Matthew 18:21-35

18:21-22 | Rabbinic tradition taught that a brother could be forgiven three times for the same offense, but not four times. Peter, trying to be a better-than-superior Law keeper, doubled that and added one – seven times. He did not anticipate Jesus’ response, which is not a congratulations but a correction. Whether the phrase should be rendered seventy times seven or seventy-seven is irrelevant; Jesus teaches us that believers in Christ may have been forgiven far more than they will ever be asked to forgive. They must cultivate a spirit of forgiveness, not a habit of counting offenses (6:14; 11:24; Col. 3:13).

18:23-25 | One talent would be worth about 6,000 days’ work, so it would take over 190,000 years for someone to pay off a debt of 10,000 talents.

18:35 | God expects His children to take on His likeness. If they do not resemble Him in their willingness to forgive, they prove they are not His children (James 2:13). God is rich in mercy and grace, but He is also holy and just, so those who refuse to forgive should not imagine that God would welcome their unforgiving hearts into His kingdom.