Matthew Chapter Eighteen
About Who shall be Greatest, 18:1-9.
(Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-50
1. Who is the greatest.—The form in which Matthew quotes the question of the disciples, would leave it uncertain whether they meant which person, or what character, would be greatest in the kingdom; but from a reference to the same question made by Luke (22:24), we learn that the former was their meaning. In his answer Jesus takes the question in the other sense, and tells them the character which would be greatest.
2-4. Except ye be converted.—Except ye be turned. (See note on 13:15.) The expression has reference, not to turning from sin in general, but to turning from the particular sin of personal ambition which had exposed itself in their question. The little child was placed in their midst, and made their model in this particular because of its well known freedom from this passion. The humblest shall be the greatest because they will live the most unselfishly and be the most like Jesus.
5. one such little child.—The term "such" is not used to distinguish this particular child from others; for all little children are alike in the particular referred to, and this was indicated in the preceding words, "become as little children; "but "such" is used to limit the term child to the character who has become like a little child. The remark, then, has no reference to receiving little children, but to receiving those who have become like little children in their freedom from personal ambition. In the next verse the same character is designated as "one of these little ones that believe in me."
6. whoso shall offend.—Whether we render the original (σκανδαλιζω) offend, or ensnare, the thought is practically the same. Contentions as to who shall be greatest always give offense, and at the same time, by exciting evil passions, they ensnare the persons engaged in them. Jesus desired that his disciples should see this tendency of their discussion, and to show how fearful the final result would be to the offender, he assures them that it were better for such to have a millstone hung about his neck, and to be cast into the sea. It were better, because his actual fate will be worse than that. (Comp. 8, 9.)
7. Woe unto the world.—By a natural transition Jesus here passes from the particular cause of offense under consideration, to offenses in general. "It must needs be that offenses come," not because it is the will of God that they should come, but because the depravity of men makes them inevitable. For this reason he adds, "Woe to the man by whom the offense cometh." No man should look for the day when there will be no offenses but each should see to it that he is not the cause of them.
8. if thy hand or thy foot.—The hand and the foot in this verse, and the eye in the next, are used as symbols of those desires by which a man is caused to offend, or is ensnared. As the original term (σκανδαλίζω) has in it both the idea of ensnaring so as to cause a fall, and of offending as a result of the ensnaring, Jesus uses it in this connection sometimes with the one idea more prominent, and sometimes with the other. The former is the prominent idea here. We are taught that it is better to deny ourselves all the gratification which the indulgence of those desires would give, even if the denial should be as painful as the loss of a limb or an eye, than to suffer the consequences of indulgence.
8, 9. everlasting fire... hell fire.—These two expressions are here unquestionably used as equivalents. Being cast into hell fire, or everlasting fire, is made the alternative of entering into life. The life referred to can not be physical life, nor spiritual life, for the disciples had already entered into both of these; it must, then, be eternal life, and the alternative, being cast into hell fire, must mean, being consigned to eternal punishment. Par better to undergo all conceivable self-denial and suffering in this life, than to be cast into that fire.
Against Despising a Disciple, 10-14
10. that ye despise not.—To despise (καταφρονέω) is not to hate, but to regard with contempt. We are not likely to so regard any but those who have Binned or who are supposed to have sinned, and the reference, as the context below more clearly shows (12-14), is to such disciples.
their angels.—This expression shows that the "little ones" in question have angels which are in some sense theirs. All the angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation;" but this general ministration is effected by a ministration for particular individuals. "Their angels," then, are the angels especially charged with ministering to them individually. The fact stated of these angels is that "they do always behold the face of the Father in heaven"—a fact which shows the efficiency of their guardianship, seeing that in addition to their own power they have access to the helping power of God. The fact that these weak disciples have such angels to watch over them, makes it exceedingly preposterous that we should despise them.
11. For the Son of man.—Here is another good reason for not despising an erring disciple; but it is omitted from the text by the critics. It was doubtless copied from Luke 19:10, where it is genuine.
