Presents
Matthew 18
Please know that If you ARE part of the kingdom of heaven, that His kingdom is NOT of this world.
Presents
Matthew 18
Please know that If you ARE part of the kingdom of heaven, that His kingdom is NOT of this world.
The King of kings and Lord of lords has just shown and explained to Peter (petros) by using the analogy of who pays custom and tribute and who does not, that the king's children, i.e. the children of the king's house who are therefore the children of the kingdom, are free indeed (Mat. 17:26). Of course that makes even more sense when one considers that spiritually speaking, it is the many membered body of Christ that makes up the temple as Peter himself would later explain in 1 Pet. 2:5... "ye also as lively (living) stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ."
Now we are going to learn a great lesson about that kingdom of heaven, the family of God, as Jesus Christ imparts to us some essential knowledge along with His precious wisdom and instruction regarding humility and how we should act toward and treat our brothers and sisters, the children of the kingdom.
Our lesson begins with the following question:
The context of this question lets us know that the disciples are asking who "among us" is the greatest. But still, don't you think this is an amazing question from the disciples considering that the King of the kingdom, the greatest One of all, who for some time now has been teaching them and leading them by example, was standing right there with them? Well... perhaps it is not so amazing nor such an unusual question for many there are today who "dispute among themselves" concerning who is the greatest, the 7,000, the 144,000, etc. Nevertheless, this subject of "who should be the greatest" had been on the minds of the disciples for sometime now and Christ of course knew it. Mark 9:33-34 "And He came to Capernaum: and being in the house He asked them, What was it that ye disputed among yourselves by the way? [34] But they held their peace: for by the way they had disputed among themselves, who should be the greatest."Matthew 18:1
At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
Note: The Greek word for "great" used here is "meizon" which a comparative of "megas".
Perhaps at this point the other disciples thought Peter, James, and John were receiving special attention since they were the only ones Jesus had taken up into an high mountain apart to be shown the transfiguration. Whether that is true or not as to what they thought, they have now asked Christ the big question, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?", and He shall begin to answer that question by first making a visual model for our flesh eyes to see and from which we can draw a simple spiritual analogy (see Rom. 1:20). Surely you have heard the saying that "a picture is worth a thousand words". Well, memory experts have confirmed that old adage to be true by demonstrating that people remember infinitely more of what they see than what they hear or read. That being the case and to help give contrast to the imagery Christ is about to show us, take a few moments to see and analyze what picture comes into your mind's eye when you hear or read "the greatest in the kingdom of heaven"...megas, great, large, of physical magnitude, of the measure, number, cost and estimation of things. (A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament, by E. W. Bullinger, pg. 342)
... Ok, time is up. What do you see? Perhaps an hierarchy where one is exalted or elevated in stature and importance over the others? Now let us "see" and understand the picture Jesus Christ wants us to "see"!
See this simple picture! See a little child "called" by Jesus Christ now standing in the midst of the disciples... in the midst of all those elder brothers.Matthew 18:2
And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them,
Physically, we ALL start out as little children before we can mature and become adults, don't we? And one very important thing we must keep in mind is that little children trust and believe in what their elders, especially those of their own family, tell them to be true and they also follow after and do what their elders tell them to. That alone makes little children very vulnerable and susceptible to lies and spiritual (or otherwise) seduction.[3] And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
To that end, there are two points Christ makes concerning little children. The first is that one must be converted, which is to be "turned about", and be humbled to spiritually become as a little child, else he or she will never even enter into the kingdom of heaven. Secondly, one had better be real careful how he or she handles and treats a little child of God, a babe in Christ. For if one does not receive that child "in His name" but rather "offends" (scandalizes) one of God's own kids, that person shall eventually experience our Father's wrath for as it is written in the Commandments, that one SHALL NOT be held guiltless! This is a most serious matter so we had better pay close attention to Christ's instructions.
