In Matthew’s gospel chapter 18 he reports teachings from Jesus on several points. This produced a request from the disciples wanting to know who was the greatest in the kingdom. As a result, Jesus spoke extensively about becoming as little children and not offending them. This led to an explanation for finding the lost sheep. Finally, Jesus made a comment about brothers who trespass against brothers.
In the middle of Jesus’s teachings, impetuous Peter interrupted him. Notice that Peter did not say who or how someone may have offended him or that he was speaking hypothetically. He thought he was being very generous about forgiveness because the Jewish teaching was to forgive up to three times. To his surprise Jesus responded that this was not adequate.
In the context of the chapter, there is no mention of the offending partner asking for forgiveness. The focus is on the attitude of the one who thinks he has been offended. In other words, he must have an attitude of forgiveness with unlimited kindness and mercy. This is not an address to the one who is offending. This is speaking of the duty required of the one who needs to forgive. One of the Beatitudes says, “Blessed are the merciful.” Matthew 6: 14, 15 warns that if a person is not willing to forgive others, the Heavenly Father will not forgive him.
James 2: 13 warns us, “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown more mercy.” Divine forgiveness and human forgiveness are parallel. The unforgiving person carries that weight on his spirit. Because through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has forgiven us of the debt that we owe him. Likewise, we must be willing to forgive others. There is no way to compare the forgiveness that God has given us to how we should forgive others. Our forgiven debt by God is beyond any payment. Therefore, we cannot expect any offender to pay a price of forgiveness to us. Without a spirit of forgiveness, we have no right for hope that we might have mercy from God.
Jesus gave an example of a man who owed money to a king but was unable to pay it. Mercifully, the king forgave him. Afterwards that forgiven servant demanded payment from another servant and showed no mercy. When the king found out about this behavior, he reminded him that because he was shown compassion, he should likewise have shown compassion on his fellow servant just as was given pity to him. Jesus concluded by saying, “So likewise shall my Heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.”
This is a heavyweight on the one who has been offended, but necessary since it reflects the forgiveness that God has given us.
Christian Writer 