Daily Scripture: Matthew 18:21 Then Kefa came up and said to him, “Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” answered Yeshua, “but seventy times seven! 23 Because of this, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared with a king who decided to settle accounts with his deputies. 24 Right away they brought forward a man who owed him many millions; 25 and since he couldn’t pay, his master ordered that he, his wife, his children and all his possessions be sold to pay the debt. 26 But the servant fell down before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.
28 “But as that servant was leaving, he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him some tiny sum. He grabbed him and began to choke him, crying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 29 His fellow servant fell before him and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should repay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed; and they went and told their master everything that had taken place. 32 Then the master summoned his servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt just because you begged me to do it. 33 Shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And in anger his master turned him over to the jailers for punishment until he paid back everything he owed. 35 This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you each forgive your brother from your hearts.”
Reflection Questions: Most of Jesus’ themes in the parables grew out of the Hebrew Scriptures. That was certainly true of this parable about a king who showed almost undreamed of mercy (cf. Psalm 103:8-12, Isaiah 55:6-7). When we serve a king as merciful as God is, then our gratitude toward the king and our mercy toward others will be signs that we truly value and wish to live by the kingdom’s values.
- Jesus used a shorter version of this parable to show a self-righteous Pharisee why a woman known as a “sinner” was more grateful and gracious toward Jesus than the Pharisee was (cf. Luke 7:40-47). Jesus' story made the debt owed to the king incredibly large—as if we said the man owed “a gazillion dollars.” Was Jesus accurate in seeking to make us aware of the gap between our purity and God’s, to show us how desperately we need a Savior to bridge the gap?
- Scholar Craig Keener noted, “Seventy times seven (some interpreters read seventy-seven)…is a typically graphic Jewish way of saying ‘Never hold grudges.’” How hard do you find it to let go of wrongs done to you? What inner factors too often make that characteristic of us as humans? How can taking in God’s forgiveness transform you over time so that you can forgive others as God forgives you?
Today’s Prayer:
Lord Jesus, you gave up so much in order to reach me with your forgiveness. Help me to accept and value that gift, and to be more forgiving toward myself and others in my life. Amen.Insights from Brandi Bates
Lord Jesus, you gave up so much in order to reach me with your forgiveness. Help me to accept and value that gift, and to be more forgiving toward myself and others in my life. Amen.Insights from Brandi Bates
Brandi Bates is an intern with Adult Discipleship at Church of the Resurrection this summer. She attends Loyola University Chicago and is studying Human Services. Brandi likes people, animals, and plants, so if you see her around come say ‘hello’!
When I read this passage from Matthew, my first thought was how similar I am to Peter. I want a specific number of times to forgive myself and others. I want to be able to pencil it in on my to-do list, and I want to check it off. But I can’t. I can’t check it off between “clean my room” and “write the Insights blog.” Even more, I can’t hold on to whatever hurt me.
The thing about forgiveness is that at first it just seems easier to hold on to it. Cut whatever hurt you out; turn that part of you stone. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I can feel it when it happens. It’s that twinge you get when you think about whatever hurt you. First it can be masked in anger, then it gives discomfort, and then after a while it doesn’t hurt at all, but you feel a little heavier or maybe even emptier. Remember when you thought it would be easier to hold on to what hurt you?
The thing about the two paragraphs above is that they’re all about what I want, what I think is best, and what I think I need. Jeez, just in that sentence alone I used “I” four times! But in this passage, Jesus reminds us of how forgiving God is. He says that God will treat us like the first servant “unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” which brings a whole new meaning to the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Forgiveness is hard, and it can’t easily be checked off on our to-do lists. It’s also something we can’t do alone. By God’s grace we forgive. If something is on your heart, ask God to take it and work with you. It’s always incredible to see how He works. Instead of feeling heavier or emptier, let God lighten you and fill you. Through God we know that if something is still challenging, then it isn’t over yet. Sometimes it’s better to take that “I” we use so frequently and add an “H” and an “M” so we may do everything through HIM.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
When I read this passage from Matthew, my first thought was how similar I am to Peter. I want a specific number of times to forgive myself and others. I want to be able to pencil it in on my to-do list, and I want to check it off. But I can’t. I can’t check it off between “clean my room” and “write the Insights blog.” Even more, I can’t hold on to whatever hurt me.
The thing about forgiveness is that at first it just seems easier to hold on to it. Cut whatever hurt you out; turn that part of you stone. I can’t speak for everyone, but I know I can feel it when it happens. It’s that twinge you get when you think about whatever hurt you. First it can be masked in anger, then it gives discomfort, and then after a while it doesn’t hurt at all, but you feel a little heavier or maybe even emptier. Remember when you thought it would be easier to hold on to what hurt you?
The thing about the two paragraphs above is that they’re all about what I want, what I think is best, and what I think I need. Jeez, just in that sentence alone I used “I” four times! But in this passage, Jesus reminds us of how forgiving God is. He says that God will treat us like the first servant “unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart,” which brings a whole new meaning to the Lord’s Prayer: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Forgiveness is hard, and it can’t easily be checked off on our to-do lists. It’s also something we can’t do alone. By God’s grace we forgive. If something is on your heart, ask God to take it and work with you. It’s always incredible to see how He works. Instead of feeling heavier or emptier, let God lighten you and fill you. Through God we know that if something is still challenging, then it isn’t over yet. Sometimes it’s better to take that “I” we use so frequently and add an “H” and an “M” so we may do everything through HIM.
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
____________________________
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment