Matthew 18:21-35 "Forgiveness"

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Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew 18…we pick up in V21 and will finish the chapter today, as well as finish this 4th Major Discourse of Jesus’… “The Discourse on the Church.”

Jesus and His disciples are in Capernaum, and Jesus shares with them how believers are to treat one another...because His Twelve Disciples were disputing about who would be the greatest, and then they went to Jesus perhaps thinking He would name one of them as the greatest, but He does not…instead He teaches them about true greatness.

They had to become as little children…humble…with no concern for position…laying down their rights and being servant of all.

They had to remove sin from their lives…cutting off sinful members causing them to stumble.

He warned…better for a millstone to be tied around their neck and they be drowned versus facing God’s judgment for stumbling a believer.

And, Jesus told them a parable…how God would leave the 99 to save 1 lost sheep…because He values us all tremendously.

After all of that, Jesus instructed them on how to reconcile with another believer…go to them alone, if they don’t hear you...then take 2 or 3 to establish the matter, if they still don’t hear you...then take it to the church.

Jesus gives the disciples quite the lesson on greatness in the kingdom of heaven.

And that brings us to today, and Jesus’ final lesson in this discourse…instructions on forgiveness…which is an appropriate piggy back to His lesson on reconciliation.

The title of today’s message is, “Forgiveness.”

Let’s Pray!

Matt 18:21-22 “Then Peter...” [Don’t you just love verses that begin with “Then Peter”? They’re like the antithesis to the “But God” verses…both grab your attention, ...but the Peter verses almost always go downhill.] “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

This Discourse (Matt 18) is 35 verses of King Jesus just laying it on the disciples…and, they had it coming…they were disputing about power and position and Jesus wasn’t going to stand for it.

His disciples were going to represent Him and His kingdom properly…humble servant leaders who were unified.

Matthew 18 is like one of those moments when a loving parent goes on and on about something you did wrong…and you can’t argue because you know you were wrong, so you just have to listen and take it.

For the most part that’s how Matthew 18 goes...except for V21 when Peter breaks the silence…and asks, how often to forgive.

A couple weeks ago, I took a guess that Peter, James and John were part of the dispute on who was the greatest…and the very fact that Peter asks this question about how often to forgive...further leads me to believe he is one of the people involved in the dispute.

Peter plays the victim… “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?”

Poor Peter…I doubt he was innocent... there’s a saying, “There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth.”

The actual saying goes... “There are three sides to every story: your side, my side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each differently.” To quote Robert Evans (producer of “The Godfather”)…not the most sterling human being, but wisdom comes even from talking donkeys.

The Bible says it this way, Pro 18:17 “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.”

For you and I, as brothers and sisters in Christ...somewhere in the middle…that’s where compromise... reconciliation... and forgiveness is found.

And, how wise are Jesus’ words…Matt 18:4 “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Humility is the perfect backdrop for this entire chapter.

So V21...what is Peter saying here? “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”

Peter’s question seeks a specific number of times to extend forgiveness…he places quantity upon forgiveness. The Greek literally states...“How many times will my brother sin against me and I will forgive him?”

Then Peter suggests “up to seven times?” Seven is a number repeatedly used in scripture…related to perfection or completion...difficult to say if Peter intentionally or arbitrarily suggests to forgive seven times.

One thought is Peter was being generous compared to Rabbinic teachings that capped forgiveness at three times.

The Jewish Talmud, written between 200-500 A.D. captured this tradition. Talmud Chapter 8:86b states, “When a person commits a transgression the first time, he is forgiven; a second time, he is forgiven; a third time, he is forgiven; but the fourth time, he is not forgiven, as it is stated: “Thus said the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, but for four I will not reverse it” (Amos 2:6). And it says: “All these things does God do twice or three times with a man.” (Job 33:29)

So, the Rabbis took the verses in Amos and Job literally and adopted a “3 strikes and you’re out” policy on forgiveness.

Hebrew scholars suggest “three and for four” was not literal though, but an idiom…an expression for a “full measure”… Amos Chapters 1-2 mention 8 cities that were being judged because their sin had overflowed…they reached the breaking point.

