Matthew 18:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

NIV: This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.'

NASB: My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.'

CSB: So also my heavenly Father will do to you unless every one of you forgives his brother or sister from your heart."

NLT: That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.'

KJV: So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

NKJV: “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Jesus told the story in this passage (Matthew 18:23–34) in response to Peter's noble-sounding question: Should I forgive my brother for sinning against me seven times? Judaism required forgiveness of the same person for the same offense at least three times. Seven was twice that plus one. Peter was suggesting taking it to the extra mile when it comes to forgiving others (Matthew 18:21–22).

This parable was used to show how limited Peter's idea of forgiving each other really is. How much should a man, forgiven by the king for thousands of lifetimes worth of debt, be willing to forgive from others? The man in the story refused to forgive a debt of 100 days' wages, causing every listener to agree with the king that the man was wicked. Perhaps they even cheered when the man was thrown in debtors' prison.

Now, though, Jesus drives the point of the story home. His Father in heaven, God, will also imprison every person who does not forgive his brother from the heart. God expects those whom He forgives to forgive everyone who sins against them up to the amount they themselves have been forgiven. Since every sin we commit is committed against God, those who are forgiven by Him are forgiven for every sin, every wrong and wicked choice, we ever do over the course of our lifetimes. Nobody will ever sin against us anywhere near to the amount we have sinned against God.

How are we forgiven? Only through faith in Jesus and by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8–9). The one who told this story is about to die on the cross to pay the price for the sins of all who believe in Him (John 3:16–18; Colossians 2:14). Now He tells us that God will not forgive those unwilling to forgive as they have been forgiven. This is not because forgiveness is a pre-condition of salvation (Titus 3:5), but because forgiveness is a symptom of those who have been truly saved.

God's grace for us is absolute and our only hope of spending eternity with Him. We cannot earn His forgiveness by forgiving others. Instead, we should understand that the God who saves us begins to change our hearts and make us new in the image of Christ (Romans 12:1–2). The ability to forgive those who hurt us is evidence that the Spirit of God in us through faith in Christ is alive and active and at work in us.

Those who absolutely refuse to forgive may be showing that they are not willing to receive God's forgiveness for their much larger debt of sin. This does not apply to those who want to forgive yet are grappling with it. Even if we're not perfect, we can demonstrate willingness to obey. We can live consistently with an understanding that God has forgiven us for far more than we will ever need to forgive in others.

Matthew 18:21–35 answers Peter's question about how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus tells a parable about the servant of a king. The king forgives the man's enormous, unpayable debt. In turn, the servant refuses to forgive the much smaller debt owed him by another and has that man thrown in prison. The king is furious and asks the servant why he did not show the same mercy he had been given. The king has the man jailed until he pays everything. Jesus says that God the Father will do the same to those who do not forgive their brothers.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.