Unforgivable
Notes
Transcript
Focus
Focus
And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
Background
Background
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Matthew 18 is often mentioned in the church as the procedure for dealing with delinquents. So when we are feeling particularly churchy instead of talking about the person(s) behind their back or on social media we decide to go to them directly. Though if we are honest Matthew 18 is rarely used to figure out what steps we as individuals should take and most often used as ammunition against the offended party, “Well I know I’m wrong, BUT she should have come to me first to talk about it, Matthew 18....”
However, we are missing the point of the teaching in its context when this happens. If you watched the live chat on facebook from Thursday morning I spelled all this out, but to simplify it in case you didn’t, Matthew 18:15-20 is about the lengths one should go in returning a sinner from their follow, even when they sin against you. To Jesus’ point, not only go looking for the lost sheep leaving the 99 but employ the entire church in the pursuit of returning a faulted brother, because the return of an erring brother to repentance is one of the highest purposes of the Church.
I don’t think anyone could disagree with me that Jesus would argue this mission must be fulfilled NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES. period. and that very idea draws us to the passage for our Gospel lesson this morning because Peter is struggling with that, how much should I give, when can I stop?
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
When forgiveness is cheap
When forgiveness is cheap
“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
When forgiveness is expensive
When forgiveness is expensive
But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt.
The Power to Forgive, & the Motivation to Forgive.
The Power to Forgive, & the Motivation to Forgive.
And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’
did you miss it?
did you miss it?
I will pay back everything. You wont and you cant.
So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.