But, whether liter or idiomatic, the idea held. Rabbis thought forgiving three times was enough, and even formalized this in the Talmud.

So, Peter... perhaps thinking himself generous... suggests to forgive more than three times... “…up to seven times...”, but Jesus corrects him, as God does not place a quantity on forgiveness...

V22 “Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”

The Rabbis said forgive 3x…Peter suggests 7x…Jesus said, “seventy time seven”…490x …You’re welcome to those of you doing the math in your head.

490 is a lot of chances…it’s pretty bad if another believer sins against you 490x, but what’s even worse if you are keeping track. That’s just weird…and kind of hateful.

“Well, there it is…491…I’ve been waiting for this day...YOU SIR are NOT forgiven!”

Listen... Jesus is not being literal here… “seventy time seven” is just one of many numeric idioms in the Bible for countless or limitless.

No limit should be set on forgiveness. 1 Cor 13:5 states “Love... does not keep a record of wrongs.”

The reason we can’t limit forgiveness, is because if we do we are hypocrites, because how many times has God forgiven us?

Over the course of your lifetime, how many times has God forgiven you? 490? I’m not proud…I know I’ve exceeded that number.

And, how many more times would you like God to forgive you? Do you want to put a number on that?

Of course not…and God doesn’t want us to place a limit on forgiving other believers either.

One scholar wrote, “Christians with forgiving hearts not only do not limit the number of times they forgive; they continue to forgive with as much grace the thousandth time as they do the first time. Christians are only capable of this type of forgiving spirit because the Spirit of God lives within us, and it is He who provides the ability to offer forgiveness over and over, just as God forgives us over and over.” [GotQuestions.org]

This limitless forgiveness is not a contradiction to Matt 18:15-20…what we looked at last week... if a brother sins against you, if they don’t hear you after going alone…if they don’t hear you after taking 2 or 3... if they don’t hear the church…at that point you are to treat them as a heathen and a tax collector…a person who is outside the church.

Expelling a person from the church is not a contradiction to forgiveness. Forgiving does not mean consequences or boundaries are automatically eliminated.

2 Thes 3:14-15 states, “...if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, [that’s the boundary] that he may be ashamed. 15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish [warn] him as a brother.” [that’s love and forgiveness…hope that they will get right with God and obey His word].

And, consequences are loving because a believer who is perishing in sin needs the release and freedom of repentance.

We read last week how David felt before he confessed his sin... Ps 32:3-4 “When I kept silent, my bones grew old Through my groaning all the day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer."

David describes himself as aging…essentially dying holding on to his un-confessed sin.

We often think “to repent” is some form of punishment…like confessing you flushed the M80 down the toilet to the Principal. You confess, repent, and then you go to detention.

That’s not the purpose. Repentance is what happens prior to forgiveness. It’s freeing.

Later, during Jesus’ ministry in Perea, we read in Luke 17:3-5 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. [Repent first, then forgiveness] 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.” 5 And the apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”

It’s not easy, but God does not limit forgiveness, and we should be glad.

Before we move on, I want to mention there is only one other place in the Bible where seventy times seven…490 is mentioned. Daniel Chapter 9. Daniel’s 70th Week.

Most scholars agree that Daniel 9 refers to 70 weeks of years. 70 x 7…490 years.

Daniel 9:20-21 states, “Now while I [Daniel] was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God. 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.”

Daniel is praying for himself and Israel and Gabriel comes to give him insight and understanding of the vision of Israel’s future.

And, I find it very interesting that when Jesus mentions seventy times seven, His point is forgiveness…a key point to Daniel’s 70th week as well...

Gabriel explains Dan 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people [Israel] and for your holy city [Jerusalem], To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.”

Forgiveness…reconciliation…seventy times seven…interesting parallels. Keep forgiving until the kingdom comes.

To drive home the point to His disciples, Jesus then tells the “Parable of the Unforgiving Servant.”

