Matthew 18:21-35 NIV. Matthew 13:35), and in part because it was a means of separating those with ears to hear and those with hardened hearts (cf. “Until seven times?” (v. 21c). Default. • No risk is too great when seeking one sheep that is lost. The Uniform Series text we’re studying for Sunday, July 1 is Matthew 18:21-35, the “parable of the unforgiving servant.” Here are some questions raised by the text that we might (or might not) find it useful to consider in class: In v21, Peter asks Jesus how … Find Matthew 18: 21 35 Sermons and Illustrations. Workers in the Vineyard. The victim must take the initiative to seek out the offender and to resolve the conflict. Matthew 17. In Matthew, they refer to forgiveness. King Louis XII of France articulated the feeling of many people when he said, “Nothing smells so sweet as the dead body of your enemy.” Yet… This is the third and final extract from Matthew’s discourse on the Church. But this does not mean he is saved. 2 (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1957), Bergant, Dianne with Fragomeni, Richard, Preaching the New Lectionary, Year A (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 2001), Blomberg , Craig L., New American Commentary: Matthew, Vol. ), which the WEB has updated. Matthew 18:21-35. Most of these stories are horrifying: this is the hardest … • If we forgive our brother or sister from the heart, how can we demand recompense for that which we have forgiven? Spend a few minutes and write out the main point of the parable in one sentence in your own words. Forgiveness must be the most difficult one because it demands so much from us. Verse 26 – It appears that this servant is repentant. Yes, it does mean what it says. Matthew 18:21-35 (ESV) The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we would do that! Verses 15-20 tell us how seriously we are to take these violations. In verses 15-20, Jesus required us to seek out any Christian brother or sister with whom we had issues in an attempt to resolve those issues. That’s why Matthew 18:21-35 includes the parable of the unforgiving servant. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant slightly amended, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, c. 1556, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, Wikimedia Commons. “and I forgive him?” (v. 21b). Visit our library of inductive Bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the Bible you can use in your small group. This is a difficult text, because it demands so much. 31“So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry (Greek: lupeo—full of sorrow), and came and told to their lord (Greek: kyrios—a word often used for Jesus as Lord) all that was done. Does he require the kind of passivity that would make us an easy mark for unscrupulous people? • Our text for this Sunday, then, simply extends the concerns of the earlier parts of the chapter by calling us to throw away the calculator when it comes to forgiveness. The Great Shepherd is not content to have ninety-nine safe sheep, but risks everything to save one lost sheep. Forgive us our Trespasses. • If we forgive our brother or sister from the heart, how can we claim to forgive but not forget? Matthew 18:34. ὀργισθεὶς: roused to just and extreme anger.— βασανισταῖς: not merely to the gaolers, but to the tormentors, with instructions not merely to keep him safe in prison till the debt was paid, but still more to make the life of the wretch as miserable as possible, by place of imprisonment, position of body, diet, bed, etc., if not by instruments of pain. Parable of the Ten Virgins – Matthew 25 1 13 – Meaning and Commentary; The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl – Matthew 13 44 52 meaning; Justice without Mercy is cold and even cruel. 18); and the end of the age (ch. Peter has received mercy from God, and will require another massive dose of mercy once he has denied Jesus three times (26:69ff). “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you'” (v. 29). There is nothing stingy about this forgiveness. The numbers seven and seventy-seven may have their roots in Genesis 4. The debt—ten thousand talents—is a measure beyond measure—like our word zillions. Help us continue to create Bible study resources by supporting Study and Obey for as little as $1. Matthew 21.1-11. If you’ve ever gotten to a concert early, you’ve probably heard the musicians tuning their instruments. Forgiveness from the heart is possible only by the grace of God. It includes the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Unforgiving Servant which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven.The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it. Forgive 70 times 7 Meaning. VIII (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), Brueggemann, Walter; Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV—Year A (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1995), Bruner, Frederick Dale, Matthew: Volume 2, The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28 (Dallas: Word, 1990), Brunner, Emil, Sowing and Reaping: The Parables of Jesus (London: The Epworth Press, 1964), Craddock, Fred B.; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M., Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1992), Gardner, Richard B., Believers Church Bible Commentary: Matthew (Scottdale, Pennsylvania: Herald Press, 1990), Hagner, Donald A., Word Biblical Commentary: Matthew 14-28, Vol. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten … 24-25). A person keeping records of forgiveness is like a rogue banker whose motive is foreclosure. If Matthew 18:15-20 Is Not Followed, This Does Not Make the Sinner Any Less Guilty I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. So likewise shall my heavenly Father This is the accommodation and application of the parable, and opens the design and intent of it; showing that God, who is Christ's Father, that is in heaven, will act in like manner towards all such persons, who are cruel and hard hearted to their brethren, and are of merciless and unforgiving spirits; for so it is said, The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Jesus calls a child to Him and puts that child in … And if we harbor unforgiveness and hatred in our hearts toward others, then it demonstrates we have not truly repented of our sins and therefore God will not forgive us either. