LESSON VII.—SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 1900.
By Editor
21 "THEN came Peter, and said to Him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven. 23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would make a reckoning with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not wherewith to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down and worshiped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, which owed him a hundred pence; and he laid hold on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. 29 So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. 30 And he would not; but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay that which was due. 31 So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me; 33 shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. 35 So shall also My heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts." Golden Text: "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Matt. 6:12. (1) What question did Peter ask Jesus? V. 21. (2) How many times did Jesus say an offender should be forgiven? V. 22. Note 1. (3) To what did Jesus liken the kingdom of heaven? V. 23. (4) How much did a certain servant owe the king? V. 24. Note 2. (5) As the debtor had nothing wherewith to make payment, what was commanded to be done with him? V. 25. Note 3. (6) Upon hearing the command, what did the servant do? What promise did he make, and on what condition? V. 26. Note 4. (7) What effect did the servant's words and attitude have on the king? V. 27. Note 5. (8) Whom did the servant meet as he departed from the king? What did he do and say to his fellow-servant? V. 28. Note 6. (9) What did the fellow-servant do and say? V. 29. (10) What effect did this plea have upon the first servant? V. 30. (11) How did the rest of the servants regard this action? To whom did they report? V. 31. (12) With what words did the lord of the servant address him? V. 32, 33. (13) What did he do with the wicked servant? V. 34. Note 7. (14) What final admonition and warning did the Saviour give? V. 35. Note 8. 1. Seventy times seven.—Jesus had just indicated the mode of procedure to bring reconciliation between brethren. The injured one is to go to the offender, a method contrary to human ideas. Such a course is designed to teach humility, and if the offender is approached in the Christ spirit, his heart may be touched, and thus a victory won by the gentle but all-powerful art of peace and love. But Peter wished to know if there was not a limit to forbearance. The rabbis taught that forgiveness was to be exercised three times. Jesus announces the divine law of forgiveness. The number is not seven times only, nor yet is it limited to seventy times seven,—four hundred and ninety times. The language means unlimited forbearance, just so long as the trespasser comes asking forgiveness. This is the heavenly Father's method with His children. How often we sin! yet forgiveness is limited only when our own hearts become so hardened by sinning that there is really no true desire for reformation. This is the great danger. The Lord wants us to be reconciled, appreciate the great sacrifice made to save us, and stand firm always through His enabling grace. 2. Ten thousand talents.—Nineteen or twenty million dollars, a sum impossible for him to pay. The figure is drawn from Eastern customs of loaning money at usurious rates, and when the interest goes by default, it is compounded with the principal. In a short time the amount of the debt becomes enormous. 3. Commanded him to be sold.—The figure supposes a despotic ruler; the servants, his governors or petty officials. "In Syria now, when the debt grows till it equals in value the entire property of the debtors, the creditor seizes all they possess."—Peloubet. 4. Worshiped him.—Prostrated himself before the king, addressing him in the oriental manner, as lord. 5. Released him, and forgave the debt.—Here is the great lesson. The king, as one having power and authority, represents God. The servants are all to whom God has intrusted blessings great or small, and opportunities, and high trusts. The reckoning is not alone the final judgment, but every time when the Lord brings to man's heart a consciousness of his sin. The great debt of the servant "represents the magnitude of the debt which the sinner owes to God, and the hopelessness of ever paying it." The king was "moved with compassion," and did the only thing there was to do,—he released the man, and forgave the debt. This is divine. This is the force of the "therefore," with which Jesus introduced the parable. This is a characteristic of the kingdom of heaven. And if men now would have the kingdom of heaven within, and would be subjects of that kingdom now and forever, this spirit of forgiveness must be theirs. 6. An hundred pence.—The denarius was of silver, and was worth about a penny. A hundred pence was worth sixteen or seventeen dollars, less than a millionth part of what the first debtor owed his lord. 7. Wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors.—The lord was indignant, justly angry at such conduct. The tormentors were "not simply 'jailers,' but those who [among the ancient Romans] sought by legal tortures to find out whether the debtor had any concealed hoard."—Schaff. 8. So shall also My heavenly Father do.—Not that the exact motives and every individual act of God will be as those of the king in the parable; but as punishment was meted out to the unforgiving servant, so the Lord will mete out punishment to those who forgive not when they themselves hope to be forgiven. That is, God will deal with individuals as they deal with their fellow-men. It is not an arbitrary reward from the Lord, but justice determined by one's own conduct. It is a great truth that the making of one's destiny is in his own hands. He may will the Lord's way, and receive power from above to help him, and the end will be life; he may will contrary to that way, and the end will be death.