There are several aspects to both humbleness and greatness, one of which, the humbleness of service, we will cover in more detail when Christ addresses it in chapter 23.[4] Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
However, here is a little preview:
Even He who truly IS the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, the King of kings and Lord of lords, both humbled Himself and became the greatest servant of all.Matthew 23:11
But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.[12] And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
Unlike Lucifer who sought to exalt himself above the throne of God (Isa. 14:13), Christ did not seek to exalt Himself and become "of reputation", which is to be renowned and looked up to by men.Philip. 2:7-11
But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Christ's power and glory and authority, recognized by His name, is above every other name in both heaven and earth.[8] And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.[9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Yes, even those "under the earth" (in the pit), i. e. Satan and his demonic angels, are subject to the name (authority) of Jesus Christ.[10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
It is our Father in heaven to whom glory and honor belongs and is given... NOT us. As it is written (Mat. 23:12), he who exalts himself (again, a characteristic of Satan) SHALL BE abased! So be humble in dealing with your brothers and sisters and seek not your own glory but rather "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:16)." For you "see", the works that you do are not your own works, but the work of God which is the doing of His will.[11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Also remember that if you ARE part of the kingdom of heaven, that His kingdom is NOT of this world (John 18:36).Philip. 2:3
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
So with that preview in mind, let us return to the spiritual point Christ now follows up with in verses 5-14, which is that the greatest (as in the most important) ones in the kingdom of heaven, the family of God, are the little children, even those whom He has called who are now babes in Christ. That only makes sense for is it not true that the most important members in our families, even our nation, are the little children who must be fed and nurtured and provided for? Of course it is and a loving parent is not only willing to make sacrifices to care for that child but would even give his or her own life to protect or save that precious child. And God help those who would try and molest that parent's child.
Understanding then that the greatest, even the most important one, in the kingdom of heaven is one who has become lowly and has "humbled himself as this little child" (Mat. 18:4), let us see how we should "receive one such little child".
Again, a little child trusts and believes in what the adults tell him, doesn't he? So to receive a little child in Christ's name is to receive that child with and according to His Word, which is to do it in the power and love and authority of Jesus Christ. You see, when we get to Matthew 24 Christ will explain that in these last days many will come (and have already) in His name, i.e. claiming to represent Him as Christian ministers and preachers and priests, etc., and deceive many. Matthew 24:5 "For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."Matthew 18:5
And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.
These many who come in His name do NOT receive the precious little children (Think "babes in Christ"/New Christians)of the kingdom in His name. Instead, they entrap them and then spiritually seduce the little children by teaching the traditions of men which cause them to go astray! And our Father doesn't like it! Would you?deceive, planao, plan-ah'-o, Greek 4105; from Greek 4106 (plane); to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue) :- go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way.
The word "offend" in Greek is "skandalizo" from which we derive our word "scandal".Matthew 18:6
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.
In these last days we are more than accustomed to seeing scandal after scandal even in the arena of religion and churches. But the "scandal of the worst kind" is to "offend one of these little ones which believe in me (Christ)"! You "see", when a person reaches a point in his or her life, perhaps when his whole world has become dark and turned upside down as in "tohu va bohu", and he or she now "turns (converts) to" the light and becomes humble as a little child before Christ, he or she is very vulnerable and susceptible to "scandal"! If you therefore are a "spiritual child molester" you are in big, big trouble! Our Father does NOT like it when His children are "molested" and led astray by those who claim to represent Christ by calling themselves Christian preachers, ministers, priests, bishops, or whatever title of exaltation they may bestow upon themselves... like "reverend" or "most holy", etc!offend, skandalizo, skan-dal-id'-zo, Greek 4624; ("scandalize"); from Greek 4625 (skandalon); to entrap, i.e. trip up (figurative stumble [transitive] or entice to sin, apostasy or displeasure) :- (make to) offend.
As we read earlier, it was foretold by Christ Himself in Mat. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 that there would be massive offenses (deception and leading astray, i.e. casting of stumbling blocks) in these last days by the many would come claiming to represent Him. Just make sure you are not involved in the "scandalizing" of the little children by teaching them to follow the vain (empty) traditions of men which make void the Word of God, i.e. make it of none effect (Mat. 15:16, Mark 7:13).Furthermore, do not support those members who do teach those vain traditions which cause our people to stumble and fall or you become partakers of their evil deeds (2 Jn. 1:11).Let us be reminded of the 3rd Commandment which we referred to earlier in our study.[7] Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
It reads as follows:
Again, to take the name of the LORD is to claim His authority, to claim that you represent Him and therefore His Word.Exodus 20:7
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
So if you set yourself up as a teacher, taking and using His name by claiming you represent Him, and you teach the vain (empty) traditions of men instead of teaching His words, the Word of God, chapter by chapter and line by line, thus leading His children astray and causing them to be lost, you will pay a great price. "The LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes His name in vain".