12-14. Even so.—This parable illustrates and enforces the lesson in hand. As it is not the will of the shepherd that one stray sheep should perish, even so it is not the will of God that an erring disciple shall perish. And now, if the shepherd does not despise the foolish sheep, and leave it to perish because it has gone astray, and if God does not despise the erring disciple, why should we despise him? On the one hand, the disciple is of much more value than a sheep, and, on the other, God against whom he has sinned could much more properly despise him than we who are so much like him.
How to Deal with an Offending Brother, 15-20
15. trespass against thee.—The word rendered trespass (ἁμαρτήση) means to sin; and the clause should be rendered, "if thy brother sin against thee." In the former part of the discourse Jesus had warned the disciples against giving offense, or in any way mistreating a brother; now he tells them how to proceed when a brother sins against them.
go and tell him his fault.—More correctly rendered "go and (ἔλεγζον αὔτον) rebuke him. The character of the rebuke is indicated by the object of it, which is to gain the brother. He is supposed to have committed that sin which is described above (verse 6) as being worse than to have a millstone about the neck, and to be cast into the sea; and he is therefore lost, for the time at least, to duty and to friendship: the object of the rebuke is to win him back to both. Observe, too, that it is not, as men are inclined to have it, the offender, but the offended who must go. True, it is elsewhere made the duty of an offender, when he remembers that his brother has aught against him, to go and be reconciled to his brother (5:23, 24); but according to the teaching of the present paragraph, the offended is not to wait for this. The offender has fallen into sin, and without help he may never recover from it. You, who have not sinned, but have only been sinned against, have an opportunity to Have him, and you may thus be like the shepherd of the preceding paragraph—you may avoid the sin of despising an erring disciple. It is well also to observe that the time, place and circumstances of going to the offending brother are not specified, but must, like the matter and manner of the rebuke, be chosen with reference to the one purpose of gaining the brother. Go at a time, and select a place, and seek for other surroundings, which are moat favorable to success in your effort.
16. one or two more.—The one or two more are to be taken primarily for the same purpose with which you at first went alone—the purpose of gaining the brother. This is implied in the scope of the context. But secondarily, in case of a failure, the one or two may serve as witnesses of all that passed between the parties.
17. tell it to the church.—Only when both of the preceding steps shall have been taken and found ineffectual, is the sin to be reported to the Church. Then, as is implied in the words "if he shall neglect to hear the Church," the Church is to speak. But a church can speak only through her spokesmen, her officials appointed for the purpose; consequently, the action of the Church's disciplinary officers is here implied.
This rule of procedure is given only for cases of personal offense, where one individual has sinned against another. We are to learn from other portions of the New Testament how to deal with offenses of other kinds.
The Church is here spoken of before it had an actual existence, because the Savior was giving preparatory instruction and was compelled, as in many other instances, to speak by anticipation. The disciples, at the time, had but an imperfect conception of the Church, but they knew that worshiping assemblies of some kind would be established in the coming kingdom, and to these they necessarily referred the word church, which means an assembly.
as a heathen man and a publican.—Not as a heathen and a publican was to the unbelieving Jew, but as such characters are to a Christian. In other words, when a man who has sinned against his brother refuses to hear the Church, he is to be treated as we properly treat heathen men and publicans, or men of wicked habits. We have known persons to express a doubt whether this implies an exclusion of the sinning party from the fellowship of the Church; but to deny that it does would involve a great absurdity. It would require the offended party to live in the Church with a man whom he justly treats as though he were a heathen and a publican; and it would require the Church to hold in her fellowship men who are rightly so treated by her own members. Surely if heathen men and impenitent publicans are to be kept out of the Church, disciples who deserve to be treated by their brethren as heathen and publicans, must be cut off from the Church.
