Matthew
18:21-19:1
Lesson 36
18:21-19:1
Lesson 36
Matthew 18:21-19:1
A lesson in forgiveness 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. Matthew: Chapter 19:1 1 And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these sayings, he departed from Galilee, and came into the coasts of Judaea beyond Jordan; |
Margin notes:
"Until seventy times seven." (18:22) - Jesus tells us to forgive our malefactor when they repent (Luke 17:3-4). Why should we forgive? Because if we forgive others, God will forgive us (Matthew 6:14). "Which would take account of his servants." (18:23) - This means that the king "wanted to settle accounts with his servants" that owed him money. "Reckon." (18:24) - "Settle up." "Ten thousand talents." (18:24) - A talent was the highest number in Greek mathematics. In today's money, 10,000 talents would be worth millions of dollars, far more than a servant could pay, which is Jesus' point. Just as the servant could never repay his debt and needed the king to be merciful, mankind cannot repay our debt to God. Thankfully, He is merciful. See "Today's Question" below. "He had not to pay." (18:25) - "He wasn't able to repay." "Loosed him, and forgave him the debt." (18:27) - "Released him and forgave the debt." Just as God forgives our debt. "Owed him an hundred pence." (18:28) - A hundred pence is a small amount. Jesus is comparing mankind's weighty sins against God with the small wrongs committed against us. Although the king forgave his massive debt, the man in our story wouldn't forgive a small one. "Pay me that thou owest." (18:28) - "Pay what you owe me." "Besought him." (18:29) - "Begged him." "Prison." (18:30) - Putting debtors in prison served as a punishment and warning to others. Debtors could also have had their property confiscated or been forced to perform hard labor to repay their creditors. Sometimes, the debtor or his sons were pressed into slavery (2 Kings 4:1). If a debtor had money hidden away, the threat of prison or slavery usually convinced them to produce it. "They were very sorry." (18:31) - "They were very distraught." "Because thou desiredst me." (18:32) - "Because you asked me." "His lord was wroth." (18:34) - "The king was angry." "Delivered him to the tormentors." (18:34) - "Delivered him to the jailers." "Came into the coasts of Judaea." (19:1) - "Went to the region of Judea." |