Matthew 18:21 - 35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me?Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[h] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[i] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Questions:
ReplyDelete- What does it mean to forgive our brother or sister from our heart?
- Is our salvation conditional now?
(Because this is a parable, I am not asking questions about details of the parable. I think it's a mistake to base theology on the content of parables, rather than the overall meaning of the parable).
http://www.crivoice.org/matt18.html says:
ReplyDeleteIn the Gospel of Matthew there are five great discourses of Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount (ch. 5-7); the commissioning of the disciples (ch. 10); the parables of the kingdom (ch. 13); life in the church (ch. 18); and the end of the age (ch. 24-25).
The passage for this study on forgiveness is a part of the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 18 on life in the church.
Jewish tradition limited forgiveness to three times, perhaps based on Amos 1:3, 6, 9 and Job 33:29-30 (note Luke 17:4). Peter thought his willingness to forgive seven times was much more generous than Jewish tradition and thus surpassing the righteousness of Pharisees and teachers of the law (Matthew 5:20).
The phrase may also be translated "seventy times seven." But regardless of the exact translation, it means unlimited.
As in many of the parables of Jesus, this phrase does not mean that the kingdom of God is like any one element in the parable, but it is like the parable taken as a whole. In this parable, the kingdom of heaven is not like the king; it is like the parable in its entirety with all the things that happen in it.
In the parables of Jesus a king often stands for God. But if the king in this parable stands for God, the parable raises some disturbing questions about God's forgiveness, as will be seen below. The characters in the parables of Jesus are often morally questionable. Therefore one must look for the truth of a parable in the impact of the story as a whole, not in the moral quality of the individual characters in the story.
The reference may be to the custom of a gentile king who demanded an accounting from high officials to whom he had given the responsibility of collecting taxes from provinces within the kingdom.
A man who owed him ten thousand talents. This amount is so large that it cannot possibly be a personal loan. Even as taxes from a province it is an incredibly huge amount. Ten thousand was the largest number in the first century. The value of a talent varied from six to ten thousand denarii. A denarius was a common laborer's daily wage. A minimum daily wage in the United States would be approximately $40 ($5 an hour multiplied by 8 hours). Ten thousand denarii, or one talent, would be the equivalent of $400,000 in today's economy. Ten thousand talents would be over four billion dollars ($4,000,000,000). Needless to say, Jesus used ten thousand talents as a ridiculously exaggerated sum of money that the servant owed the king.
Since Jewish law forbade the selling of a person's wife and his children to pay a debt, we must conclude that the king in the parable was gentile. There were no Israelite kings during the lifetime of Jesus. In his parables Jesus often depicted conditions that existed at the time and were a common knowledge.
But even if the wife, his children and all that he had were to be sold, there would not be ten thousand talents. The sale of people into slavery did not bring in that much money. Jesus intended for his hearers to conclude that this was a hopeless situation.
In Greek the verb also means "he worshiped him," which is another indication that both king and servant were gentiles since Jews did not worship human beings. The servant did not ask the king to forgive him but to be patient with him and he would pay back everything, which is impossible and ridiculous in light of the astronomical debt.
The king did much more than show patience: he took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
http://www.crivoice.org/matt18.html continued:
ReplyDeleteForgiven but Unforgiving (18:28-30)
This section of the parable is identical in structure to the first part. This similarity of structure helps the hearer to notice all the more the stark contrast between the king's conduct and the conduct of the forgiven but unforgiving servant.
In contrast to the fantastic debt of the first servant, the fellow servant's debt of a hundred denarii was a mere trifle. It is equivalent to $4,000, or one millionth of the first servant's forgiven debt.
The conduct and words of the fellow servant in this verse are almost identical to the conduct and words of the first servant in verse 26, with two exceptions. First, the word "worship" is absent here. Secondly, the promise that the servant makes to pay back the owed amount does not have "everything" in this verse as it does in verse 26. This is all the more significant because the first servant's promise to pay back "everything" was simply a hollow promise. The fellow servant's plea here for patience and his promise to repay the debt were at least within the realm of possibility. Yet the irony is that the forgiven servant was not even willing to be patient, let alone cancel the debt.
