Matthew 18:25

But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. BUT FORASMUCH AS HE HAD NOT TO PAY, HIS LORD COMMANDED HIM TO BE SOLD, AND HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN, AND ALL THAT HE HAD, AND PAYMENT TO BE MADE. (See ; ; .)...

25._His master ordered him to be sold. _It would be an idle exercise of ingenuity to examine here every minute clause. For God does not always display severity at first, till, constrained to pray, we implore pardon, but rather meets us with undeserved goodness. But Christ only shows what will become of us, if God shall treat us with the utmost severity; and again, if He shall choose to demand from us what we owe, how necessary it is for us to betake ourselves to prayer, because this is the only refuge that remains for transgressors. We must also attend to the wide difference of the sums; for, since one _talent _is worth more than _a hundred pence_, what proportion will _a hundred pence _bear to _ten thousand talents? _...

21-35 Though we live wholly on mercy and forgiveness, we are backward to forgive the offences of our brethren. This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth, and how untoward his servants are. There are three things in the parable: 1. The master's wonderful clemency. The debt of sin is so great, that we are not able to pay it. See here what every sin deserves; this is the wages of sin, to be sold as a slave. It is the folly of many who are under strong convictions of their sins, to fancy they can make God satisfaction for the wrong they have done him. 2. The servant's unreasonable severity toward his fellow-servant, notwithstanding his lord's clemency toward him. Not that we may make light of wronging our neighbour, for that is also a sin against God; but we should not aggravate our neighbour's wronging us, nor study revenge. Let our complaints, both of the wi...

Verse Matthew 18:25. _HE HAD NOT TO PAY_] That is _not being able to pay_. As there could not be the smallest probability that a servant, wholly _dependent_ on his master, who was now absolutely insolvent, could ever pay a debt he had contracted of more than 67 millions! - so is it impossible for a sinner, infinitely indebted to Divine justice, ever to pay a mite out of the talent. _COMMANDED HIM TO BE SOLD - HIS WIFE - CHILDREN_, c.] Our Lord here alludes to an ancient custom among the Hebrews, of selling a man and his family to make payment of contracted debts. See Exodus 22:3 Leviticus 25:30;...

HIS LORD COMMANDED HIM TO BE SOLD ... - By the laws of the Hebrews they were permitted to sell debtors, with their wives and children, into servitude for a time sufficient to pay a debt. See 2 Kings 4:1; Leviticus 25:39; Amos 8:6....

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 18:1 _Discourse concerning the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and the mutual duties of Christians_._ _(Mark 9:33; Luke 9:46-42.) MATTHEW 18:1 _The greatest in the kingdom of heaven_. MATTHEW 18:1 AT THE SAME TIME; literally, _in that hour_._ _The narrator connects the following important discourse with the circumstances just previously related. Peter had completed the b

BUT FORASMUCH AS HE HAD NOT TO PAY,.... Every sinner is insolvent; sinful man has run out the whole stock of nature, and is become a bankrupt, and has nothing to offer by way of composition; nor has he any righteousness to answer for him, nor any works of righteousness which deserve that name: and if he had, these are nothing in point of payment: for a debt of sin cannot be discharged by a debt of obedience; since God has a prior right to the latter; and in paying it, a man does but what is his duty. Sin being committed against an infinite God, contracts the nature of an infinite debt, which cannot be paid off by a finite creature. Christ only was able to pay this debt, and he has done it for his people; and without an interest in his blood, righteousness, and satisfaction, every debtor is liable to be cast, and will be cast into the prison of hell, there to lie till the uttermost farthi...

6. INSTRUCTIONS TO HIS DISCIPLES. CONCERNING FORGIVENESS. CHAPTER 18 _ 1. Concerning the Little Ones and Offences. (Matthew 18:1 .) 2. The Son of Man to Save What is Lost. (Matthew 18:11 .) 3. The Church Anticipated and Instructions Concerning it. (Matthew 18:15 .) 4. Concerning Forgiveness. (Matthew 18:21 .)_ So closely is this chapter connected with the events of the previous one that it should not be divided into a separate chapter at all. It was “in that hour” the disciples came to Him with their question. When the Lord had just uttered the great truth “the sons are free” and added His gracious

THE DUTY OF FORGIVENESS ILLUSTRATED BY THE PARABLE OF THE UNGRATEFUL SERVANT. With Matthew 18:21 _ cf._ Luke 17:4, which makes repentance a condition. The Rabbis taught (_Yoma,_ 86_ b)_ that one must forgive one's brother (OT neighbour) three times (_cf._ Amos 1:3; Amos 1:6; Amos 1:9). According to Jesus, men's forgive ness should be limitless, like that of His Father in heaven. The natural man longs for limitless revenge (Genesis 4:24), the spiritual man's ambition is to exercis

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS (Matthew 18:1-35) Matthew 18:1-35 is a most important chapter for Christian Ethics, because it deals with those qualities which should characterize the personal relationships of the Christian. We shall be dealing in detail with these relationships as we study the chapter section by section; but before we do so, it will be well to look at the chapter as a whole. It singles out seven qualities which should mark the personal relationships of the Christian. (i) First and foremost, there is the quality of humility (Matthew 18:1-4). Only the person who has the humility of the child is a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Personal ambition, personal prestige, personal public