New Testament 2
Lecture 22
Words of Jesus
Matthew 18
The Setting of the Passage (18:1)
•	The disciples are discussing the question of which of them would be the greatest in Jesus’ coming____________________________?  Jesus must teach them about humility. Someone has defined humility as “the objective discernment of one’s position before God.”  The Lord has this in mind in Matthew 18 and seeking to make ____________________________?  aware of what one is in God’s sight and in His program.
18:2-4
•	Jesus introduces His reply with an authoritative statement, “I say to you” (amen lego umin).  Humility is so important that entrance into the kingdom is contingent upon it.  The necessity of ____________________________?  is emphasized by the emphatic negation in 18:3.  Greatness in the kingdom as well as entrance into the ____________________________?  is based on humility (18:4).
The Principle of Causing Stumbling (18:5-14)
•	The importance of humility is shown in relation to ____________________________?  brothers.  In order to avoid this the disciples are encouraged to show ____________________________?  toward one another by receiving one another (18:5).  The verb Jesus uses here is dexomai meaning to accept into fellowship.  It implies a moral choice or decision of the will towards the object has taken place, and that the result is manifest. 
18:6
•	It is a very great ____________________________?  for a believer to refuse to receive another one and to offend him.  18:7 shows that the world is indicted for the offenses which it has caused believers. 18:8-9 shows that a lack of humility can even cause a believer to offend himself. Therefore every opportunity to keep one’s own path clear of snares is to be removed. In verse 10 Jesus makes a strong application, warning His disciples not to ____________________________?  other brothers who are here pictured as children.
18:12-14
•	____________________________?  is also imperative in dealing with brothers who cause offenses. This subject is introduced with the parable of the lost sheep. This has been studied already.
18:15-20
•	The Lord then applies the ____________________________?  of the above parable to the method of church discipline in the church (15-17).  This is the second and last occurrence of the word “church” in the gospels.  It is used in a different sense here from that in Matthew 16:18.  
18:18-20
•	Verses 18 to 20 speak of the principle which is to be followed in the____________________________?  . The injunction of verse 18 concerns the same principle as that of Matthew 16:19 except it is here addressed to all of the disciples.  In Matthew 16:19 it was spoken only to Peter. The Lord is indicating to His disciples that, in the church, divine guidance is to be the rule to follow. To Peter Jesus promised the authority in the kingdom, assuring him of guidance in the use of that authority. Now He gives the same authority to his disciples in the direction of their decisions.
18:21-35: The Principle of Forgiveness
•	Jesus indicates the necessity of humility in ____________________________?  brothers. In suggesting a limit of seven times to extend forgiveness to a brother, Peter far surpasses a limit of the traditional rabbinic teaching to forgive three times.  But Christ says up to 70 times 7. M’Neile notices the similarity of these numbers to the LXX of Gen 4:24.  
18:23-35: The Unmerciful Servant Parable
•	The Lord illustrates the principle of humility in forgiveness with the parable of the unmerciful servant.  Jesus links up the duty of forgiving brothers in this age with the coming kingdom.  The parable begins with the formula “The kingdom of heaven is like..” This means that nothing more than a lesson may be drawn from what follows, which all who hope to enter the kingdom should lay at____________________________?  .
In order for one to enter the kingdom
•	He must be forgiven an infinite amount by God; therefore all who are anticipating entering the kingdom are under obligation to show all possible consideration to others in the matter of____________________________?  .  The huge amount which the servant owed the king in the parable (verses 24) expresses limitless forgiveness. Therefore, it is necessary (verse 33 where “should” dei is used in this connection) for the forgiven servant to express humility in forgiving others. 
The Parable Explained
•	The parable shows that the debtor sees his master or creditor as nothing but a bookkeeper, pure and simple. The bookkeeper will have kind words for anyone who does not owe him, but for the one who does, it is hard words. He is out to get his money and that is all.  According to the parable, the debtor owes an insurmountable amount that he could never repay. SO, the bookkeeper requires him to be sold, lock, stock, barrel, wife and children, and restitution is to be made at all costs.  There is no forgiveness here. It is a matter of cut your loses and get out.
But The Debtor
•	Falls on his knees and beg for more time to gather the money. We guarantees he will pay it. What is the king’s attitude? He goes from having all the mercy of a loan shark to being a softy.  Taking pity has a notion of following one’s gut reaction. He not only gives more time, but totally ____________________________?  the debt.  
A Principle to Remember;
•	All the ____________________________?  had to do was to ask for grace to get grace. It is not that he earns it by extravagant promising to repay everything in a future time.  It is simply that the king cancels the debt for reasons entirely known to him.
Look Closely at the Servant
•	He thinks the king is responding to his request for more time and the calculations to repay the debt.  In other words, he has no shred of ____________________________?  in his mind. Like all desperate sinners all he knows is he is in tight spot and he can’t escape without outside help.  When he thinks about who could help him, he can’t think of anyone who isn’t like him.  They are all____________________________?  . So he cons about the repayment.
The King’s Response
•	He makes no pretense about receiving the payment. He does not calculate about the ____________________________?  and____________________________?  .  He simply drops dead to the whole business of bookkeeping and forgives the servant his debts.  He wipes it out. He forgets it ever existed.  He does what the servant could never think of doing this.  The king was willing to end his old life of bookkeeping and the servant was not.  
The Servant
•	Was so busy trying to keep his bookkeeping life alive that he was not able to imagine dropping dead to that way of life.  He never even saw what the king has done. All the servant knew was that the____________________________?  , which formerly was so hot, is now gone.  He had no idea that it was the king who put out the fire. Remember this servant was no mere stable boy. He would not be in such debt if he was.
The Servant 
•	Does not see that the way to his ____________________________?  is a death to his old way of bookkeeping as well.  His first thought was not that he should get out of this business, but how to remarket himself.  He has to go on with his bookkeeping and puts his arm on the neck of his fellow man.  
The Lesson
•	Is clearly seen by the reaction of the other slaves. They know what the king has done. He has laid down his kingly prerogatives.  He could have kept the heat on the servant, but he choose not to do so. He died to those kingly prerogatives. But they are incensed by the servant’s attitude who demanded to exercise his two-bit prerogatives.  The king calls this servant in who refuses to ____________________________?  to himself and ____________________________?  him.
The King’s Message to the Servant
•	The king rehearses the two scenes and rubs salt into the wound of his refusal to die.  Each has a creditor with lawful rights; in each, a plea for ____________________________?  from the debtor, and a promise to____________________________?  .  But then the king adds, “I died for you, for Christ’s sake!”  “but you were so busy making plans for your life, but you never noticed!”  The king pronounces a sentence on the servant.
The Sentence
•	Is because the servant chose the losing ____________________________?  instead of a gracious____________________________?  , the king condemns him to just that life: he delivers him to the torturers, to be tormented until he pays the debt—which means, obviously, for his whole life, until death itself does for him what he refused to do on his own.   
Why Give This discourse here?
•	The disciples needed it. He corrected the ____________________________?  which they were anticipating their positions in the kingdom.  Second, to ____________________________?  the disciples concerning the entrance “into” and greatness “in” the kingdom.  Finally, this discourse was given in prepare the disciples for the coming church. They were to accept all who believed.  Perhaps the very ones who were responsible for Christ’s death were to be accepted into fellowship if they repented (18:5-6). This discourse gave definite instruction relevant to discipline and forgiveness in the church.