Having a person thrown into prison until he could pay the debt was a common practice in the first century. Again, the two servants in this parable were probably a part of a hierarchical system where one official was accountable to the one above him for a certain amount of tax to be collected. If government officials in charge of collecting taxes were suspected of cheating or for some reason unable to come up with the expected amount, they were often imprisoned and tortured (cf. v. 34). This would force them to tell their superiors where they may have hidden some of the funds.
The king took back his offer of forgiveness. Instead, he turned the unforgiving servant over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. As this drama unfolds, the hearers of the parable cheer the king for his sense of justice.
Yet precisely at this point we must stop and take a second look. Why are we as hearers angered at the conduct of this unjust servant? Why do we rejoice at the decision of the king to revoke his forgiveness to this rascal? And if the king is a metaphor for God, what kind of God is this that in anger He revokes His forgiveness and condemns a person to eternal torture? If we as Christians are expected to forgive seventy-seven times, why can't God? Or is it possible that our angry response to the unjust servant is a telltale sign of our own unforgiving spirit? Perhaps we as hearers need to examine our own hearts and repent of our harsh judgment of others.
Refusal to forgive will make it impossible for us to understand and experience the forgiveness of God for us. Jesus taught his disciples to pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). Then commenting on that prayer, Jesus said, "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15).
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus expected his disciples to be perfect "as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48). The perfection demanded here is that of love, not only to one's neighbor, but also to one's enemies. After all, God "causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).
Forgiving others or not being forgiven was covered in Matthew 6:14-15. The link to the previous blog entry is http://hartmangroupdevotions.blogspot.com/2015/01/matthew-65-15-5-and-when-you-pray-do.html. It says:
ReplyDelete"For the old, corrupt, unforgiving nature of man is NOT forgiven ... IT HAD TO BE PUT TO DEATH SO THAT SIN COULD BE DONE AWAY WITH. Through what He did He has separated me from my sin and He does not hold it against me ... for He cannot. The fact is that WE, who have been separated from our sin CANNOT hold it against each other.
What He meant was just as simple: if they DID forgive men their trespasses, their Father WOULD forgive theirs. For if they DID forgive each other, that means they would have had the life of God within them. But they didn't have it ... and they didn't forgive ... and they weren't forgiven. Everything Jesus did and said, agreed with the Law. But He never suggested that they just try harder, for there is no salvation in the Law. The things He said spun their heads around in circles forcing them to ask in desperation, "Who then can be saved?" The answer?
With men, it's IMPOSSIBLE, but WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. Matthew 10:27
If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has passed away, behold ALL THINGS HAVE BECOME NEW! 2 Corinthians 5:17"
A little more on forgiving others: http://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/if-i-fail-to-forgive-others-will-god-not-forgive-me says:
ReplyDeleteIf the forgiveness that we received at the cost of the blood of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is so ineffective in our hearts that we are bent on holding unforgiving grudges and bitterness against someone, we are not a good tree. We are not saved. We don’t cherish this forgiveness. We don’t trust in this forgiveness. We don’t embrace and treasure this forgiveness. We are hypocrites. We are just mouthing. We haven’t ever felt the piercing, joyful wonder that God paid the life of his Son.
And it is not unique to Jesus. It is everywhere in Paul as well. He is talking to Christians here. “Have I not warned you before? Revilers will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Then he adds: “Such were some of you. But you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:9–11). What is a reviler? Somebody who hates and holds grudges and is unforgiving and bitter. People like that don’t go to heaven, not because kindness earns heaven, but because kindness is the fruit of the Spirit which is given to those who have been broken by the love of Jesus and have embraced the sweetness of being forgiven even though we have reviled God.
