Coming of the King: Week 39

Matthew 18:21-35: The Unforgiving Servant

• 18:22 "seventy seven times" - literally "seventy times seven", or 490 as in KJV and other more literal translations. Greek scholars can argue, but clearly this is hyperbole and means, essentially, unlimited. However, the best argument for 77 is that Jesus was just talking about forgiveness instead of vengence, and Peter asks if he should forgive 7 times. Lamech claimed vengence 77 times instead of 7 in Genesis 4:24.
• 18:25 "unable to pay" - this is the first and most important lesson about our own sin against God.
• 18:28 The second lesson is the comparitively minor impact of others sin against us.

  100 denarii is effectively 100 days labor - so the third lesson is that we often can make some restitution for our own sins against others.

  "Began to choke him" - this is assault, not appropriate for a normal monetary debt. Even on a human level, our retaliation for sins against us tends to be disproportionate. That is why Moses said "an eye for an eye" - disproportionate revenge was prohibited. But Jesus calls for an even more radical approach. "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your brothers. You must listen to him." Deuteronomy 18:15

• 18:29 The fellow servant acknowledges his debt. When someone is unrepentant, forgiveness does not mean continuing to loan them money. But it might mean, in some circumstances, making an outright gift rather than a loan. Matthew 5:40-42
• 18:34 "to be tortured" - we are tortured by our own bitterness when we do not forgive.
• 18:35 Matthew 6:15