Dealing with Your Brother- Matt 18:15-35

This passage is about what you’re supposed to do when another Christian friend sins against you.
What would you do?
SCENARIO: Noel goes into my locker and steals my skateboard. I know that he took it because he always asks to play with it, and plus, Monica told me she saw him riding it. What should I do? What is the best way of dealing with this matter as a Christian?
Step 1: Show him his fault, but just between to two of you (v. 15)
“Noel, I know you like my skateboard a lot, but I’m missing it. I’ve heard that someone has seen you with it. Noel, did you take it?
Jesus says that if he listens, and confesses then I’ve won him over. Everyone is at peace, and it’s all good.
But what if he doesn’t listen?
Step 2: Take one or two others with you, and let them be witnesses to see if he confesses, or refuses to come clean.
“Noel, we know that you have it. Monica saw you take it. So did Dustin. Can I have it back?
And if he listens, and confesses then I’ve won him over. Everyone is at peace, and it’s all good.
But what if he doesn’t listen?
Step 3: Take him to the church. (v. 17) This time it’s not just 2 or 3 of us. But I’m going to ask you in front of everyone!
“Noel, before the whole church, I’m going to ask you one more time. Did you take my skateboard?
And if he listens, and confesses then I’ve won him over. Everyone is at peace, and it’s all good.
But what if he doesn’t listen?
Then Jesus says, that’s it. You’ve tried. He’s hardened. He’s not humble. So treat him like you would with the Pagans and tax collectors.
Pagans and tax collectors were the evil people of their day. Basically, you have the right to kick them out of the church.
Really? Did Jesus really say that? Kick them out of the church?
Yeah, he did. But Jesus teaches us to do so not because we have the right to hate them and be enemies with them.
When we kick them out of the church, we hope that they’ll miss it so much that they can’t wait to come back!
Maybe then, the sinner will be softer and more humble, and maybe then Noel will confess to stealing my skateboard!

So what do we learn from Jesus?
Well, for one, we learn how to deal with a person who sins against you.
But another important thing Jesus shows here is that there is something sweet about when Christians come together in the name of Jesus.
There is something powerful when Christians can come together, pray to God, and agree on something.
What does v. 19 say? 19"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
He says that when a group of Christians come together, God blesses that fellowship, and he says that he is with them.
Does that mean that God isn’t with us when we’re alone? No, but there’s something powerful and pleasing to God when we decide to do things together as a church. That’s what church is!
Let’s go on. Now Jesus talks about forgiveness.
Forgive Unceasingly
Someone read Matt 18:21-22
This passage actually starts in v. 21 when Peter comes up to Jesus and asks “how many times should a brother sin against me, and I forgive him. Seven times?”
Can you imagine, forgiving the same person 7 times! He’s not talking about forgiving 7 different people seven times. He’s talking about the same brother!
EX: Thomas A. Edison. That's true forgiveness. Aphieimi means “to let go”.
But what if the boy were to drop it again? Would he forgive him again?
Have you ever had a friend lie to you, or break something you lent him, or break your trust. And out of the goodness of your heart, found it in you to forgive him? You say “I’ll give him another chance.”
But what if he does it again?
I imagine few of us will have the patience to give him a third try. But say he does it again. And again, and again, and again. 7 times he’s wronged you. Will you STILL forgive him?
7 times to forgive someone is pretty crazy.
But Peter thought this should have been a reasonable answer, one that impressed Jesus.
7 was a symbolic number to the Jews. They understood certain numbers to carry special meaning.
Who Knows what 7 represents in the Jewish mind?
7 was the number for completeness or wholeness, Perfection. Not lack anything.
So in regards to how often we should forgive our brother, Peter’s thinking, 7 is the complete number.
“Should I forgive Completely, Jesus?”
In v. 22, Jesus says not seven times, but seventy times seven times. Which actually comes out to be 490.
But Jesus isn’t trying to put a number on this, as if on the 491st time, you’re clear.
But Jesus is using hyperbole, exaggeration to emphasize important truth.
He needs to forgive completely, and then some!
“Not only should you forgive completely, Peter, but you should never stop forgiving him.”
Jesus says to the Christian, keep forgiving. Don’t stop.
Why? Because God never stops forgiving us.
Ex: When I became a Christian way back in 1989, when I was 9 years old. I don’t know what got into me, but the next day, I sinned! But I know God forgave me. But then the next day, same thing.
I sin everyday! If I were to sin just once per day since I became a Christian, that’s 7,085 times I’ve committed an offense against my God. And he KEEPS on forgiving. 3x7000= 21,000 times!
Will you forgive without limit? Will you forgive unceasingly?
Will you follow Jesus by obeying the teaching to forgive? 7 times? How about 70 x 7 times?

Forgive Unconditionally
Read v. 23-25, Jesus starts telling this story where a King was owed 10,000 talents.
How much is 10,000 talents? Let’s do an exercise.
1 denarii= 1 day’s wage
1 day’s wage= $64.00/day
1 talent= 6000 denarii
But what most of us don’t understand is that 10,000 talents is equivalent today to 8.4 billion dollars.
Who can pay off such a debt? You can’t. That’s Jesus’ point.
Jesus was making a very clear point in this story: The debt he owed was unpayable. There was no way that he could pay off what he owed.
And yet in mercy, the king lets him go! The King forgave him.

Then the story goes on.
V. 28 says that the servant who was just let go, just forgiven of an incredible amount, goes about and sees a fellow servant who owes him 100 denarii.
How much is 100 Denarii? Let’s do another exercise.
1 denarii= day’s wage ($64)
100 denarii= about 3 months wages
100 denarii= $6400.
If we calculate that in our terms, considering a minimum wage job, that’s still a few thousand dollars. For someone working full time, that’s easily 10,000 dollars right there.
We’re not talking about a small debt here!

I don’t think Jesus necessarily has in mind the small things that we need to forgive. Like when someone calls me names, or if someone cuts in front of you in the lunch line.
Of course Jesus would want us to “let it go” and forgive them.
But what I think Jesus is teaching in this parable is those serious, more impactful offenses against you.
Like when a friend backstabs you and talks behind your back. When that friend of mine steals my skateboard.
I think that Jesus would say that EVEN these need forgiveness. Even the things that really hurt need to be forgiven.
Why?
Because he first forgave us. But what he let us go of is of much greater significance then what we may experience here on earth in our earthly relationships.
When did our King forgive us of a HUGE debt?
When our King, God, gave us his son Jesus to die on the cross for us.
When we recognize what Jesus has done for us, that he has forgiven us of crimes we cannot repay. He has saved us from hell so that we could go to Heaven!
This is huge!
As deep as the offense that a brother or sister has committed against you, will you forgive? Will you let it go?

So I believe God wants us to forgiven frequently. As often as a brother sins against you, forgive him completely. Keep forgiving him because God keeps forgiving you. He has covered all your sins, so every time we sin, we know it’s been paid for.
And I believe God also wants us to forgive deeply. As painful as the crime against you, as impactful as it may be, will you forgive? God has let us go of a debt we cannot pay and has saved us from eternal death. Will you let the things on earth go?