Matthew 18:21-35 It’s not about the numbers!
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: May 20, 2019 Matthew 18:21-35
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
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?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
(Understanding the Text) Matthew has grouped together the teachings on how to deal with fellow believers. Right before this, Jesus had taught about how to deal with a brother who sins against you. This naturally brought the idea of forgiveness to the listeners’ minds, so Peter asked how often and long should we keep forgiving someone. Jesus had said that we go to someone who wrongs us individually, then with witnesses, and then the church and if the brother does not repent, he becomes a stranger to the whole group, but if the brother repents, he is your friend. Thus, Peter was thinking about the brother who kept wronging him and then apologizing and then wronging him and then apologizing. How often do we have to bear with that person? Peter thought seven times was reasonable, and so would most modern people today.
Jesus replied that seventy-seven times was a better number. Jesus was not saying to stop forgiving at sin #78. Instead, he was telling Peter not to put a limit on the number of times you forgive a fellow Christian. The ultimate reasoning for this is that God does not put a limit on the number of times that He forgives us. He has forgiven the other person who repented, so we should follow His lead in forgiving the other person. However, the biggest reason is that we have been forgiven much more than we are forgiving. We need to be like the character of God with humility and love. Instead, we tend to save our humility for when we are with God as supplicants, but the minute we turn to others, we become selfish and full of ego. We are hurtful to them and treat them badly because we feel that they have treated us badly. We justify our bad behavior toward them because they deserve it. Jesus said that if they are sorry for what they have done and turn away from it, we must forgive them.
(Revelation of God / Understanding the Text) The reason that Jesus gives such a strong warning that we will not be forgiven if we do not forgive from our heart is that we are to be like Him. Forgiveness for the repentant is the way of the kingdom of heaven that we want to live in. It’s interesting that the fellow servants were the ones who brought the bad behavior to the king’s attention. In other words, the fellow servants had judged the behavior of the first servant as being bad before they took it to the king. They had felt pity on the second servant for the way he/she was treated. I do not know if it is appropriate to draw a parallel to the saints’ judgment of the world or not here.
(Application) The big lesson is that I need to keep forgiving my fellow Christians when they show remorse or when they turn their life around. I need to give them time to keep growing and become the people that they are supposed to become. The second lesson is that this is like the mote and the log. The second servant’s debt was not only small compared to what the first servant had been forgiven, but also, the first servant’s behavior was over the top for the wrong done. The first person grabbed the second by the throat and choked the second servant while giving the charge that the second person owed him money. Many times, we approach a person who has wronged us in a hurtful angry manner. We go into the interaction in a way that transforms it into a confrontation. We try to take the powerful position to force the other person to accept our will. Instead, I need to approach a person who has wronged me in a reasonable manner and if that person does not repent, do not immediately try to hurt him/her with angry words. Instead, I need to speak mildly and give the person time to think it over and then approach him/her again with mutual friends. This is the way to handle the issue in the church. The other person may or may not change behavior, but I have to be aware that my behavior will be judged also. Finally, I need to draw hope from this in that God does not place a limit on the number of times that He will forgive me. As long as I choose to serve Him, He will continue to maintain relationship with me and not send me out for a judgment against me.
(Prayer) Too often, I do not reflect Your character of forgiveness and gentleness. I react hurtfully to others instead of speaking reasonably and lovingly. Even when I interact appropriately with them, my first reaction inside was wrong. Transform me to be like You. Help me to forgive and to love my fellow Christians when they do wrong. Help me to help them to learn to do right.