate myself in wonderful awe. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I pray and praise You, Amen.