Matthew 18:5-35

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:21-22

But How Often Should We Forgive? (18:21-22). The idea that disciples should approach those who have sinned against them and seek to be reconciled with them raised in Peter’s mind the question of how often this was required. How often should someone who fails be forgiven? And when he suggested that possibly he should forgive ‘seven times’ he probably knew that he was outdoing the Scribes with their ‘three times’. Thus he may well have been looking for and expecting Jesus’ commendation for his... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:22

‘Jesus says to him, “I do not say to you, “Until seven times”, but, “Until seventy times seven”. So Jesus is basically saying, “No Peter, there is no limit. Think in terms of seventy times seven.” Jesus was not, however, saying that a person could be forgiven four hundred and ninety times. He was saying that there is no limit to how often a person can be forgiven. This is good news for us, for there are many sins that we have committed far more than four hundred and ninety times, and yet here... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:23

“Therefore is the kingly rule of Heaven likened to a certain king, who would call his servants to account for their activities.” At first sight this appears to be another example of a parable of the final judgment, but in fact it turns out not to be so. It is rather a parable of the ongoing nature of the Kingly Rule of Heaven on earth prior to the final judgment. It is a good example of how the Kingly Rule of Heaven has commenced on earth, prior to it merging with the ‘heavenly’ Kingly Rule of... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:24

“And when he had begun to call them to account, one was brought to him, who owed him ten thousand talents (that is in our terms ‘many billions’).” One servant was brought before Him whose debt was so large that it was larger than the gross national product of many smaller countries. It was ‘ten thousand talents’. The talent was not so much a coin as a unit of monetary measurement (a little like having ‘a million pound bank note’). In one measurement it was the equivalent of two hundred and... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:25

“But because he did not have the wherewithal to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.” And when he could not pay his debt his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all his possessions so that something of what he owed might be paid. This was a normal procedure with a largish debt, or a huge one like this. They then joined the ranks of bondmen and bondwomen, and slaves. This was always the... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:26

“The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ ” Being faced up to his debt the servant was ‘repentant’. He offered that somehow if only his lord was merciful he would, given time, find some means eventually of repaying the whole debt (‘all’). Many see God like this. They see Him as requiring them to earn forgiveness by a lifetime of devotion (and as we have seen that would not be sufficient anyway). But Jesus’ point is that... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:27

“And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.” But his lord was a compassionate man. And when he saw his servant’s repentance he forgave him his debt and released him. It may of course be that his hope from this was that his servant had learned his lesson and would now out of gratitude be his servant for life. But that was only secondary. The prime grounds for the forgiveness of the debt was the compassionate nature of the king. Not the... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:28

“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred denarii (one hundred day’s wages for a low-paid worker), and he laid hold on him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ ” And then what follows is intentionally grotesque. The servant had a fellow servant who owed him the equivalent of one hundred days wages for a low paid worker. On one scale this equalled the value of four gold coins (one sixtieth of a talent). But he was so little moved... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:29

“So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” Then, just as he himself had previously done, the fellow-servant fell on his knees and begged for time to pay the debt. He promised, and this time with some likelihood of payment, that eventually full payment would be made. The similarity with the previous situation is deliberate. He was seeking the same kind of forgiveness that had been given to the other, and it should therefore have... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 18:30

“And he would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay what was due.” But there was no forgiveness in the heart of the unforgiving servant. His own experience had left him untouched. So he had the servant cast into a debtor’s prison until he could pay all that was due. And there he would languish until someone could pay his debt. read more

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