The Choice is Yours - The Parable Series

The Choice is Yours - The Parable Series
Introduction to Matthew 18 and the Kingdom of Heaven

Welcome to a study of the teachings of Yeshua, as presented by Matthew Vander Els at Founded in Truth Fellowship. This session delves into the powerful chapter of Matthew 18, a section brimming with insights into the nature of God's kingdom and the conduct expected of its members. We often revisit familiar parables from our youth, only to discover deeper significance and profound truths as adults. This exploration focuses on Matthew 18, a chapter that reveals the heart of living in God's kingdom, which Yeshua proclaimed was being established here and now.

Becoming Like Children: Humility and Dependence

The disciples of Yeshua were contemplating who would be the greatest in this new kingdom. To illustrate a crucial principle, Yeshua called a child to stand among them. He declared that unless one turns and becomes like children, they cannot enter the kingdom of heaven. Furthermore, whoever humbles themselves like this child is the greatest in the kingdom.

The significance of children in this context lies in their powerlessness and lack of social status in the first century. Unlike adults who accumulate status through age and experience, children depend entirely on the love and care of others. To be great in God's kingdom requires relinquishing our own status, agendas, and pride, depending solely on God's love and reciprocating that love.

Yeshua's teaching extends to how we treat the vulnerable, likened to these little ones. Causing such individuals, particularly new or less mature believers who rely on God's love, to stumble would incur severe consequences. It would be better to face a horrific death than to lead these vulnerable ones away from God through our actions or misrepresentation of His character. As heads of households and members of the community, we have a responsibility to represent God accurately to those who look up to us.

Addressing Sin Within the Community: A Path to Reconciliation

Moving forward in Matthew 18, Yeshua provides instructions for dealing with sin within the community of believers. If a brother or sister sins against you, the first step is to address the issue privately, between the two of you alone. If the offender listens and repents, reconciliation is achieved.

However, if the person does not listen, the next step is to take one or two others along with you, so that every charge may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. The aim here is not condemnation but to encourage repentance and restoration within the community. If the offender still refuses to listen, the matter is to be brought before the church, the community of believers. Even then, the goal remains reconciliation, driven by the community's love for the individual. If, after involving the community, the person still refuses to listen, they are to be treated as a Gentile and a tax collector. This does not necessarily mean ostracism but signifies a break in fellowship until repentance occurs.

Yeshua underscores the authority given to the community, stating that whatever they bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever they loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. He further emphasizes the power of unity in prayer.

The Question of Forgiveness: Seventy-Seven Times

In response to Yeshua's teachings on community and sin, Peter asks how often he should forgive a brother who sins against him, suggesting seven times. In first-century rabbinic thought, there were discussions about the limits of forgiveness, with some concluding it to be three times. Peter's suggestion of seven was already generous in this context.

Yeshua's reply, however, was not seven times, but seventy-seven times. This seemingly hyperbolic number carries significant weight, alluding to the story of Lamech in Genesis 4. Lamech, a descendant of Cain, boasted of avenging himself seventy-seven times for a minor wound, contrasting with God's protection of Cain for a sevenfold vengeance. Yeshua's use of this number flips the script: instead of unrestrained revenge, believers are called to unrestrained mercy and forgiveness.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant: A Reflection of God's Grace

To further illustrate the importance of forgiveness, Yeshua shares the parable of the unforgiving servant. The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. One servant owed him an astronomical sum, described as ten thousand talents – essentially an unpayable debt. Unable to repay, the servant pleaded for patience, and the king, out of pity, forgave him the entire debt.

However, this same servant then encountered a fellow servant who owed him a much smaller amount, a hundred denarii. Despite the fellow servant's plea for patience using the very same words he had used with the king, the first servant refused and had him thrown into prison until the debt could be paid.

When the other servants witnessed this, they reported it to the king. The king, incensed by the first servant's lack of mercy, despite having received such immense forgiveness himself, summoned him and condemned his wickedness. The king then delivered the unforgiving servant to the jailers (or tormentors) until he should pay back the entire original debt.

Yeshua concludes the parable with a stark warning: "So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you if you do not forgive your brother from your heart." This highlights that forgiveness is not optional for followers of Yeshua. God expects us to understand the depth of His forgiveness towards us and to reciprocate that forgiveness to others. Unforgiveness is incompatible with being a part of God's kingdom.

Application for Everyday Life

• Practice humility: Recognise your dependence on God's grace, mirroring the dependence of a child.
• Protect the vulnerable: Be mindful of the impact of your words and actions on newer or less mature believers, ensuring you lead them closer to God.
• Address conflict directly: When someone wrongs you, follow Yeshua's instructions to speak to them privately first, seeking repentance and reconciliation.
• Involve the community wisely: If private attempts fail, bring one or two others, and then, if necessary, the church, always with the goal of restoration.
• Forgive without limit: Emulate God's boundless forgiveness towards you by extending forgiveness to those who wrong you, reflecting the "seventy-seven times" principle.
• Distinguish forgiveness from forgetting and excusing: Understand that forgiveness is a release of resentment, not a denial of the offense or a requirement to remain in harm's way.
• Choose to release retaliation: Consciously decide to let go of the desire for revenge and the hope that the offender will suffer.
• Focus on restoration: Adopt the attitude of a forgiver who desires the offender's reconciliation with God and their transformation.
• Recognise the danger of unforgiveness: Understand that harboring unforgiveness can lead to personal torment and hinder your own relationship with God.
• Make the choice to forgive: Even in the most difficult circumstances, choose to lay down bitterness and walk out of the prison of unforgiveness.

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