18. Whatsoever ye shall bind.—The binding and loosing of this verse must be limited by the subject of the context, which is the proper treatment of offenders. Binding is the infliction of the penalty of non-fellowship, while loosing is withholding it or removing it in cases of penitence. The promise is that whatsoever the apostles should thus bind or loose would be bound or loosed in heaven; and it follows, that whatsoever the Church now binds and looses in accordance with apostolic precept and precedent is also bound and loosed in heaven. It is from this promise that the act of excommunication derives its peculiar solemnity and its fearful effects.
19. if two of you.—The promise here made is necessarily limited, like all other promises of the kind, by the well understood condition that the thing for which we ask shall be in accordance with the will of God. (See note on __Matthew __7:7, 8.)
20. there am I.—This statement confirms the promise that the prayers of any two of them would be answered, and at the same time it gives us the comforting assurance of the Savior's presence whenever we meet in his name.
The Duty of Forgiveness, 21-35
21. Lord, how oft.—Peter saw clearly that the rules just given would require on our part a large amount or forbearance and forgiveness, and he naturally inquired how many times he should forgive a brother who would sin against him. He seems to have thought that seven times would be often enough. It is highly probable, though by no means certain, that this number had been suggested by some of the Jewish teachers of tradition.
22. seventy times seven.—This is a play on the word seven in Peter's question, and means that there is to be no numerical limitation of the forgiveness enjoined.
23. unto a certain king.—In the comparison which now follows, the kingdom of heaven, as the context shows, is contemplated with regard to the duty of forgiveness, and it is like the king only in this respect, that the administration of its affairs is, in the particular under consideration, analogous to the king's administration in the given case.
24. ten thousand talents.—As a Jewish talent was equal to about $1600 of our American coin, ten thousand talents were equal to $16,000,000. This enormous amount is given in the parable in order to represent the debtor as in a hopeless condition.
25. to be sold.—The law of Moses tolerated the selling of men for debt. (Lev. 25:39, 47; 2 Kings 4:1.) It seems from verse 30 that in the Savior's time imprisonment was also employed, and the latter penalty for insolvency has been continued among the most enlightened nations until a very recent date. It is only within the present century that it has been abolished in the various States of our own Union.
26, 27. I will pay thee all.—Of course it was impossible for the poor man to pay such a debt, but the promise indicated a right purpose and a strong will, and excited the compassion of the king to such a degree that he forgave him the entire debt.
28. a hundred pence.—The coin here mentioned is the Roman denarius, which was equal to fifteen cents of our money. The fellow-servant's debt, then, was only fifteen dollars.
took him by the throat.—The description is very graphic. The debtor, rendered timid by his inability to pay, bears patiently every abuse, while the greedy creditor first lays hands on him as if to shake the money out of him, and then seizes him by the throat as if to choke it out of him, all the time knowing that the poor fellow had no money, yet all the time exclaiming, "Pay me that thou owest."
29, 30. into prison.—To be cast into prison was a more hopeless and painful fate than to be sold into slavery; so that the creditor inflicted a severer punishment on his fellow-servant for the sake of fifteen dollars, than his own master had threatened to inflict on him for the sake of sixteen millions; and he did this while listening to the same humble entreaties by which he had excited his master's compassion.
31. when his fellow-servants.—The fellow-servants acted a very natural part; for no matter how much we are inclined to deal harshly with men ourselves, we are always indignant, when, as disinterested witnesses, we behold such conduct in others.
32, 33. Shouldest thou not also.—While the man was dealing with his fellow-servant, he was forgetful of the king's kindness to him under similar circumstances, or he remembered it only to congratulate himself on his good fortune. He is now reminded of his base ingratitude, and of his obligation to do as he would be done by.
34. to the tormentors.—The king was now in a rage, as well he might be. He recalls his past forgiveness of the debt, and commands, not as formerly, that the man and his family shall be sold, but that he shall be tormented until payment is made. This was equivalent to tormenting him to death; for it was impossible at best for the man to procure so much money, and especially when confined in the hands of the tormentors.
