Forgiveness is at the heart of Easter. It has been extended to us by God and we must extend forgiveness to others. Forgiveness is a life choice - a daily practice we should always strive to do, despite the circumstances we face. In today's passage, Jesus shows us, through the parable, the circumstances that we face if we do not forgive. Are we any different to the unforgiving servant? Jesus' death on the cross wiped away an impossible debt of sin for us that we could never repay. A new life can be obtained by everyone who accepts Jesus' death and resurrection for themselves.

There would be very little places in our world today where care is not needed. Jesus showed great care for others in His time on earth, healing those who were rich, poor and outcasts. He showed compassion to all people, even those who apposed Him. Ultimately, God allowed Jesus to sacrifice Himself for the sin of all mankind because of His great love and care for us all. We need to care for all people and live as an ambassador of Jesus.

We are all called to treat everyone as equals. This has not been always the case in world history, particulary in relation to slavery, and is still true today. Jesus came into this world and treated all people with equal dignity. All humanity is made in the image of God. At the core of our Christian belief, everyone is equal. This is sometimes not easy to accept when we see the actions of others, but we need to be accepting of everyone because they matter to God. We all have value and worth because of what Jesus did for us all.

As Christians, we have all been appointed by God to serve as ambassadors in this world to bring a reconcilation of peace between God and humanity. God makes His appeal to the world through us. We need to fear the Lord, submit to Him and persuade others to follow Him. Jesus died for all people so that those who accept Him as their Saviour can live again. Jesus dies because of His love for us. How can we not live for Christ because of this love shown for us.

John the Baptist was one of the first people to recognise Jesus as the Messiah, even when he was in the womb! John understood who Jesus was in God's Kingdom and what He ws called to do. John prepared the people for repentance, waiting for Jesus to come. John pointed to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the one who came to save us from our sin. Where do we point - to ourselves or to Jesus?