Matthew 18:21-35 Easy-to-Read Version
A Story About Forgiveness
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when someone[a] won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive them more than seven times. You must continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times.[b]
23 “So God’s kingdom is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him. 24 The king began to collect his money. One servant owed him several thousand pounds[c] of silver. 25 He was not able to pay the money to his master, the king. So the master ordered that he and everything he owned be sold, even his wife and children. The money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.
26 “But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’ 27 The master felt sorry for him. So he told the servant he did not have to pay. He let him go free.
28 “Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’
29 “The other servant fell on his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’
30 “But the first servant refused to be patient. He told the judge that the other servant owed him money, and that servant was put in jail until he could pay everything he owed. 31 All the other servants saw what happened. They felt very sorry for the man. So they went and told their master everything that happened.
32 “Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant. You begged me to forgive your debt, and I said you did not have to pay anything! 33 So you should have given that other man who serves with you the same mercy I gave you.’ 34 The master was very angry, so he put the servant in jail to be punished. And he had to stay in jail until he could pay everything he owed.
35 “This king did the same as my heavenly Father will do to you. You must forgive your brother or sister with all your heart, or my heavenly Father will not forgive you.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
In a matter of days, when Good Friday is once again placed before Christians, Jesus, mere minutes from a gruesome and unjust death, will utter the words;
Luke 23:33-34 New American Standard Bible 1995
The Crucifixion
33 When they came to the place called [a]The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left. 34 [b]But Jesus was saying, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.
“Father, (in Heaven) forgive them; for they know not what they are doing.”
And I begin to obsess all over again about the word and the task: “forgive”
Along with all of that obsession, I again turn to those familiar bible passages.
When I read Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant, my blood begins to boil.
I think, “How ungrateful, mean, and greedy this man is. There isn’t a single kind bone in his body!”
Here was a man who owed more money than he could ever repay.
But after he was so graciously forgiven of his huge debt by the King, he turned around and unjustly punished another man for owing him just a small amount.
The forgiven man had received an inconceivable measure of mercy, but he did not reciprocate, did not himself show one ounce of mercy to the other man.
It is not wrong to be angry about this.
In fact, this is the response Jesus is looking for.
But we must not stop there.
Jesus designed this story to help us think and act faithfully as children of God.
How should we respond to the kindness God has shown us? God has forgiven our huge debt of sin; will we do the same for others who have sinned against us?
It is easy for us to ask for God’s forgiveness and yet carry grudges and ill will toward others.
It is easy to remember and resent what others have said and done against us.
But if we accept God’s forgiveness and yet fail to forgive others, we are no different from the ungrateful man in Jesus’ parable.
Jesus teaches us to forgive and to keep forgiving so that we can’t remember how many times we have forgiven.
When we walk with the Spirit, we are changed.
God’s kindness begins to flow from us to others.
A Prayer to Forgive and Love Like Jesus
Matthew 18:21-22 New American Standard Bible 1995
Forgiveness
21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “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.
Granting forgiveness can be complex and hard to give and receive, especially when it’s a repeated offense, when it is closely attached to betrayal and you’re left holding the shattered pieces of a broken heart filled with so much pain.
Yet, in the upside-down gospel of Jesus Christ, its exactly what we’re called to do – forgive, forgive the unforgivable, not once, but time, time and time again.
It sounds so easy, right? Yet, as you most likely know, forgiveness comes with an acknowledgment that needs to be made from our heads to our hearts. That’s because forgiveness can be messy and intertwined with so many deep emotions.
When Peter approached Jesus with the question of how many times he should be forgiving his brother, it was more than likely an honest, sincere question.
A question to determine the length of mercy.
Maybe he was harboring pain from a past hurt or trying to decipher and grasp the unparalleled meaning of the forgiveness Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 6:14-15).
Matthew 6:14-15 New American Standard Bible 1995
14 For if you forgive [a]others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive [b]others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Either way, Jesus’ answer must have sent shockwaves through Peter’s soul.
After all, the Jewish practice was to forgive someone three times for the same offense (Amos 2:6).
So, upon hearing seventy-seven times, which could be construed to mean “70 times 7,” equating to 490, that must have sounded absolutely absurd!
Peter’s heart must have sunk, thinking that type of forgiveness is impossible.
Yet, that was exactly the point Jesus was driving home!
Jesus knows forgiveness isn’t easy and that it is impossible to do on our own.
This is why He modeled throughout His life how to forgive and shared the importance of giving and receiving this gift.
Jesus commands us to pray for our enemies and those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44-45), asking God to help us, all while going to Him again and again until we gain the peace that surpasses understanding.
Matthew 5:44-45 New American Standard Bible 1995
44 But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may [a]be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
The single most profound example Jesus gave us was on His final day, as Roman soldiers mocked, scourged, and nailed Him to the cross, Jesus prayed for God to forgive them (Luke 23:34) for they knew not what they were doing.
Dear friend, beloved reader, the principle of forgiveness isn’t measured by our emotions or a number, but rather it is to be measured by the grace and mercy in which we receive from God, which is endless.
Real forgiveness, authentic forgiveness takes time to bestow and can only take place with God’s help, allowing Him to open our minds and soften our hearts.
Is there someone to whom you need to grant the gift of forgiveness?
Then lift your heart to Him, your Father in Heaven, today, and seek His help.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Kind and gracious and merciful Father, how can we even begin to thank you for the wonders of Your love? The act of grace and mercy that You so selflessly displayed on the cross never ceases to amaze us. As we come into a holiday that marks both grief and hope with the solemn actions of Good Friday to the victory we can reclaim in Your resurrection, please posture our hearts to give grace through forgiveness. We ask that You help us be mindful this time of year of the Truth found in Your Word that Your love, mercy, and grace forgave us first. We are so very thankful for that. Help us receive that forgiveness You so graciously give and extend that to others as we yearn to follow Your loving example. Please soften our hearts to give and receive this most precious gift of forgiveness. Lord, I ask that You please come into my heart and help me personally forgive the person who continually floods my mind. I need Your help. I need Your mercy and grace. I need You to remind me that You forgave me and so I must forgive them. Help me let go of the hurt, the pain, the betrayal, and the shame. Help me let it go and turn it all over to You. Please cleanse my heart and soul of any unrighteousness, bitterness, or resentment. I earnestly seek Your peace. Amen
Psalm 32 New American Standard Bible 1995
Blessedness of Forgiveness and of Trust in God.
A Psalm of David. A [a]Maskil.
32 How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
Whose sin is covered!
2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
3 When I kept silent about my sin, my [b]body wasted away
Through my [c]groaning all day long.
4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me;
My [d]vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. [e]Selah.
5 I acknowledged my sin to You,
And my iniquity I did not hide;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”;
And You forgave the [f]guilt of my sin. Selah.
6 Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [g]in a time when You may be found;
Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with [h]songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go;
I will counsel you with My eye upon you.
9 Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding,
Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check,
Otherwise they will not come near to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;
And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 