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“Released Him and Forgave Him”

Matthew 18:21-35

[Mt 18:21] Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
[23] “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. [24] “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. [25] “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. [26] “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ [27] “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt. [28] “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ [29] “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ [30] “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed. [31] “So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened. [32] “Then summoning him, his lord *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. [33] ‘Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you? ‘[34] “And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him. [35] “My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.”

Matthew 18:21-22

[Mt 18:21] Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” [22] Jesus *said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.

“Seventy times seven”

Let’s recall the setting for this entire reading:

  • James and John want to have a higher office in Christ’s kingdom;
  • Jesus says that the greatest shall be the least;
  • Our Lord then lays out a three-point plan for the unrepentant “brother” in faith;
  • He grants the Apostles his authority to loosen or bind sin;
  • And, tells them that a church is two or more people united in his name (cause).

Despite these challenging discussions about faith and responsibility, Peter still wants to know how long he has to put up with the sins of others (presumably John and James). Before we think he is being too small; we have to realize that rabbinical teaching stated you must forgive another Jew three times for an infraction. Peter’s statement of seven times was twice the standard plus one for good measure. Seven was also the word for wholeness but—all the same—it was a finite number of times and one has to wonder if James and John might not have already been up to six on Peter’s scorecard.
Jesus’ seven-times-seventy does not represent a finite number but instead an infinite time. It does not imply 490; it implies “wholeness multiplied by Godliness.”
Seven implied wholeness but seventy (to the Hebrew) was a prophetic period mentioned in Daniel 9:

Daniel 9:24

[Da 9:24] “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
This is called the “year-day” theory, each day representing one year. This period thus represents 490 years and was regarded as the period that would elapse until the time of the coming of the Messiah. So, to Jesus, it was not a matter of how many “times” you forgave another but how “long” you forgave them. And, how long is that (in case Peter wanted to know)? Until the Messiah returns.
So, we are called to throw away our scorecards and our accounting of the sins of others and we are quite literally to forgive our way into the kingdom.

Matthew 6:14-15

[Mt 6:14] “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. [15] “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”

Matthew 18:23-27

[23] “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. [24] “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. [25] “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made. [26] “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’ [27] “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

“The lord of that slave felt compassion.”

A denarius was the approximate equivalent of one day’s work for a common laborer. In Roman times one talent equaled 6,000 denarii. The man in this story owed ten thousand talents. If we translated that using a simple number like ten dollars an hour or eighty dollars a day, then one talent would equal $480,000 in U.S. currency. Ten thousand talents would be equal to $4.8 billion U.S.! The entire budget of Israel this year is $48.09 billion U.S.; the sum Jesus is speaking about would represent 10% of Israel’s current budgeted revenues for an entire year!
What is Christ’s point to Peter and the Apostles? This is an impossible amount to pay back. This man was forgiven for an impossible debt. He was not even asked to make payments on it: “The lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.”
There are two important words in this sentence; Released and Forgave.

  • Released [NT:630 apoluo] means to be freed fully, released or pardoned. This word would be used for a legal divorce but it would also be used for “to let die.”
  • Forgave [NT:863 aphiemi] means to pardon but also “to send forth.” It was the word used for a hostage whose ransom had been paid so that he was “set free and sent forth.”

This slave—whose outrageous bill could never be paid—was “set free and sent forth.” He was divorced from his debt, it was “dead to him.”
He walked into his Lord’s presence encumbered by a debt no person could ever hope to repay and he walked out a free man purely because of the compassion of his master.
We are that slave. We have accumulated a debt we can never expect to pay back. Our only hope is the compassion of our Master; but his compassion is so complete that he wipes away any debt of any size. The debt is “dead to us.” It is forgotten and we are “released and sent forth.”
What will we do with our newfound freedom? We have been “released,” will we now “go forth” to serve?

Matthew 18:28-30

[28] “But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ [29] “So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’ [30] “But he was unwilling and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.”

“Pay back what you owe.”

Here is one of the saddest stories in history—a story not directed at the Pharisees but at Jesus’ closest followers. This man had been “released and sent forth.” He had been set free of all his debts (sin)—an impossible debt—yet, when he stumbles on a man who owes him a mere pittance in comparison the slave takes him by the throat and sends him to jail.
The amount the second slave owed was not small, almost four months wages, but compare that to what the first slave owed. We are not to count the amount owed but instead, we are to compare it to what we owe the Master. Now, remember the context of this reading:

  • James and John seek to be above the others;
  • Jesus castigates those who seek personal greatness above serving others;
  • Jesus compares that sin to plucking out your eye or cutting off your arm;
  • He teaches how to reprimand others who continue to sin;
  • Then, Peter asks how much he has to forgive others.

How often? Until our Lord’s return in glory...
Even if the forgiveness is for a sin that is large by human standards; it is infinitesimal in comparison to the compassion of our Savior. We do not compare another sin against our own accounts; we compare to God’s compassion. We do not say; “Look at what you owe me!” We say; “Look at how much God forgave me!”
Compassion, not judgment, is the nature of the Christian. [33] “Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?”
The word mercy [NT:1653 eleeo] is actually “tender mercy” or “compassion”. Zachariah uses the term in his prayer when he names his son John:

Luke 1:76-79

[Lk 1:76] “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO PREPARE HIS WAYS; [77] To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins, [78] Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, [79] TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Could we imagine a greater calling than to use all of our abilities to forgive, to preach and model God’s tender mercy, to shine for those who “sit in darkness and the shadow of death?”
Why are we worried about our own self-righteous anger when we have God’s tender mercy freely available to us? Why hold on to the debt others owe us when the debt we’ve been forgiven is so vast? “Release and forgive!” There is the way to eternal life. There is the path to immediate joy! How many times should we forgive? “Forgive until you are set free.”

About the Author

Jerry Goebel is a community organizer who started ONEFamily Outreach in response to gang violence and youth alienation in a rural community in Southeastern Washington. Since that time, Jerry has worked with communities around the globe to break the systemic hold of poverty by enhancing the strengths of the poor.


A primary philosophy of ONEFamily Outreach is to teach; “poverty is a lack of healthy relationships.” And, a primary focus of ONEFamily Outreach has been to break down the barriers of poverty through creating “cultures of intentional courtesy.”


As well as having developed ongoing mentoring outreaches in his own community, Jerry travels extensively to work with church leaders, community governments, and educators.


Jerry has received five popular music awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, a Best Educational Video Award from the National Catholic Education Association, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry for living Gospel Values.


To contact or book Jerry for a presentation in your area write or call:


Jerry Goebel
ONEFamily Outreach
jerry@onefamilyoutreach.com
http://onefamilyoutreach.com
(509) 525-0709

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2007 Jerry Goebel. All Rights Reserved.  This study may be freely distributed, as long as it bears the following attribution: Source: Jerry Goebel: 2007 © http://onefamilyoutreach.com.

Scripture Quotations noted from NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION of the bible. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.

The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old Testament.” These files are considered public domain.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. Copyright © 1981, 1998 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. (www.Lockman.org)

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