What Forgiveness Looks Like

Matthew 18:21-35

Verses 21-22 - The Teaching

How often? Seven times?

70 x 7 = 490

Luke 17:3–4 “Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.”

Mark 11:25 “And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Matthew 6:14–15 “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Verses 23-35 - The Illustration

The Kingdom of God is like...

Verses 24-34 - Two Servants

10,000 talents = 75lbs of Gold today, then it was 60,000,000 million denarii or about 160,000 years worth of wages. NOT REPAYABLE in anyone’s lifetime.

100 pence/100 denarii = 100 days wages. REPAYABLE

Verse 32 - These actions, this attitude reveal this servant to be wicked.

Verse 34 -

This brought the King’s wrath

He then holds him accountable and gives him over to the tormentors

He held him to justice rather than grace

Verse 35 - The Warning

Application

Forgiveness is unlimited, not conditional – Just as Jesus taught Peter that we must forgive “seventy times seven,” this passage reminds us that forgiveness should be a continuous, unwavering commitment. We must let go of the mindset that forgiveness has an expiration date or is dependent on the offender’s worthiness.

Grace received must be grace extended – The parable of the unforgiving servant shows us that God’s immeasurable grace toward us demands that we extend grace to others. We were forgiven an unpayable debt through Christ—how then can we withhold forgiveness for smaller offenses.

Unforgiveness carries consequences – The warning in verse 35 is sobering: withholding forgiveness puts us at odds with the heart of God. Just as the servant was delivered to the tormentors, holding on to bitterness imprisons us spiritually and emotionally. True freedom is found in releasing others just as God has released us.