Matt 18:23-34 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like [“is like” Parabolic language] a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant [contrast] went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him [not in prayer] and took him [by def. “to choke, to strangle”] by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ [this is the exactly what the first servant said in V26 “have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” What hypocrisy!?] 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison [debtors prison] till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. [that word “told” is a strong word meaning “to make clear, explain fully”…this was a thorough explanation of the other servants evil]. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.”

Keep in mind this is a parable…the word “parable” in Gk. paraballō by def. means “to throw alongside.”

Parables take natural truths and cast them alongside spiritual truths…and often use hyperbole…exaggerated statements…and there are definitely some extreme statements in this parable NOT to form doctrine out of... but are great spiritual truths…and impactful. So, let’s go through it...

The word “therefore” in V23 links this parable to all that Jesus just said...to expand upon His statement that forgiveness should be extended “...up to seventy times seven.”

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like...”

33x in Matthew we read about “…the kingdom of heaven...”

Matthew 13 is called either the “Parabolic Discourse” or the “Kingdom of Heaven Discourse”… because through 8 parables, Jesus paints an honest picture of His kingdom and it’s citizens (the good and the bad).

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares depicts how in His Kingdom are true followers and counterfeits.

The Parable of the Mustard Seed depicts the abnormal growth of His Kingdom, but not all was good…birds nested in the branches.

The Parable of the Leaven illustrated how sin would permeate the Kingdom.

The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price portray how Jesus gave all through His sacrifice to redeem mankind.

And, the Parable of the Dragnet forecasts the separation of the wicked and the just at the end of the age.

And, here in Matt 18, we observe the necessity of forgiveness in the kingdom of heaven...

…an important lesson for Jesus’ Twelve Disciples who have been disputing over who would be the greatest.

Jesus already instructed them to address each other’s sin... (go alone, take two or three, then take it to the church), and now He emphasizes forgiveness and warns against unforgiveness …let’s take a look...

In this parable... the main characters are a king and his servant.

What we observe about the king is:

V23...He is settling accounts with his servants. The word “accounts” Gk. Logos can be translated several ways, but given the context, the definition here is “a collecting.” He holds his servants accountable.

It’s the same word Peter uses in 1 Pet 4:5 to describe how we all give an account to God... 1 Pet 4:5 “They will give an account [logos] to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

Just like this king was settling accounts with his servants, so too our King will one day settle accounts with all believers and unbelievers.

In V24, we notice the king is immensely wealthy. When he settles accounts, just one of his servants owes ten thousand talents…which is an immense amount of money…and this would imply that his wealth far exceeds this one debt…especially since he is quick to forgive the debt.

In V27, we observe the king is a man of character… towards his servant...he is “moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.”

And, the fact that he is a king, and that he can forgive debt and can release him from prison all point to his authority. The king has authority to bind and loosen…to detain and to set free.

V25 and VSS 33-34 testify of his sense of justice. Our culture is much softer on debtors…oh…debt will hurt your credit score, and cost you money in interest over time, but in times past debtors prison and even slavery was common for debt.

OT law (Lev 25) even permitted a debtor to become a hired servant to work off one’s debt…that is...until the Year of Jubilee when all debts were forgiven. Exo 21 also speaks about hired servants and bondservants.

With justice still in mind, in V25 we see a punishment befitting the crime. The servant, his family, and all his belongings were to be sold to begin paying off the massive debt…culturally appropriate at that time.

But, in V34, when the servant’s wickedness, unforgiveness, and hard heartedness is being punished... he alone (not his family) is imprisoned and tortured until he paid all…which he never would be able to do.

The punishments of the king may seem harsh, but he was in the right. He was just. First he extended tremendous forgiveness, but equal was his wrath on hypocrisy.

James 2:13 “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”

And, in V34…we see that he is angry. This is called righteous anger and is permissible.

Eph 4:26-27 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.”

