Matthew 18:15-35

Sheep, Little ones, and Servants.

Jesus continues with the parables as he moves from lost sheep to little ones. Little ones are also the sheep, but little ones are our brothers and sisters as well. If your brother sins, Jesus commands us to go to the brother and tell him what the issues is. We are not asked to confront them but lovingly help them to see their sin so that forgiveness can be given to a repentant heart. Even people of faith have sin intrude into their lives. Sin breaks up fellowship with others and can destroy relationships and even families. Christ is giving us a way to keep such failings from destroying family unity. A desire for reconciliation can keep God’s little ones from turning from Him and keep us all unified in Him.

#1 Why do you think Peter was so troubled and asked how many times must he forgive?

Peter asks if there are limitations to forgiveness. I am sure he had felt the sting of a fellow brother who hurt him deeply and forgiveness may have been something he was unwilling to offer. I know I have been in such a “thought process” and been unwilling to give forgiveness.

Jesus is teaching us that we are to offer loads of forgiveness, much like He calls us to love lavishly. We were given forgiveness for past, present and future sins - a great debt was forgiven. That means we have been lavishly covered in forgiveness as well.

Because of Peter’s question Jesus went on to elaborate His point by giving an account of an unforgiving servant. Jesus’ new parable involves servants as the little ones. The King is Jesus and He was gentle, loving and very patient with us. As servants of our King we are now called to have patience and to extend forgiveness to others.

#2 What will the failure to have such patience and forgiveness cause?

That failure will cause us to be separated from our experience of God’s forgiveness. It is not because God is unwilling to forgive. It is because forgiveness is like a coin with 2 sides. You can’t have heads (receive forgiveness) without having tails ( extend forgiveness).

When the King forgave the servant the lower servant should have been forgiven but wasn’t. Because Jesus is our King, we are that servant and our family and friends can be seen as the “lower servant’ in terms of relationship in the grand picture of forgiveness. Our faith and status of being forgiven does not mean our status is elevated above another for we are all subject to the will of God. And we are to treat our fellow servants as God treats us.

#3 For us to be great in Christ’s present kingdom, what must you and I do?

We must take our place as God’s little ones and servants. We need to see our fellow believers in the same way… as God’s little ones. We must never forget that we are His sheep, prone to stray, and are always in need of our Shepherd’s care. We also must not forget that all are to be treated with the same patience and forgiveness we were given.