35. So likewise.—The comparison has reference only to the last act of the king, that of delivering the unforgiving servant to the tormentors. The heavenly Father will so deliver all disciples who do not from their hearts forgive their offending brethren. This is the chief lesson of the parable; but in order to reach this lesson the Savior had depicted to his hearers, by the conduct of the king and that of the unforgiving servant, God's forbearance toward us and our severity toward one another. Our sins against God, for which we can make no reparation, and which are freely forgiven us, are like the ten thousand talents, while the sins committed against us, which we are so unwilling to forgive, are like the fifteen dollars. This is a truthful representation of human habits, and at the same time a cutting satire on Peter's idea of forgiveness.
We are not to infer, from the fact that the king retracted the forgiveness first granted, that God will do so with us. Our sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more. (Heb. 8:12.) This, then, is not a significant part of the parable, but it is introduced because it is what a heathen king under such circumstances would be likely to do, and Jesus paints the picture true to life. It is nevertheless true, that if a man, once delivered from sin, turn back to it again, his condition is made worse than if his former sins had not been forgiven. (2 Pet. 2:20-22.)
Argument of Section 13
In this section there is not the usual amount of argument for the claims of Jesus; yet the manner in which he procured money for the temple tribute exhibited both his divine power and his foreknowledge; and the discourse which fills the eighteenth chapter is replete with wisdom suited to his exalted pretensions. Such lessons on the subject of ambition (1-9); on the subject of sympathy and care for the erring (10-14); on the right method of dealing with offenders (15-20); and on the duty of forgiveness (21-35), had never before been taught, nor have subsequent generations been able to discover a defect in them or to suggest an improvement on them. Besides accomplishing the logical purpose of the section, our author has placed these divine lessons on record for the guidance of disciples in all ages. This, indeed, seems to have been the leading object of the section; and eternity alone will be able to reveal the amount of good which will have accrued to the Church from this single discourse of the Great Teacher.
The New Testament Commentary: Vol. I - Matthew and Mark.
(Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-50
1. Who is the greatest.—The form in which Matthew quotes the question of the disciples, would leave it uncertain whether they meant which person, or what character, would be greatest in the kingdom; but from a reference to the same question made by Luke (22:24), we learn that the former was their meaning. In his answer Jesus takes the question in the other sense, and tells them the character which would be greatest.
2-4. Except ye be converted.—Except ye be turned. (See note on 13:15.) The expression has reference, not to turning from sin in general, but to turning from the particular sin of personal ambition which had exposed itself in their question. The little child was placed in their midst, and made their model in this particular because of its well known freedom from this passion. The humblest shall be the greatest because they will live the most unselfishly and be the most like Jesus.
5. one such little child.—The term "such" is not used to distinguish this particular child from others; for all little children are alike in the particular referred to, and this was indicated in the preceding words, "become as little children; "but "such" is used to limit the term child to the character who has become like a little child. The remark, then, has no reference to receiving little children, but to receiving those who have become like little children in their freedom from personal ambition. In the next verse the same character is designated as "one of these little ones that believe in me."
6. whoso shall offend.—Whether we render the original (σκανδαλιζω) offend, or ensnare, the thought is practically the same. Contentions as to who shall be greatest always give offense, and at the same time, by exciting evil passions, they ensnare the persons engaged in them. Jesus desired that his disciples should see this tendency of their discussion, and to show how fearful the final result would be to the offender, he assures them that it were better for such to have a millstone hung about his neck, and to be cast into the sea. It were better, because his actual fate will be worse than that. (Comp. 8, 9.)
7. Woe unto the world.—By a natural transition Jesus here passes from the particular cause of offense under consideration, to offenses in general. "It must needs be that offenses come," not because it is the will of God that they should come, but because the depravity of men makes them inevitable. For this reason he adds, "Woe to the man by whom the offense cometh." No man should look for the day when there will be no offenses but each should see to it that he is not the cause of them.
