INTRODUCTION

Jesus is the new Elisha, forming an Israel in the midst of old Israel. That new Israel is supposed to be characterized by humility, brotherhood and brotherly correction, and forgiveness.

THE TEXT

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants . . . .’” (Matthew 18:21-35).

FORGIVENESS

What is forgiveness? We often think of forgiveness mainly in terms of our feelings: Forgiving means feeling good about a person who wronged us. We should feel kindly toward those who sin, but this doesn’t get to the heart of forgiveness. Psalm 103:6-14 portrays God’s forgiveness, which is a model for our forgiveness of others. Yahweh doesn’t “strive with us” or keep His anger (v. 9). He doesn’t treat us as our sins deserve (v. 10). He removes transgression from us, and regards us without regarding the sin (v. 12). He remembers our frailty (v. 14). All of these should characterize our forgiveness.

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

When Peter asks if he should forgive a brother “seven times,” Jesus replies that we must forgive “seventy times seven” (vv. 21-22). Jesus is evoking a number of Old Testament passages. Daniel is told that the redemption of Israel from its continuing exile will come after “seventy weeks,” 70 x 7 years. Jesus is hinting that this redemption has come, the great forgiveness of sins has arrived in Him and in His Israel. The number also evokes the Jubilee, which occurs every 49 (7 x 7) years, and involves release from debt and return to land. Jesus is alluding to Lamech, who threatened to avenge himself “seventy-sevenfold” (Genesis 4:22-23). Forgiveness is the opposite of vengeance, and the city of Jesus is not to a Cainite city of vengeance but a city of expiations.

THE KING AND HIS SERVANT

In Jesus’ parable, the servant owes ten million working days wages to his king. He will never repay, yet when he pleads for mercy and says he will repay the king forgives the debt (vv. 23-27). Yet, the servant immediately demands payment of a much smaller debt from another servant, and throws him in prison when he cannot pay (vv. 28-30). Jesus teaches that our enjoyment of God’s forgiveness is dependent on our forgiveness of our brothers. “Forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors,” we pray, and God hears and answers that prayer.

REIMPOSING DEBT

The most disturbing part of this parable is the threat that the king re-imposes the debt that he had previously forgiven (v. 34). This is not an extraneous bit of the story, because Jesus says that “My heavenly Father [shall] also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from the heart” (v. 35). God will turn from mercy to wrath if we don’t forgive one another.