Title: Ungrateful Series: Matthew 18 (Part 3 of 3) (The sermon notes for all three parts, and the sermon audio for part 1 are available at www.smythestreetcathedral.com) Pastor Chad E. Billington Thanksgiving Sunday, October 13, 2013 AM Service Smythe Street Cathedral 2013 - Chad E. Billington
How Many Times Should I Forgive? Matthew 18:21 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? How many times can someone do the same wrong thing to us, and we be expected to offer forgiveness? The back story on the question The chapter opens with the disciples asking Jesus a question. Matthew 18:1 (NIV) At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Who is the greatest? Who is the big man/woman on campus? Jesus unravels their question. The question requires a conversion it comes from a wrong place. Matthew 18:2-4 (NIV84) 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Before getting to greatness, Jesus reminds his disciples that we only come into the kingdom by humility and dependence upon God s grace and favour. He then proceeds to talk to the disciples about getting serious about their own sin, lest we put a stumbling block in the path of one of the little ones. WE MUST CARE FOR THE WELFARE OF OTHERS MORE THAN OUR GREATNESS. Greatness looks out for others more than for itself (which is the inverse of what we tend to imagine). Ungrateful 2013 Page 2 of 7
Having checked our hearts towards our own sinfulness, Jesus tells a story The parable of the lost sheep, setting our hearts with the heart of God to seek out the lost, but he chases it with a passage that might surprise us. Matthew 18:15 (NIV84) If your brother [or sister] sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother [or sister] over. YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER WHO HAS SINNED AGAINST YOU, IS THE LOST, WANDERING SHEEP YOU NEED TO SEEK OUT. People cannot be transformed if they are not loved and sought and spoken to about their sin. A PROBLEM CHRISTIANS HAVE IS THAT WE LIKE POINTING AT PEOPLE S SINS, BUT WHEN WE ARE SINNED AGAINST, WE HOLD IT AND DO NOT RECONCILED THEM TO US, TO THE CHURCH OR OFFER THE FORGIVENESS GRANTED AT THE CROSS. Back to Peter s Question Matthew 18:21 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? Peter is getting it at this point. We shouldn t misunderstand his question. It is not about getting out of forgiveness and grace. It is about understanding what is reasonable and what is expected. It s helpful to know that some of the rabbis would say that you only had to forgive someone three times for the same offence, and if it happens the fourth time, they obviously haven t repented. i THIS OBVIOUSLY MAKES SENSE: ONE, TWO, THREE STRIKES YOU RE OUT (BASEBALL) Ungrateful 2013 Page 3 of 7
Peter was being generous, he offered 7 times of forgiveness. He was getting the idea of God s grace and generosity. He had been around Jesus for some time now. He more than doubled what was expected. But Jesus says something that defies Peter s expectations, and blows the lid off of the Three-Strikes You re Out way of thinking. Matthew 18:22 (NIV) Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Note: the passage can be translated: seventy-seven times or seventy times seven times, which would mean 490. (LEB, NASB, KJV) Jesus point moves from three to a number that becomes difficult if not impossible to keep track of in everyday relationships. Jesus then tells a story to explain why this is the right response. Matthew 18:23 35 (NIV) 23 Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 At this the servant fell on his knees before him. Be patient with me, he begged, and I will pay back everything. 27 The servant s master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go. 28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. Pay back what you owe me! he demanded. 29 His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, Be patient with me, and I will pay it back. 30 But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 Then the master called the servant in. You wicked servant, he said, I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you? 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart. The story is a rather simple story Ungrateful 2013 Page 4 of 7
The Master represents God (which makes sense). Then there are the servants, which represent us, everyday people who all live under the rule of God. We are all called to be his servants. Then there are two debts that are discussed. Debt 1 The first servant had a debt with the master. He owed a very technical amount, a ZILLION dollars in today s currency. It was a ridiculous amount. The master had the right to demand it of him, because he had borrowed it, he had incurred the debt. Here s the amazing thing in the story, the master forgives the ZILLION Dollar debt. MOST OF US HERE ARE NOT DEBT FREE (MORTGAGE, LINE OF CREDIT, STUDENT LOAN, CREDIT CARDS). JUST PUT ALL THAT DEBT TOGETHER IN YOUR MIND. IMAGINE RIGHT NOW IF SOMEONE FORGAVE (RELEASED YOU FROM) THAT DEBT. The word for forgiveness is a word that talks about debts (You ever notice that different translations of the Lord s prayer will talk about forgiving us our trespasses or debts ). When someone owes a debt, they expect it to be paid back, and if it cannot be paid back, they expect compensation. (If I can t pay the mortgage for the money for my house, the bank expects my house.) Every sin we commit, every violation of God s will for this world, is a transgression (a debt) towards him. Every one, yet God sends his son into the world. We owed God a ZILLION apologies, a ZILLION IOU s, a ZILLION times of repentance on our knees. We cannot possibly pay him back, but as Jesus says in the story, our heavenly Father is the one who writes off the debt, in his grace and pity he lets us go free. This is the heart of the gospel, Jesus comes to make a way to pay off our debt on our behalf. Debt 2 The second debt between two servants. It was another technical sum, a few bucks. (now I know this is not the proper math). Ungrateful 2013 Page 5 of 7
This servant (who had a debt of a ZILLION) dollars wiped away, comes and violently pulls no punches to get his few dollars back. WHAT IF AFTER HAVING OUR TOTAL DEBTS WIPED AWAY, THREATENED VIOLENCE AGAINST SOMEONE WHO OWED US A FEW BUCKS? Remember, Peter s question was about how often we are to forgive someone? But when someone is forgiven, what happens is that the recipient of forgiveness is released from the burden of having to pay the debt, and the person who was owed ceases to look for payment. (This does not mean that the debt never existed, rather that it is not a burden or responsibility going forward.) Then someone does one thing (or a couple things to us). A FEW times. And what do we do. We want to enforce the debt. We want to demand payment from them. When someone sins against us, hurts us, does wrong by us, we demand payment, blood, guilt, regret. Jesus counters this to the Christian. He makes a radical point We cannot expect others to pay us for forgiveness God freely gives Peter s question meets an answer he wasn t ready for. How often should I forgive, how often do you want God to forgive you? How many chances do you hope are available? (Not how many you deserve) Think about how this works Think about this, in the strongest of relationships, in a family, forgiveness is essential. You cannot operate a healthy family with a debtor relationship. Forgiveness must flow freely if love is to blossom. Ungrateful 2013 Page 6 of 7
We are called to be the people and the family of God, to be the restoring household of God s work in the world. When forgiveness flows, there is an amazing power and beauty that demonstrates God s beauty to the world. Matthew West Song Forgiveness Video Clip available at http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=09j1c1nu This THANKSGIVING. Being thankful for forgiveness is shown in our giving forgiveness. Being thankful for financial blessings is shown in our generosity. Being thankful for God s grace is shown in our graciousness to each other. The Big Ask 1) INVITATION TO RECEIVE FORGIVENESS 2) The Call to stop trying to collect on debts we think we are owed, and to forgive like our Heavenly Father forgives. Closing Song Once Again i Donald A. Hagner, Matthew, ed. Brian Metzger, Word Biblical Commentary, Vol 33b (Dallas, Word Books, 1995), 537. See also, St. Matthew Vol. II, ed. H. D. M. Spence-Jones, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 213. Ungrateful 2013 Page 7 of 7