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4 - Forgiving From the Heart |
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Matthew 18:21-35
Sunday Morning, December 15, 2002
Forgiving from the Heart
INTRODUCTION:
In this section of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus teaches about the character of professing believers in the Christian community. The emphasis is on new relationships among Christians made possible by their new relationship to Christ. Every day finds us being injured or wronged by someone in some small or large way, intentionally or unintentionally. Without the grace of forgiveness in our hearts, we will become filled with resentment, anger, and/or hatred.
God’s complete forgiveness for us changes our lives. And when we reflect that forgiveness from our hearts to others, the same power changes their lives.
• How have you experienced the awesome power of forgiveness in your own life?
DIGGING DEEPER:
Read the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matt. 18:21-35).
Contextual Considerations:
This wonderful parable was told due to a question Peter had asked Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”
• Whatever the background of Peter’s question, he must have thought he was being generous in suggesting that he would be willing to forgive injury seven times. In the Bible, the number seven means “many,” or “uncountable.” See Lev. 26:21; Deut. 28:25; Ps. 79:12; Prov. 24:16; Luke 17:4.
• Peter’s question implied a reasonable limit to forgiveness. Jesus’ answer removed all limits. Jesus replied, “Not seven times, but seventy-seven times” (vv. 21-22).
• How do you think Peter felt when he heard Jesus’ answer?
Also, notice what surrounds this section - - “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” (vv. 1-6); The Parable of the Lost Sheep (vv. 10-14); “What to do if a brother sins against you” (vv. 15-20); and then Jesus’ teaching on “Divorce” (19:1-12).
• What are the implications of our parable being included in this section of Matthew’s gospel account?
Theological Principles:
• Prompted by gratitude, a forgiven sinner must always yearn to forgive whoever has trespassed against him/her with the goal of complete reconciliation.
• Forgiveness is synonymous with reconciliation. Process involves –
o Restoring a relationship.
o Reconstructing a relationship.
o Rediscovering a relationship.
• What are some verbal and non-verbal signs that we have not forgiven another person from the heart?
• The nature of human judgment is condemning. The nature of divine forgiveness is merciful and just.
• By the way Jesus told this story, we are led to join with “other servants” who perceived a great injustice (v. 31). How does Jesus use the recognition of gross unfairness to drive home the point of the story (v. 35)?
o Truly and freely forgiving others is absolutely essential for us in order for God to forgive us. Why is this true?
o See Luke 7:36-50. Particularly notice v. 47 “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven – for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.”
o See also Mt. 6:9-15
o How does it make you feel to know that God’s forgiveness of you is affected by your own forgiveness of others?
CONCLUSION:
What makes true forgiveness so powerful?
VI. Why do you suppose Jesus added to this parable these words in v. 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last”?
Theological Teachings from the Parable
I. This parable provides us with rich, but challenging insights into the nature of the kingdom. What discoveries does this parable provide with regard to . . .
a. God’s Character?
b. The status of people in the Kingdom?
c. The real basis of reward?
God’s Character
I. From a practical standpoint, this parable runs counter to our sense of fairness, justice, and logic. Is it possible for us to see why God does what he does?
II. Self-giving love is God’s very nature. It is, in fact, the only force that overcomes hate, sin, and death.
III. Salvation is entirely a matter of God’s grace! Man’s work is a response to God’s grace and not the basis of it. Paul sets the relationship between God’s grace and man’s works in proper focus in Eph. 2:8-10.
The Status of People in the Kingdom
I. In the marketplace was a mixed crowd of people – different races, ages, and places of life. We might conclude from this setting that the gospel was ultimately meant for everyone, everywhere, in every age.
II. Although Jesus’ invitation to “take my yoke upon you” in Mt. 11:29 is a universal call, it was not issued to all men at the same time. He told his disciples to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” God’s order of priority in preaching the gospel was “first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Rom. 1:16). When Jesus sent out the twelve apostles for the first time, he said, “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel” (Mt. 10:5,6).
The Real Basis of Reward
I. We have already suggested that the first group of laborers the Lord sent into the vineyard were Jews who had accepted him as the Messiah, and he was emphasizing a problem not peculiar to, but characteristic of, his Jewish followers. The Jews had for centuries looked upon themselves as the elect people of God. They were bound by God to a special covenant relationship. Very early they had entered the Lord’s vineyard. All other nations were latecomers. So according to this view, Jesus is saying that the Jews, like the early laborers, would resent the inclusion of the Gentiles.
II. The Jews believed they had “borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day” (Mt. 20:12). Therefore they thought the Samaritans and the Gentiles should not be offered salvation without first meeting the requirements of the Law. Many Jewish Christians didn’t understand the Gentiles getting “so much for so little” which led to the Jerusalem Conference of Acts 15:1-29.
Conclusion
God’s great gifts are distributed not because they are earned, but because he is gracious.
In the kingdom of God, the principles of merit and ability are set aside so that grace can prevail.
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