And, how about the servant? What we observe about the servant is:

In V23, he is just that... a servant… Gk. doulous…the lowest class of slaves, which may have just been a parabolic hyperbole…Jesus may just have been exaggerating the status of this man as a comparison of our inherent low status before our King... prior to all He extends to us…forgiveness, inheritance, place, position, and so forth.

The servant is in immense debt…and the word in V27 for “debt” by def. means “a loan,” so it does not appear that this was a case of embezzlement. Nevertheless, this is a debt that he is unable to pay, and debt threatening to jeopardize his entire family.

In V26 we see he is a liar. He falls down and calls the king “Master” (kurios...same Gk. word as “Lord”), and promises that he will pay all…both his confession and his promise are hollow lies.

He would never pay all. 1 talent of silver is worth 6000 denarii…which is 6000 days wages. He owes 10,000 talents…60 million days wages. And, that’s just if he owed 10,000 talents of silver…a debt of gold would be far worse.

Assume he works a 6 day week…312 days per year…it would take him over 192 thousand years to pay off a debt of 10,000 talents of silver. And, he says he will pay all. He’s a liar or delusional.

The servant is also cruel…in V32 the master calls him “wicked.” We see this both in his brutality as he grabs another servant by the neck demanding re-payment, and by his hypocrisy for not extending forgiveness when forgiveness was extended to him.

And, in V34, we observe this servant is condemned. “…delivered to the torturers until he should pay all that was due him.” A punishment that could have been avoided if he would have just extended the same forgiveness extended to him.

To help you understand the extent of this servants hypocrisy…let’s compare the debts.

The smaller debt was how much was owed between two servants…100 denarii.

100 denarii was 100 days wages (about 4-5 months of pay depending on a 5 or 6 day work week). Today in the U.S., an average hourly wage is somewhere around $25/ hour or $200/day x 100 days = This would be a $20,000 debt today, so not a small debt, but one that could be paid off.

The larger debt was 10,000 talents.

A talent is not a unit of money, but a unit of weight…you know your debt is bad when they stop counting the currency, and begin weighing it.

A talent weighed 58 - 100 lbs depending upon laws of the region regulating the currency. 75 or 100 lbs. is most widely accepted....talents were sometimes even referred to as “hundredweights.”

If a talent was monetized, then a talent is a sum of money [coins] weighing a talent. The most common metals for coinage by first century Romans were bronze and silver... sometimes gold.

I do believe Jesus had Roman currency in mind because in V28, He mentions a denarii…which was the common Roman silver coin equivalent to a days wages. I have a slide depicting some ancient Roman Coins.

So, how much is a talent worth? It’s difficult to say because Jesus does not tell us the weight nor which metal, but what I have read is when a talent is used as a measure of money…it refers to gold or silver…and this seems consistent with the Bible.

In the Bible, the word “talent” appears 9x in the NT, but no metal is ever listed. However, in the OT, the word “talent” appears 48x and 46x the word “talent” is linked to a metal.

20x Gold, 21x Silver, 3x Bronze, and 2x Iron. So, I do think it is safe to say that the talent Jesus had in mind was likely gold or silver.

A few days ago, I looked up the values of silver and gold today, and if we took a 75lb. talent of silver or gold and multiplied it by 10,000 (as Jesus said in V24), then Value of a Talent today would be:

10,000 talents of silver ... $257 million USDs.

10,000 talents of gold ... $19 Billion, 700 million USDs.

And, quite a bit more if you use a 100lb talent weight.

Whatever the exact value... I feel confident that the disciples knew what Jesus was saying. We don’t have the advantage of living in that cultural context where that monetary system was used, but they did.

I don’t think Jesus’ point was lost on them, and it shouldn’t be lost on us…no matter which metal (silver or gold)…10,000 talents is a very significant amount of money…and that was the point.

Far Less than 1% of the global population ever achieves this wealth. And, this servant…this doulous…He was in massive debt to his master.

So, what’s the point of this parable? In the context of Matthew 18, Jesus’ disciples were disputing over who would be the greatest, and Jesus teaches them about the kingdom of heaven and how it’s citizens must be humble, unified, and and then he tells them this parable...