8. if thy hand or thy foot.—The hand and the foot in this verse, and the eye in the next, are used as symbols of those desires by which a man is caused to offend, or is ensnared. As the original term (σκανδαλίζω) has in it both the idea of ensnaring so as to cause a fall, and of offending as a result of the ensnaring, Jesus uses it in this connection sometimes with the one idea more prominent, and sometimes with the other. The former is the prominent idea here. We are taught that it is better to deny ourselves all the gratification which the indulgence of those desires would give, even if the denial should be as painful as the loss of a limb or an eye, than to suffer the consequences of indulgence.
8, 9. everlasting fire... hell fire.—These two expressions are here unquestionably used as equivalents. Being cast into hell fire, or everlasting fire, is made the alternative of entering into life. The life referred to can not be physical life, nor spiritual life, for the disciples had already entered into both of these; it must, then, be eternal life, and the alternative, being cast into hell fire, must mean, being consigned to eternal punishment. Par better to undergo all conceivable self-denial and suffering in this life, than to be cast into that fire.
Against Despising a Disciple, 10-14
10. that ye despise not.—To despise (καταφρονέω) is not to hate, but to regard with contempt. We are not likely to so regard any but those who have Binned or who are supposed to have sinned, and the reference, as the context below more clearly shows (12-14), is to such disciples.
their angels.—This expression shows that the "little ones" in question have angels which are in some sense theirs. All the angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation;" but this general ministration is effected by a ministration for particular individuals. "Their angels," then, are the angels especially charged with ministering to them individually. The fact stated of these angels is that "they do always behold the face of the Father in heaven"—a fact which shows the efficiency of their guardianship, seeing that in addition to their own power they have access to the helping power of God. The fact that these weak disciples have such angels to watch over them, makes it exceedingly preposterous that we should despise them.
11. For the Son of man.—Here is another good reason for not despising an erring disciple; but it is omitted from the text by the critics. It was doubtless copied from Luke 19:10, where it is genuine.
12-14. Even so.—This parable illustrates and enforces the lesson in hand. As it is not the will of the shepherd that one stray sheep should perish, even so it is not the will of God that an erring disciple shall perish. And now, if the shepherd does not despise the foolish sheep, and leave it to perish because it has gone astray, and if God does not despise the erring disciple, why should we despise him? On the one hand, the disciple is of much more value than a sheep, and, on the other, God against whom he has sinned could much more properly despise him than we who are so much like him.
How to Deal with an Offending Brother, 15-20
15. trespass against thee.—The word rendered trespass (ἁμαρτήση) means to sin; and the clause should be rendered, "if thy brother sin against thee." In the former part of the discourse Jesus had warned the disciples against giving offense, or in any way mistreating a brother; now he tells them how to proceed when a brother sins against them.
go and tell him his fault.—More correctly rendered "go and (ἔλεγζον αὔτον) rebuke him. The character of the rebuke is indicated by the object of it, which is to gain the brother. He is supposed to have committed that sin which is described above (verse 6) as being worse than to have a millstone about the neck, and to be cast into the sea; and he is therefore lost, for the time at least, to duty and to friendship: the object of the rebuke is to win him back to both. Observe, too, that it is not, as men are inclined to have it, the offender, but the offended who must go. True, it is elsewhere made the duty of an offender, when he remembers that his brother has aught against him, to go and be reconciled to his brother (5:23, 24); but according to the teaching of the present paragraph, the offended is not to wait for this. The offender has fallen into sin, and without help he may never recover from it. You, who have not sinned, but have only been sinned against, have an opportunity to Have him, and you may thus be like the shepherd of the preceding paragraph—you may avoid the sin of despising an erring disciple. It is well also to observe that the time, place and circumstances of going to the offending brother are not specified, but must, like the matter and manner of the rebuke, be chosen with reference to the one purpose of gaining the brother. Go at a time, and select a place, and seek for other surroundings, which are moat favorable to success in your effort.
