forgive 70 times 7
Matthew 18:22
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22
Jesusanswered, “I tell you, not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!
You have to keep reading because Jesus explains the follow-up question not spoken: "how can I keep from being taken advantage of by my brother"?
Forgiveness is a transaction where both parties have a part to play:
Did God take His forgiveness back?
I am teaching an adult class on the parable Matt. 18: 21-35 “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant” and would like your comments on this parable.
A lot of commentaries (especially Calvinistic Commentaries) tell us what this parable does not teach, but give little support for what it does teach, so what is it teaching us?
What can we hopefully agree with from the information given and please give other options if you have them and scripture to back it up:
1. The “debt” is huge 10,000 bags of Gold (5+ billion dollars) or 10,000 bags of silver (100 million dollars) no matter, either is way above what could be paid back by a servant. Gold or silver, this is virtually an impossible amount for one person to ever owe in the first century and everyone Jesus was addressing would have realized this. Spiritually this debt would represent each of our debts created by our sinning against God and Jesus said: “The man was
not able to pay”?
2. The servant asks ‘
Give me time,’ he begged. ‘
I’ll pay everything back.’ Is this a lie to the master or how could he not know he could not pay it back? Was the Master so stupid as to entrust a stupid servant with this much money?
3. Jesus said: “He forgave him what he owed”, but was that what the servant was asking for?
4. Could the servant have felt: “he got away with something by asking for more time”, “the master is gullible”, “he still owes master but gave him more time”, “the master must like him”?
5. Matt.18:28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. This sounds like: the first servant immediate went out and found a fellow servant of the Master with little time elapsing, so is he unloving to a servant of the master?
6. Jesus teaches us in Luke 7:36-50 “… he that is forgiven much loves much…”, so since this first servant was forgiven of such a unbelievable huge debt he would automatically and have to have an unbelievable huge Love which would easily be seen in his actions. How could this servant be unloving toward a servant of the Master if he Loved the master?
7. How could the Master “handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.” Since the master had forgiven the debt the servant owed, so the servant owed the Master nothing?
8. If the servant has to payback this unbelievable huge debt before the torture can stop how long will that take and does that not sound like hell?
9. Since the servant shows no great love after the Master forgave him and since the servant still owes the master the huge debt; forgiveness must not have taken place even though the master did His part perfectly was there a part the
servant had to play to complete the forgiveness transaction?
10. If there is a part the sinner must play (humbly accepting the pure charity) in the forgiveness process would it take anything away from God’s sovereignty?
I believe that parable is teaching about forgiveness in this world. We accrue a seemingly unforgivable amount of sin in our lives, but God forgives it all. Knowing what God has done for us, we should gladly forgive others for their trespasses. If we do not forgive our brothers and sisters' trespasses against us, we will pay even more for our own sins while in this world. It didn't say we are unforgiven, it just said we will have to pay. The sovereignty of grace still stands.
You say: “we will pay
even more for our own sins while in this world”, but go on to say: “It didn't say we are unforgiven”, so if the sins are forgiven there is zero payment so it would not be “even more”, but
something in this world?
Are you seeing people who do not show “gratitude to God” in the form of forgiving other “paying a price in this world”? (That is not obvious to the rest of us.)
If ungrateful people do make some “payment” in this world it would be like a slap on the hand compared to what they deserve?
You are still not explaining the truism that we always see and Jesus taught: “…he that is forgiven much Loves much…” is always true when the person humbly accepts the free gift of charity (forgiveness) from any huge debt. Are you saying that does not always happen?
Also the Master said the debt was still owed and does not talk about a new debt being created with “He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.” and how could you “pay back” for sins you did on earth while on earth?
