By Rusty Weller
     When Leonardo da Vinci was painting the Last Supper, he had a bitter argument with a fellow painter. Leonardo’s grudge was so great he used the man’s face for Judas, intending him to be forever viewed as the betraying disciple.
     But da Vinci then discovered he could not paint the face of Christ. Something was holding him back, and Leonardo decided it must be his hatred toward this painter.
     So he worked through his unforgiveness by painting over the image of the painter with another face for Judas. Only then was Leonardo able to paint Jesus’ face and complete the masterpiece.
     Yes, unforgiveness can stop you cold. It’s a sin God takes very serious – so serious He attaches a special penalty for those who refuse to forgive.
     That’s right  -- this one carries a painful punishment for Christians.
     Check out Matthew chapter 18 where Peter in effect asks: "Must I always forgive?" The religious leaders of Jesus’ day said to forgive three times. Peter asks, "Up to seven times?"
     Jesus answers with the Law of Forgiveness: "I tell you not seven but 77 times," countering the "Law of Vengeance" from Genesis 4:24 where Lamech says he should be avenged 77 times.
     Jesus then backs up His Law of Forgiveness with the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, a very scary lesson:
     A servant unable to pay the equivalent of a $10 million debt is called before the king, who orders him and his family into slavery. The servant’s plea for patience, though, touches the king, who forgives the staggering debt and lets him go free.
     The forgiven servant then has another servant put in prison for not paying, say, a $20 debt. When the king hears of this, the forgiven-but-unforgiving servant is jailed to be tortured.
     Jesus then states flatly: "This is how My Heavenly Father will treat each of you unless your forgive your brother from your heart."
     Put in prison? Tortured? Will God really do that to us for the sin of unforgiveness?
     Sure! Not a physical prison of bricks and bars, but a spiritual prison where we definitely will be tortured.
     How can that be?
     Well, consider first the fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When you choose not to forgive, you experience hate instead of love, pain instead of joy, conflict instead of peace, impatience instead of patience, harshness instead of kindness, arrogance instead of gentleness and rebellion instead of self-control.
     Unforgiveness, therefore, places us in a spiritual prison behind bars of negative and sinful attitudes and actions. There we are tortured by feelings of hate, pain, conflict, frustration, evil and ugliness -- until we forgive and are forgiven.
      Many don’t feel they have it in their heart to forgive and be free, especially when they’re the wronged party. Well, here’s good news: Forgiveness is not a feeling of love but an action of love.
     Don’t delay until it feels right. Trust and obey right away. Nothing good comes out of our hearts, only from above, so don’t wait. When we do as God says, at the very moment we act, His love will flow through us to others in the form of forgiveness. The Holy Spirit will even give us the words to say.
     What a deal! And you’ve got the Lord’s golden guarantee on it.
     Jesus has forgiven your $10 million sin debt; so don’t force the Father to put you in a spiritual prison of your own making for a $20 grudge. Don’t allow yourself to be tortured out of stubbornness.
     Forgive immediately as an act of obedience and experience the joy of letting God’s warm love flow.