16. one or two more.—The one or two more are to be taken primarily for the same purpose with which you at first went alone—the purpose of gaining the brother. This is implied in the scope of the context. But secondarily, in case of a failure, the one or two may serve as witnesses of all that passed between the parties.
17. tell it to the church.—Only when both of the preceding steps shall have been taken and found ineffectual, is the sin to be reported to the Church. Then, as is implied in the words "if he shall neglect to hear the Church," the Church is to speak. But a church can speak only through her spokesmen, her officials appointed for the purpose; consequently, the action of the Church's disciplinary officers is here implied.
This rule of procedure is given only for cases of personal offense, where one individual has sinned against another. We are to learn from other portions of the New Testament how to deal with offenses of other kinds.
The Church is here spoken of before it had an actual existence, because the Savior was giving preparatory instruction and was compelled, as in many other instances, to speak by anticipation. The disciples, at the time, had but an imperfect conception of the Church, but they knew that worshiping assemblies of some kind would be established in the coming kingdom, and to these they necessarily referred the word church, which means an assembly.
as a heathen man and a publican.—Not as a heathen and a publican was to the unbelieving Jew, but as such characters are to a Christian. In other words, when a man who has sinned against his brother refuses to hear the Church, he is to be treated as we properly treat heathen men and publicans, or men of wicked habits. We have known persons to express a doubt whether this implies an exclusion of the sinning party from the fellowship of the Church; but to deny that it does would involve a great absurdity. It would require the offended party to live in the Church with a man whom he justly treats as though he were a heathen and a publican; and it would require the Church to hold in her fellowship men who are rightly so treated by her own members. Surely if heathen men and impenitent publicans are to be kept out of the Church, disciples who deserve to be treated by their brethren as heathen and publicans, must be cut off from the Church.
18. Whatsoever ye shall bind.—The binding and loosing of this verse must be limited by the subject of the context, which is the proper treatment of offenders. Binding is the infliction of the penalty of non-fellowship, while loosing is withholding it or removing it in cases of penitence. The promise is that whatsoever the apostles should thus bind or loose would be bound or loosed in heaven; and it follows, that whatsoever the Church now binds and looses in accordance with apostolic precept and precedent is also bound and loosed in heaven. It is from this promise that the act of excommunication derives its peculiar solemnity and its fearful effects.
19. if two of you.—The promise here made is necessarily limited, like all other promises of the kind, by the well understood condition that the thing for which we ask shall be in accordance with the will of God. (See note on __Matthew __7:7, 8.)
20. there am I.—This statement confirms the promise that the prayers of any two of them would be answered, and at the same time it gives us the comforting assurance of the Savior's presence whenever we meet in his name.
The Duty of Forgiveness, 21-35
21. Lord, how oft.—Peter saw clearly that the rules just given would require on our part a large amount or forbearance and forgiveness, and he naturally inquired how many times he should forgive a brother who would sin against him. He seems to have thought that seven times would be often enough. It is highly probable, though by no means certain, that this number had been suggested by some of the Jewish teachers of tradition.
22. seventy times seven.—This is a play on the word seven in Peter's question, and means that there is to be no numerical limitation of the forgiveness enjoined.
23. unto a certain king.—In the comparison which now follows, the kingdom of heaven, as the context shows, is contemplated with regard to the duty of forgiveness, and it is like the king only in this respect, that the administration of its affairs is, in the particular under consideration, analogous to the king's administration in the given case.
24. ten thousand talents.—As a Jewish talent was equal to about $1600 of our American coin, ten thousand talents were equal to $16,000,000. This enormous amount is given in the parable in order to represent the debtor as in a hopeless condition.
25. to be sold.—The law of Moses tolerated the selling of men for debt. (Lev. 25:39, 47; 2 Kings 4:1.) It seems from verse 30 that in the Savior's time imprisonment was also employed, and the latter penalty for insolvency has been continued among the most enlightened nations until a very recent date. It is only within the present century that it has been abolished in the various States of our own Union.