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951), Keener, Craig S., The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: Matthew, (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1997), Long, Thomas G., Westminster Bible Companion: Matthew (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1997), Lockyer, Herbert Sr. (Gen. Does forgiving mean you will not bring it up again? How strange it is to see the same commentators who so diligently labored to show that this same word had an opposite meaning in the case of Joseph not knowing Mary "till" she had brought forth her first born son, etc. The slave, ironically, sees only the small debt owed him and willing to make no allowances. If he sins against you seven times in the day, and seven times returns, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him”, “But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made”, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all”, “The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, “But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii”, “and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe'”, “So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you'”, “He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due”, “So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry”, “Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! . “The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion (splanchnistheis—a bowel-deep feeling of compassion), released him, and forgave him the debt” (v. 27). • No care is too great when dealing with the little ones—vulnerable ones. 24When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand (Greek: myrion) talents. The central issue is not justice but reconciliation. “and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe'” (v. 28b). What is forgiveness? Yet this man is unwilling to forgive his fellow servant. Read the Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 The parable we have before us deals with the healing of hurts between people, that is, the way to resolve differences, to heal the breaches that frequently come between members of families and members of churches, to dissolve the resentments and settle the bitter feuds and the fights that sometimes break out Those who have little (such as these servants) often feel compassion more acutely than those who have much. Asking for forgiveness is an act of humility. Use these free Bible lesson to teach kids in your Sunday School class the meaning of mercy and forgiveness. This is easy to understand but sometimes hard to practice. We find the answer to such questions in verses 15-20, where Jesus outlines a rigorous process for dealing with an unrepentant brother or sister—a process that can lead to excommunication. Matthew 6:15 – If you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you. Matthew 13:35), and in part because it was a means of separating those with ears to hear … Continue reading "Commentary on Matthew 18:21-35" “Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! This is a kingdom parable. The king, even though an important man faced with many great issues, was able to relate to the first slave’s hopeless situation and willing to make allowances to remedy it. Matthew 5:26. 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? He did this in part to meet the “prophetic” declaration of Psalm 78 to open the mouth in parables and “dark sayings of old” (Psalm 78:2, cf. Jesus' surprising response becomes the foundation for the rest of the chapter. Verse Commentary on Matthew 18:21-35. Matt 18:23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.. 24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. This parable is not an allegory (a story in which things have a hidden or symbolic meaning: i.e., a=one thing; b=the second thing, etc.). In kingdom parables, Jesus gives us a glimpse into a very different world—a world that operates according to principles that are often the opposite of those with which we are familiar—a world that functions as our world was intended originally to function—a world where God is king, reigning in the hearts of his subjects. Who are the servants? No because they are addressing two different types of sin occurring in two different types of relationships. But all these acts can offer is false hope. Matthew 18:21-35 Matthew 18:21-35 Personally Forgiving Wrong-doers 21 Peter approached Jesus and said, “Lord, how often do I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Verses 28-30 – The servant is unwilling to forgive a far smaller debt. Spend a few minutes and write out the main point of the parable in one sentence in your own words. Just imagine how much more effective the church’s witness would be if we Christians practiced these two disciplines—seeking to resolve issues with fellow Christians and forgiving fellow Christians. Seven times of forgiving a brother is already many more times than their culture. How can we manage to forgive like that, especially when we have suffered a grievous injury at the hands of the offender? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. What does His answer mean? Matthew 18:21-35. A Preterist Commentary on Matthew 18:21-22: The Meaning of the Seventy Sevens. Peter raises a very practical issue. Does the final result of this parable indicate that a person can lose his salvation? Our text for this Sunday is about forgiveness. However, there is a big difference. For instance, the king represents God, but some of his behavior—i.e., the order to sell the slave’s wife and children—is not Godlike. God wants us to forgive others. Jesus continues by saying that it would be better for us to drown in the depths of the sea than to put a stumbling block in the path of one of these little ones (v. 7). Some think that this parable means a person can lose his salvation. Matthew 18: 21-35. No slave has any hope of paying either of those amounts. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. The revenue would be applied to the debt, but would be a drop in the bucket. However, the amount of money owed is far less than the ten thousand talents (One talent is equal to about 33 KG of gold). “Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all” (v. 26). 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Read the Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 The parable we have before us deals with the healing of hurts between people, that is, the way to resolve differences, to heal the breaches that frequently come between members of families and members of churches, to dissolve the resentments and settle the bitter feuds and the fights that sometimes break out. Does Jesus’ answer mean you should count seventy sevens (or 490) times? Matthew 18:21-35: Forgiven People Forgive People Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:22 "God has forgiven me much, so I think it's my responsibility to forgive others." 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