The man of St Matthew

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Forgiveness: Mt 18,21-35

Following Jesus' teaching about the treatment of the sinner, 18,15-20, Peter asks question about forgiveness in verse 21.
Jesus's reply in verse 22 is then followed by a story, a parable in verses 23-35.

As I have said earlier, it is important to treat this discourse in chapter 18 as a whole: it is the whole which sets the tone, especially for the middle verses 15-20 where we have just read about the treatment of sinners in the Church.

Look at the Sermon on the Mount to see the background to forgiveness and its importance. In chapter 5, look especially at verses 21-26 and 43-48. Then look at 6,12 and 6,14-15.

Peter's Question: 18,21-22

Note the first word of verse 21. What does Peter call Jesus? Why does Peter think he is being generous?

What are the implications of Jesus' reply in 18,22? Look for an echo of Gen 4,15.24.

The Story: 18,23-35

Traditionally, this is known as the parable of the unforgiving servant. Thelimitation of traditional titles is that they focus our attention on one character in the story. Yet stories have a whole cast of characters even if one person is central.

Therefore list the various characters in the story. There are several scenes in the story each involving a change of characters so see how many there are.

Discover how the first two scenes are similar. Where is the contrast? (See 20,3 and 25,15).
Which two verses are saying much the same thing?

Verse 30 is a reminder of 7,12.

Whose role is clarified in the third scene? (Maybe there is a hint here of 18,17.)

For the lesson of the parable, consider Ps 103,8 and Ps 99,8.
For the conclusion in verse 35 look at 6,15.

Now take a look at my response.

The Sunday Gospel

As we noted in the overview, this final part of the discourse, 18,21-35, forms the Gospel for the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Old Testament passage chosen to accompany the Gospel comes from the Wisdom of Ben Sirach or Ecclesiasticus. Another passage from this book was read earlier in the year, on the 5th Sunday.

As usual, it is important to read the passage in its wider context, Eccles 27,1-28,11. Read on as well for the marvellous passage on the use of the tongue, Eccles 28,11-26.
Then reflect on this passage in light of the Gospel.

Notable too is the Responsorial Psalm. Ps 103 was noted above; it is well regarded as the psalm following confession, the sacrament of reconciliation.

We can now continue our reading with chapter 19 as Jesus leaves Galilee for Judea.