26, 27. I will pay thee all.—Of course it was impossible for the poor man to pay such a debt, but the promise indicated a right purpose and a strong will, and excited the compassion of the king to such a degree that he forgave him the entire debt.
28. a hundred pence.—The coin here mentioned is the Roman denarius, which was equal to fifteen cents of our money. The fellow-servant's debt, then, was only fifteen dollars.
took him by the throat.—The description is very graphic. The debtor, rendered timid by his inability to pay, bears patiently every abuse, while the greedy creditor first lays hands on him as if to shake the money out of him, and then seizes him by the throat as if to choke it out of him, all the time knowing that the poor fellow had no money, yet all the time exclaiming, "Pay me that thou owest."
29, 30. into prison.—To be cast into prison was a more hopeless and painful fate than to be sold into slavery; so that the creditor inflicted a severer punishment on his fellow-servant for the sake of fifteen dollars, than his own master had threatened to inflict on him for the sake of sixteen millions; and he did this while listening to the same humble entreaties by which he had excited his master's compassion.
31. when his fellow-servants.—The fellow-servants acted a very natural part; for no matter how much we are inclined to deal harshly with men ourselves, we are always indignant, when, as disinterested witnesses, we behold such conduct in others.
32, 33. Shouldest thou not also.—While the man was dealing with his fellow-servant, he was forgetful of the king's kindness to him under similar circumstances, or he remembered it only to congratulate himself on his good fortune. He is now reminded of his base ingratitude, and of his obligation to do as he would be done by.
34. to the tormentors.—The king was now in a rage, as well he might be. He recalls his past forgiveness of the debt, and commands, not as formerly, that the man and his family shall be sold, but that he shall be tormented until payment is made. This was equivalent to tormenting him to death; for it was impossible at best for the man to procure so much money, and especially when confined in the hands of the tormentors.
35. So likewise.—The comparison has reference only to the last act of the king, that of delivering the unforgiving servant to the tormentors. The heavenly Father will so deliver all disciples who do not from their hearts forgive their offending brethren. This is the chief lesson of the parable; but in order to reach this lesson the Savior had depicted to his hearers, by the conduct of the king and that of the unforgiving servant, God's forbearance toward us and our severity toward one another. Our sins against God, for which we can make no reparation, and which are freely forgiven us, are like the ten thousand talents, while the sins committed against us, which we are so unwilling to forgive, are like the fifteen dollars. This is a truthful representation of human habits, and at the same time a cutting satire on Peter's idea of forgiveness.
We are not to infer, from the fact that the king retracted the forgiveness first granted, that God will do so with us. Our sins, once forgiven, are remembered no more. (Heb. 8:12.) This, then, is not a significant part of the parable, but it is introduced because it is what a heathen king under such circumstances would be likely to do, and Jesus paints the picture true to life. It is nevertheless true, that if a man, once delivered from sin, turn back to it again, his condition is made worse than if his former sins had not been forgiven. (2 Pet. 2:20-22.)
Argument of Section 13
In this section there is not the usual amount of argument for the claims of Jesus; yet the manner in which he procured money for the temple tribute exhibited both his divine power and his foreknowledge; and the discourse which fills the eighteenth chapter is replete with wisdom suited to his exalted pretensions. Such lessons on the subject of ambition (1-9); on the subject of sympathy and care for the erring (10-14); on the right method of dealing with offenders (15-20); and on the duty of forgiveness (21-35), had never before been taught, nor have subsequent generations been able to discover a defect in them or to suggest an improvement on them. Besides accomplishing the logical purpose of the section, our author has placed these divine lessons on record for the guidance of disciples in all ages. This, indeed, seems to have been the leading object of the section; and eternity alone will be able to reveal the amount of good which will have accrued to the Church from this single discourse of the Great Teacher.
The New Testament Commentary: Vol. I - Matthew and Mark.