To that end, the following analogies Christ gives to us are given to instruct us how to "spiritually" separate ourselves from members of the body of Christ who unrepentantly cause offenses to the body.
Christ is in no way talking about severing a flesh body part for the subject is still "scandalizing" the children of God which includes all our brothers and sisters. He is speaking of those members of the body which bring offence and cause our people to stumble and fall and miss out on salvation. A "hand" for example is used to symbolize "work" and as it is written to the whole body, all 7 churches in Rev. 2 & 3, He knows your works, i.e. what your hand does! If your "hand" (work) causes children of the kingdom to stumble and fall, as do the works of 5 out of the 7 churches in Rev. 2 & 3, then you better stop it! Cut it off... as in cut it out,! Likewise if other hands or laborers will not turn and humble themselves as little children but continue to set stumbling blocks before the people, cut them off as well. The same applies to a "foot" who walks not in the path of righteousness (His Word) but carries the body down the wrong path. Go on crutches if you must, but always walk in His way... unerring in His Word.Matthew 18:8
Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.
Your "eye" is that member which "sees" and watches over the body and which keeps an eye out (pun, pun) for the enemy while guarding the Word of Truth and Justice. If your "seer" is seeing and teaching things other than that which is written in Father's Word, like an any moment rapture theory or some other nonsensical and non-scriptural doctrine, then separate yourself from that part which causes the offence. Again, the subject is "scandalizing", the leading astray by false doctrines and the traditions of men which cause our people to fall into apostasy and lead them straight to hell, to the lake of fire at the end of Millennium.[9] And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
As we learned in a prior study, many so-called Christian preachers and ministers are nothing more than thieves and robbers who teach for vainglory and/or money! In fact, that is the problem with the members of the church of Pergamos who held to the doctrine of Balaam, i.e. whose ministers preached for money.
The word "stumblingblock" in Greek is "skandalon"! You "see", Balaam was even a true priest of Israel, but if one takes the time to read the account he or she will find he preached to Balac, i.e. the Moabites, for MONEY.Know any churches like that? Do you know any churches that concentrate on tithes, and fund raisers, and pledges of money, and pass the plate, and building funds, etc, etc. fact at one point Balaam had his ass so loaded with "donations" that God intervened with an angel and had the ass speak to Balaam to bring him to his senses. So if you listen to or support a "seer", a teacher who should be a true watchman but who instead sees big $$$$ and is always asking for money or donations, then be wary my friend and "turn about" and sever yourself from that part.Rev. 2:14
But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
Here are Christ's words to the church of Pergamos who supports the doctrine of Balaam: Rev. 2:16 "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth."
So that takes care of the unrepentant "offenders", but where does that leave the little ones?
Matthew 18:10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
The point is, our Father knows exactly what is happening to His children at any given moment. In fact, all that has ever happened is a matter of recorded witness and testimony and the fact is that the children of house of Israel have been "scandalized" by false prophets (even in the first earth age) and they have wandered so far astray from His Word that they have lost their way back home to the Father. That is why Jesus Christ came... to save that which was lost.2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
The lost sheep of the House of Israel have sinned and gone astray and now wander in the wilderness. However, our Father has NOT lost track of the very least of them and though they are sinners, they are still His children and each and everyone of them are dear and precious to Him. And you know what? When one of them repents and finds his or her way back home, their angels REJOICE, even their own family members who have lived and died and are now part of that heavenly host being that they are in their spiritual bodies.Matthew 18:11
For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
So do not despise, as in cast aside, even one of the little ones who believe in Him! To that end, Christ now gives an analogy of how wonderful it is find a lost sheep after diligently seeking for him or her.Luke 15:10
Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.