Struggling to forgive is not what destroys us. As long as we are in the flesh, we will do our good deeds imperfectly, including forgiving and loving others. Jesus died to cover those imperfections. What destroys us is the settled position that we are not going to forgive and we have no intention to forgive and we intend to cherish the grudge and fondle the wrong that someone did to me and feel the bitterness. It feels good. I like to go to bed with my wrath at night, because he legitimately wronged me. I am going to hold this against him the rest of his life.
http://www.agapeindia.com/steve/forgiveheart.htm discusses what forgiveness looks like:
ReplyDeleteSome say that Christians should forgive personal offenses immediately and unconditionally. Others say to forgive only people who repent. Some argue for both, depending on the situation. Others argue that there are different kinds of forgiveness with different requirements.
I believe that there are two kinds of forgiveness: heart forgiveness and verbal forgiveness. Heart forgiveness must be given unconditionally, while verbal forgiveness is conditional. The failure to understand this has caused a lot of confusion.
For one is a battle and one is a response. Heart forgiveness is the battle in the soul to subdue the reaction of the flesh to injury. Verbal forgiveness is the response of the forgiving heart to the repentance of the offender. Generally, Christians who only recognize one kind of forgiveness--verbal forgiveness--still would agree that bitterness must be overcome in the heart, but they would not refer to this heart-work as forgiveness. However, I maintain that not only is this heart-work appropriately called forgiveness, but this is the kind of forgiveness that is always demanded by Christ. Even when offenders do not repent, Christians are still required by the Bible to forgive personal offenses from the heart.
To understand this, heart and verbal forgiveness must be carefully delineated. Following are some of the other ways in which heart forgiveness and verbal forgiveness differ:
They differ in direction:
Heart Forgiveness is godward and vertical. With the help of God the victim seeks to set aside bitterness, hatred, and revenge.
Verbal Forgiveness is manward and horizontal. The victim responds to the repentance of the offender by telling him that he is forgiven.
They differ in what is accomplished:
Heart Forgiveness restores the victim. It removes the evil thoughts that undermine communion and fellowship with God.
Verbal Forgiveness restores the offender. It renews fellowship and makes full reconciliation possible.
They differ in what is required:
Heart forgiveness is the required response to all personal offenses.
Verbal forgiveness is required only when the offender repents.
They differ in location:
Heart forgiveness can be done alone before God in prayer.
Verbal forgiveness must be communicated to the offender.
They differ in possibility:
Heart forgiveness is the response of the offended party, so it is always doable. The victim does not need the cooperation of the offender.
Verbal forgiveness requires the repentance of the offender, so it is not always doable.
They differ in finality:
Heart forgiveness must be done continually. Man might sooner tame the wind than still the recurring bad memories that ignite bitterness. Yet as often as he remembers he must forgive.
Verbal forgiveness is required only once. Yet the victim may need to reassure the offender of forgiveness, just as Joseph had to reassure his brothers after Jacob died.
They differ in dependency:
Heart forgiveness may be done without verbal forgiveness.
Verbal forgiveness means nothing without heart forgiveness. The man who verbally forgives yet nurses a grudge has not truly forgiven
The Christian is commanded to forgive debtors. Debtors are not just those who owe money, but those who have offended in any way.
Not only must the Christian forgive debtors but all debtors.
When we forgive:
We acknowledge a wrong has occurred.
We recognize that the wrong has created an obligation for repayment.
We choose to release our offender from that obligation and to cover the loss ourselves.
7 x 7 is 49--whew. 77 times does not seem impossible but 490 does. I get it. I get it--infinite. I don't have anything relevant to say. I am so isolated that I don't have anyone to be mad at. When memories of injustice arise i say shut-up Esther. Is that forgiveness?
ReplyDeleteI still burn at past memories of injustice. Does that mean I harbor unforgiveness? Perhaps.
DeleteThis also ties in with "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
I believe that the proper translation of the word judge is similar to condemn.
Do we look back on the person who did that and condemn them? Do we look at them and not realize that we are just as bad, and have sinned just as egregiously against others? Can we look at them and see them as just like us? If we can, can we forgive ourselves and them just like Jesus has?
Do we still burn with indignation at injustice or wrongness? Good! We still care about the things that God does. Do we condemn the person who committed these things, or can we love them like we should love ourselves? I believe that we can do both.
Now that I think about it, the term "forgive and forget" - I don't think that is Biblical.