{"id":266,"date":"2023-07-26T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/?p=266&2023"},"modified":"2023-07-24T18:00:11","modified_gmt":"2023-07-25T00:00:11","slug":"forgiving-as-god-forgave-matthew-18-15-35","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reflectivebiblestudy.com\/gospeladventure\/forgiving-as-god-forgave-matthew-18-15-35\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgiving as God Forgave: Matthew 18:15-35"},"content":{"rendered":"
Focus Passage: Matthew 18:15-35 (NASB)<\/div>

15<\/sup>\u00a0“If your brother sins*<\/span>Late mss add against you<\/em><\/span>, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.<\/span> 16<\/sup>\u00a0But if he does not listen to you,<\/em> take one or two more with you, so that BY THE MOUTH OF TWO OR<\/span> THREE WITNESSES EVERY<\/span> FACT MAY BE CONFIRMED<\/span>.<\/span> 17<\/sup>\u00a0If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.<\/span> 18<\/sup>\u00a0Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.<\/span> <\/p>

19<\/sup>\u00a0“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven.<\/span> 20<\/sup>\u00a0For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”<\/span><\/p>

21<\/sup>\u00a0Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22<\/sup>\u00a0Jesus *<\/span>This word is present tense in the Greek, but it has been translated as past tense to conform to modern usage.<\/span>said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.<\/span> <\/p>

23<\/sup>\u00a0“For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.<\/span> 24<\/sup>\u00a0When he had begun to settle them,<\/em> one who owed him *<\/span>A talent was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer<\/span>ten thousand talents was brought to him.<\/span> 25<\/sup>\u00a0But since he did not have the means<\/em> to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.<\/span> 26<\/sup>\u00a0So the slave fell to the ground<\/em> and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’<\/span> 27<\/sup>\u00a0And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.<\/span> 28<\/sup>\u00a0But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred *<\/span>The denarius was a day’s wages<\/span>denarii; and he seized him and began<\/em> to choke him,<\/em> saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’<\/span> 29<\/sup>\u00a0So his fellow slave fell to the ground<\/em> and began<\/em> to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’<\/span> 30<\/sup>\u00a0But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.<\/span> 31<\/sup>\u00a0So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.<\/span> 32<\/sup>\u00a0Then summoning him, his lord *<\/span>This word is present tense in the Greek, but it has been translated as past tense to conform to modern usage.<\/span>said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.<\/span> 33<\/sup>\u00a0Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’<\/span> 34<\/sup>\u00a0And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.<\/span> 35<\/sup>\u00a0My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”<\/span> <\/p>

Read Matthew 18:15-35<\/a> in context and\/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!<\/p><\/div><\/div>\r\n

Have you ever wondered about whether there is a limit to forgiveness?<\/em><\/p>\r\n

This question has easily entered my mind, as it seems as though there is always someone who is trying to test the limits of forgiveness in my life.<\/p>\r\n

It probably doesn\u2019t surprise you, but Jesus\u2019 number 1 disciple, Peter, had this question as well. In response, Jesus gives us a powerful parable metaphor that should serve to guide us in answering this question.<\/p>\r\n

In this parable, Jesus equates forgiveness with money \u2013 specifically with a debt that was owed. When we feel as though someone else owes us (whether they owe money, some other debt, or even an apology)<\/em>, they are placed in a debtor\u2019s position \u2013 but usually, unless the deal had been arranged on the front end, the other person does not know about this \u201cdebt\u201d.<\/p>\r\n

In many ways, all debts can be illustrated with money metaphors, and therefore, all forgiveness can be illustrated using these metaphors as well.<\/p>\r\n

What is amazing to me about the parable Jesus gave is the extent of debt the man was in. One talent was worth 6,000 days wages, so in this parable where the man owed 10,000 talents, this means that the man owed 60,000,000 days of work, which equals a mere 3,654 years of service, or 137+ lifetimes.<\/p>\r\n

If we \u201cconservatively\u201d estimate this number while translating it into today\u2019s dollars, we still find a pretty big number. Imagine someone who works an 8 hour day, and who is paid $5.75\/hour (below minimum wage in most places).<\/em> In this parable, they would owe only $2,760,000,000.<\/p>\r\n

Now there are a few people in today\u2019s world who have $2.76 billion to their name, but chances are that they earned significantly more than this throughout their life, making their debt calculation on a per day basis significantly higher. In this parable, Jesus is describing a debt that was truly impossible for any single individual to repay. <\/p>\r\n

However, this is our debt to God \u2013 the huge expanse that sin caused, and it is truly impossible for us to repay this debt. However, even if it were possible for us, God does not demand that we pay this debt!<\/em><\/p>\r\n

God simply forgives the debt. He cancelled it. One moment, we\u2019re in an impossible to repay situation; the next, we are free. This is an amazing gift. You and I are worth more to God than billions and billions of dollars!<\/em><\/p>\r\n

However, with this amazing gift comes a sobering reality. Jesus tells us that as we have been forgiven, so we are to forgive others. If someone has hurt you or someone you care about, no dollar amount would be able to undo the action, but remember that no amount of money can repay God in the face of sin. This money talk is simply illustrating how serious God views sin.<\/p>\r\n

The only \u201crequirement\u201d this parable seems to imply (though it really isn\u2019t stated on the front end), is that with the debt that has been cancelled against us, we are to cancel the debts that others owe us. The parable concludes with the man who was forgiven, not extending forgiveness to another who owed him only 100 days wages ($4,600 in our example) \u2013 which is a very payable debt if given some time \u2013 and God undoing His original debt forgiveness.<\/p>\r\n

We have been forgiven, and God\u2019s forgiveness towards us is contingent on us being forgiving towards others. God forgave an impossible to repay debt and He wants us to extend this grace towards those who have hurt us.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus<\/strong> \u201cReflective Bible Study\u201d package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here<\/a> and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!<\/em><\/p>

Subscribe<\/a> to this blog and never miss an insight.<\/em><\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Have you ever wondered about whether there is a limit to forgiveness? This question has easily entered my mind, as it seems as though there is always someone who is trying to test the limits of forgiveness in my life. 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