Did you know that one hundred denotes "Election of Grace" or the "Children of Promise" in Biblical numerics?Matthew 18:12
How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
What a wonderful feeling it must be after having a child that you love so much but who has gone astray, finally return home to your open arms. Would you not call that the happiest day in your life? Well, our Father has many lost children due to the great "scandalizer" himself, Satan the devil, and all those who have become hands and feet and eyes for him in these last days. However, make no mistake about it! Father still loves each and everyone of His lost children and it is His heartfelt desire that each little one repent and return to His open arms.[13] And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
Peter (petros) knew and understood this and gives a second witness to our Father's desire that ALL should come to repentance and not be cast into the hell fire![14] Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
What a happy day it is for our Father when one of His lost children does come to repentance and returns home to Him. Therefore, do not neglect nor despise the little ones, but rather receive them in His name and lead them to the kingdom of heaven through His precious Word. He will love you for it!2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[Matthew 6:11] "Give us this day our daily bread. [Matthew 6:12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."
How forgiving a person are you? As a disciple and servant of Jesus Christ, how forgiving a person should you be? Do you harbor grudges or resentments against people? Unfortunately far too many Christians get caught up in either festering and becoming bitter or worse yet in telling everybody else about a problem they may have with a brother or sister instead of doing the right thing by following the directions of Jesus Christ specific to handling and resolving these matters.
To that end, we find in the latter half of this 18th chapter of Matthew an extremely important set of commands and instructions from our Lord and Savior as to how we should interact and communicate with our brothers and sisters, especially when one of them "trespasses against us"! Also, as we absorb this wisdom and precious knowledge from His Word, let us always remember that there is not one us who is perfect and without the capacity to also be a committer of trespasses against our brothers. So perhaps by just having read with understanding how we should act towards our brothers and sisters to resolve our problems it will help us to be more open and willing to repent of our own trespasses when we are suddenly aware that one of our brothers has come to us in the manner prescribed by the Word of God.
We begin our study with the simplest yet most profound counsel ever there was in dealing with problems among brothers and sisters in Christ.
This incredibly powerful advice from the wisest One of all, if taken heed to and dutifully applied in one's life, will not only eliminate the majority of problems that rise up, including those both real and imagined, but will also prevent by "nipping in the bud" a host of other problems that most assuredly will arise as a result of NOT following His way. Furthermore, His healing words of wisdom will also eliminate many "mental health" problems by not allowing a host of evil spirits like suspicion, bitterness, resentment, etc., to come and dwell rent free in your head and bang on the walls of your mind at all hours of the day or night!Matthew 18:15
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Suppose for example that a brother has trespassed against you, or even if you think he has, but instead of keeping your mouth shut until you have been able to go directly and privately to that person to bring the matter to his attention (as per Christ's instruction), you instead go around telling others what an injustice that "I-can't-believe-he-calls-himself-a-Christian" so-and-so has perpetrated upon you, then you are most likely committing an even greater trespass than did the one you accuse. This is a serious matter as it can spread ill-will and spiritual sickness among the brotherhood and cause one to build up a "resentment", which is a word meaning to "feel again" (re = again, sentir = to sense or feel). You "see", when you tell some third party your complaints or ill-feelings about another, you re-feel those thoughts and emotions and they increase in strength through the exercise you give them thereby building up and hardening the resentment. Not only that, it infects others with a negative spirit, i.e. negative thoughts, and sets a very bad example for others to follow. Then, if and when the brother with whom you have a problem hears the rumors spread about, the matter grows worse and becomes even more difficult to resolve. Therefore if you find yourself as a third party and someone comes to you complaining about a brother or sister's trespass, do not give them your ear, but gently explain to them what Christ would have them do (Mat. 18:15)! The beauty of doing things His way is that you promote soundness of mind and peace of mind and prevent the spread of gossip and discord. It is your choice but know this well: How you as a disciple of Christ conduct your affairs in these matters has a direct bearing on the most serious aspect of all this which is contained in the latter part of verse 15 and reads: "if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained a brother."
Remember from our last study why it is Christ said He came... which is to save the lost! The successful resolve of a trespass which has been committed by one brother against another and ends up with a reconciliation between the two, benefits (is gain) to both parties and therefore is gain to the kingdom and family of God. That type of resolution can only be achieved when the presence of both the spirit of forgiveness and repentance is found. Think about it! And though we are all sinners, if you are one of Christ's disciples who has eyes to see and ears to hear then you have a great responsibility in that He has given unto you the keys to the kingdom of heaven by which you are able to open truth and knowledge to show the lost the way back home. The fact is, repentance and forgiveness have an awful lot to do with salvation, i.e. saving the lost, don't they? Yes they do... and Christ is going to spend a great deal of time in the remainder of this chapter addressing them. But before He does He gives us further instruction in handling those cases where one who has committed a real trespass is unwilling to settle the matter even after you have gone to that brother or sister and confronted him or her gently (in love) and in private as per Christ's instructions. Still at this point, be willing to give that brother or sister the benefit of the doubt in that he or she might not yet fully understand or, for whatever reason, be unable to or unwilling to see where he or she is in the wrong. If you have reached this point, then here is the next step we are instructed to take.