And, we can draw many truths from this parable…the importance of compassion, forgiveness, and being like the king.

Plus, there are consequences for being uncompassionate and a wicked hypocrite.

Gal 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Several wonderful truths, but there is also a very serious spiritual implication and warning that Jesus concludes this discourse with. V35...

Matt 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Imagine the disciples... after disputing and listening to this discourse on how they are to behave as kingdom citizens…and then I can picture Jesus making eye contact with them and sternly warning them, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you...”

This is a “gulp” moment. The disciples probably peed themselves just a little bit when Jesus said these words. I think I would have…this was a serious warning.

Jesus is tying it all together and draws a parallel from the king in the parable to His heavenly Father. And, now they have the choice…they can forgive one another…or they will face the wrath of the King.

They can choose to be a wicked servant or a forgiving servant.

But, forgiveness is not optional in the Kingdom of heaven. It’s a mandate.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Matt 6:14, Jesus taught, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

Jesus said almost the same thing in Mark 11:25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

We must forgive. Col 3:12-13 “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.”

These disciples…you and I…we have been forgiven a debt that we could not pay.

Ps 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.”

He zeroed out our debts, when we placed our faith in His Son.

And, we are to zero out the debts of others…and we do this by forgiveness. If God can forgive you, but you can’t forgive others…then the warning in V35 stands.

David Guzik said, “The principle is clear. God has forgiven such a great debt, that any debt owed to us is absolutely insignificant in comparison. No man can possibly offend me to the extent that my sins have offended God.”

“Fine…I’ll do it... I forgive them.” NO…that won’t do. That’s not genuine. Jesus told His disciples, V35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Don’t miss those words. This is a heart issue...authentic forgiveness is required. Forgiveness from the heart. And, since we are trying to be like our King, I would also suggest…not just forgiveness is required, but also forgetfulness.

Jer 31:34 “For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Wow! Kind of the opposite from “Well I’ll forgive, but I’ll never forget.”

Is that how you want God to view you? Forgiving, but not forgetting for all eternity? Of course not.

Jesus said in Matt 7:2 “For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

‘Forgive and forget’ is a much better standard…a more Christ-like standard.

One last point. Forgiving others is not what saves us. If we had to go around forgiving others to be saved, that would be a works based salvation. Unforgiveness is not the unpardonable sin.

Rom 4:5-8 “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

When God looks at our account, He will judge us by one thing…in this lifetime did we place faith and trust in Jesus? If so…our debt is settled…to our account He adds righteousness…forgiveness…covering…blessing.

Our lawless deeds are washed by the blood of the lamb. Our scarlet sins will be as white as snow.

Forgiving others does not save us, but it’s an evidence that we have been forgiven. If we are truly saved…if God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us…if He removed our stony heart and gave us a new heart and a new spirit…how could we be habitually hard-hearted and unforgiving? You can’t.

So, if you cannot forgive others, I must ask…has your heart truly been transformed by the love of Jesus? Are you truly saved?

If not…if you’re holding on to bitterness…holding on to resentment…cease from letting unforgiveness torture you...today is the day to let go.

Place your faith in Jesus, and as He forgives you, He will give you a new heart…and make it possible for you to do that which was formerly impossible…to extend forgiveness in love.

He who has been forgiven much, loves much.

The traits of the citizens of the kingdom of heaven are well displayed in Matthew 18…reference this chapter often and build your life upon these truths.

Let’s Pray!

There’s a hymn titled, “He paid a debt He did not owe.” It was written by a Kendallville, IN man, named Ellis J. Crum…who is now home with the Lord.

The lyrics go...

“He paid a debt He did not owe,

I owed a debt I could not pay,

I needed someone to wash my sin away

And now I sing a brand new song... Amazing Grace...

Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”

Who do you need to extend an olive branch to? As God forgave you, so too must you also forgive. I pray God’s Spirit fills your heart with love to extend forgiveness this week.

If you need prayer to be able to forgive, or if you want prayer because you want to be forgiven, we are here to pray with you today. Just ask.

“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ...”