This gets the matter opened up before two or three witnesses who should be impartial and objective and mature in the Word of God especially in matters pertaining to the law so as to be able to hear both sides and wisely arbitrate (judge) the matter. If this fails and the person "neglects" to hear them, and even "neglects" to hear the greater assembly, which means he flat out refuses to abide by the family rules of law, then let the matter become of public record and deal with that person as you would an outsider, even in the civil courts if it is a matter of substance and is warranted. You see, at this point he is unrepentant and has thus shown that he really is not your brother.[16] But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Make sure however that even if it has gone this far, if he yet becomes convicted and has a change of heart and humbles himself in genuine repentance, that you are still willing to forgive him! That's the command and it is real simple! If a brother repents... forgive him! If he doesn't repent, execute even the full extent of the law pertaining to the matter. Christians are not doormats for people to walk all over and take advantage of. Quite frankly, if you let people that swindle you or trespass against you get away with it without confronting them or doing anything about it, you do both them and others they might swindle or take advantage of a great disservice. Do that which is right and just according to His Word and remember, if it is a brother who trespasses against you, rebuke him gently and if he repents, forgive him.[17] And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
And if it happens again that he trespasses against you, even in the same day, and he once again genuinely repents, then forgive him again.Luke 17:3
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Some people have weaknesses in certain areas and it takes time for them to mature in His Word and grow strong whereby they can overcome those weakness. So be patient! After all, you have the keys to the kingdom of heaven and shall possess all its riches for all eternity, so you can certainly afford to be patient and merciful to your brothers and sisters, especially when they repent, right? This is very important to the work of God as Christ now shows us.[4] And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.
Christ is reminding us here of both the responsibility we have and the reason He has given us the precious keys of the kingdom of heaven, to which this is connected. You may recall we covered this in detail in chapter 16.Matthew 18:18
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Remember the lesson we learned in chapter 16? If you are one of Christ's disciples who is like Simon (hearing) BarJona (of the Dove or Spirit), i.e. has ears to hear what the Holy Spirit says through the Word of God, then you are become a "petros", a "living stone" (1 Pet. 2:5), and you are here in His name, as His representative to build up the family. To wit, you are a representative of the kingdom of heaven who carries the keys of that kingdom which the King Himself has given to you. You have been sent here to do His work which is to plant seeds and/or to teach our people and bind them to His truth which sets them at liberty by loosing them from the traditions of men which lead them to spiritual death. Again, why did Christ come? To save the lost! To bring salvation! Isaiah 61:1 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;". Know this also, and consider it carefully in the latter half of today's study, that you are going to give account and be recompensed, or rewarded, according to your works, according to what you bind and loose here on earth.Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
The subject is still doing His work, i.e. the binding and loosing which pertains to salvation and the entering in the door to the kingdom. What Christ is simply saying is that if two (or more) of His disciples, His representatives who come in His name, ask for help in carrying forth that work according to His will, Father will see to it that they shall receive it.Matthew 18:19
Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Here is how that works:
Where two or three of His servants, which by the way is the required number to bear witness in matters of life and death according to the law, are gathered "in His name", which means they are gathered to do His work according to His will which at times may include settling the matters of trespasses which has been the subject up to this point, then Jesus Christ shall be in the midst of them... even to give wise counsel. So ask Him and Father will provide. After all you "see", Jesus Christ is the Living Word of God![20] For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Let us now be reminded of that which we touched on earlier and that is that there can be no reconciliation between brothers where there is a trespass one against the other unless there is repentance followed by forgiveness. The question is then, just how far we should carry this matter of forgiveness... even keeping in mind that genuine repentance is a "prerequisite" to it.
Good old Peter asks the question for us!
Matthew 18:21
Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
In Biblical numerics "70" is the number of "Israel and her restoration" and "7" is the number of "Spiritual completeness" (see "Biblical Mathematics", Ed. F. Vallowe, pgs. 80 & 191). You may recall that we left off in our last study with Matthew 18:14 which reads "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." When it comes to the salvation and restoration of His children, even our brothers and sisters of the House of Israel both naturally and spiritually, there is no limit to the amount of forgiveness Jesus Christ is willing and able to bestow when one repents and turns to Him and asks for mercy. The question then is: "As one of His representatives who possesses the keys to the kingdom of heaven, should there be any limit to yours?" It is only the condition, the meekness and humbleness of heart, that determines whether or not forgiveness is granted. You "see", Jesus Christ gave His life and paid an awesome price for "whosoever" will turn to Him in repentance and ask for forgiveness.[22] Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Therefore, consider the following simple analogy concerning the kingdom of heaven.
All shall give account to the King of kings.[23] Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Ten thousand is "10", which in Biblical numerics is the number of law, times "1000" which denotes divine completeness and the glory of God. Spiritually speaking then, a person who is indebted to this incredible amount has fallen short of the law and short of the glory of God. In fact as the next verse shows, he is now wiped out and owes everything he has (and more) to his Lord! Is that so tough to understand? Can we not all say, "There but for the grace of God go I" for you and I along with all our brothers and sisters are in the same boat? Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." What we do about that is up to each and every one of us, but one thing is for sure. If we do not have His forgiveness we are in big trouble![24] And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Up to this point the man "had not to pay" which means he had not attempted to make good on his debt. Then when he discovered the seriousness of it all, he became willing to repent.[25] But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant humbled himself before his Lord and worshipped him and asked for mercy and compassion.[26] The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Our Father does not want us to repay that which we are indebted to Him, nor could we, but rather to turn to Him in true repentance at which point He will forgive us our debt... for Christ has paid sufficiently to cover us all! Of course in terms of money and material things, He owns everything there is anyway, doesn't He? He does not want nor need our money nor our sacrifices and burnt offerings (Hos. 6:6). What He wants is our love![27] Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
So now this person is loosed from his debt and has become a Christian and goes out to work in the field with his fellowservants.
Here is what happens next.
It is interesting that Christ uses money and the weight thereof to draw an analogy for us for the god of silver is near and dear to the hearts of many people. Nevertheless, the analogy is visual and it allows us to "see" the stark comparison of the magnitude of the forgiveness of Christ verses the magnitude, or lack thereof, of the forgiveness of man! Remember too, this is one of his own fellowservants he is coming down on. Did you know that one hundred is "election of grace" or "children of promise" in Biblical numerics? How small in "weight" are the few coins that make up an hundred pence (about $20) compared to the "burden" of 10,000 talents of silver?[28] But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Since this was fellowservant to fellowservant and not a servant to the Lord relationship, the man humbled himself (fell down at his feet) and besought his brother to be patient with him, but he did not worship him. Of course neither should he have. But look what the fellowservant did who had been forgiven such an enormous load of debt by the Lord![29] And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
He not only would not forgive his brother nor even be patient with him but rather delivered him up and had him cast into prison. Woe! How well do you think that is looked upon by Christ or even the rest of the brotherhood?[30] And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
It is a sad thing to see one of our fellowservants act in such an unforgiving, ungodly manner.[31] So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
The Lord had compassion on the man and forgave him all that debt because he had humbled himself and repented and ask for mercy. Next time a brother does likewise and comes to you in repentance, sincerely asking for your patience, remember the fate of this wicked unforgiving servant when he was called to give account.[32] Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Time to give account![33] Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
This is why you do unto others as you would have others do unto you. You see, what you unrighteously bind on earth shall be bound upon you in the kingdom of heaven and what you righteously loose on earth shall be loosed to you likewise in heaven. It is called just recompense, my friend, and it shall be meted unto all according to their own works.[34] And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
So be merciful and compassionate to others, even as your Father also is merciful to those who humble themselves and repent of their transgressions. Here are the plain and simple words of Christ as recorded by Dr. Luke and which need no commentary nor further explanation.[35] So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Luke 6:36
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Be a doer of the Word and remember always to ask Father to "Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6:11-12)."[38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
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