Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Matthew Chapter 18
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 18:10-14
18:10See that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven. 18:11For the Son of man came to save that which was lost.18:12How think ye? if any man have a hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and go unto the mountains, and seek that which goeth astray? 18:13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth over it more than over the ninety and nine which have not gone astray. 18:14Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 18:15-20
18:15And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. 18:16But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. 18:17And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican. 18:18Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 18:19Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven. 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 18:21-22
18:21Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? 18:22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.
Metaphysically Interpreting Matthew 18:23-25
18:23Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants. 18:24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, that owed him ten thousand talents. 18:25But 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. 18:26The servant therefore fell down and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 18:27And the lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 18:28But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow-servants, who owed him a hundred shillings: and he laid hold on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay what thou owest. 18:29So his fellow-servant fell down and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee. 18:30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay that which was due. 18:31So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 18:32Then his lord called him unto him, and saith to him, Thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou besoughtest me: 18:33shouldest not thou also have had mercy on thy fellow-servant, even as I had mercy on thee? 18:34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due. 18:35So shall also my heavenly Father do unto you, if ye forgive not every one his brother from your hearts.
FEBRUARY 28, 1965: Matt. 18:13-17, 21-35
WEEKLY UNITY - Patience and Forgiveness
Unity explains this week's International BIBLE LESSON
How are offenses best dealt with? By the individual approach, between man and man, without witnesses and without publishing abroad the fact that differences exist. The more general the knowledge of wrong done becomes, the more difficult is reconciliation.
How does love affect the attitude of the individual toward his fellow men? It does away with the holding of grudges and leaves him untouched by slights. The self-effacing character remains unmoved by personalities.
What cause is served by appealing to others in the settlement of differences instead of dealing directly with the one who has offended us? The bringing of conviction to the one who has done wrong and leading him to feel the strength of unity in the cause of right, if he yields to this influence, the wrong done is easily righted. Gentleness is more effective than harshness.
What limit, if any, should be placed on forgiving? "Until seventy times seven" indicates that one is to forgive as often as one is offended, in order to keep the mind clear and unruffled.
What mental outlook is essential to full forgiveness? That of humility, patience, and impartiality, in which love is the dominant factor.
What does the king in today's parable represent? He represents the will of a man, all of whose other faculties are under its control.
Where is the divine will operative? It operates within man. There man learns to know and use it constructively.
Who is the servant that owed ten thousand talents? The servant is human nature. As a rule it is not under the dominion of the divine will, but "owes" ten thousand talents (an unlimited number of offenses).
Why cannot human nature "pay" its debt to the divine will? Since human nature judges according to worldly standards, it has nothing to offer that is acceptable to the divine will. It has "not wherewith to pay."
Why is the divine will represented as forgiving the great debt that human nature owes, instead of allowing it time to make payment? The infinite nature of divine compassion or divine love is shown in sharp contrast with the poverty of human nature.
Who is the "fellow-servant" that owes a little to human nature? The habit of procrastination or of putting off to some future time what is due now is the fellow servant. "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee."
What outstanding trait of human nature is made clear in this story? Impatience is clearly outlined in this account as well as the habit of being unforgiving. Human nature shows both.
What is required of the person seeking forgiveness? The one who would be forgiven must enter into the consciousness of forgiveness if he would rise above the limitations of personality and know the divine.
Do not get out of patience with others. I observe the Christ standard of impersonal love.
Undated: Matt. 18:21-35
BIBLE LESSON - Patience and Forgiveness
Unity's Interpretation of the International Sunday School Lesson
Questions and Answers
What limit, if any, should be placed on forgiving? "Until seventy times seven" indicates that one is to forgive as often as one is offended, in order to keep the mind clear and unruffled.
What mental outlook is essential to full forgiveness? That of humility, patience, and impartiality, in which love is the dominant factor.
What does the king in today's parable represent? He represents the will of a man, all of whose other faculties are under its control.
Where is the divine will operative? It operates within man. There man learns to know and use it constructively.
Who is the servant that owed ten thousand talents? The servant is human nature. As a rule it is not under the dominion of the divine will, but "owes" ten thousand talents (an unlimited number of offenses).
Why cannot human nature "pay" its debt to the divine will? Since human nature judges according to worldly standards, it has nothing to offer that is acceptable to the divine will. It has "not wherewith to pay."
Why is the divine will represented as forgiving the great debt that human nature owes, instead of allowing it time to make payment? The infinite nature of divine compassion or divine love is shown in sharp contrast with the poverty of human nature.
Who is the "fellow-servant" that owes a little to human nature? The habit of procrastination or of putting off to some future time what is due now is the fellow servant. "Have patience with me, and I will pay thee."
What outstanding trait of human nature is made clear in this story? Impatience is clearly outlined in this account as well as the habit of being unforgiving. Human nature shows both.
Do these two traits react unfavorably upon man? Impatience and the habit of harboring ill will and of exacting one's due regardless of the needs or feelings of others serve to bring back upon the personal man the full load of his responsibility. The one who would be forgiven must enter into the consciousness of forgiveness if he would rise above personality and know the divine.
Do not get out of patience with others. I observe the Christ standard of impersonal love.
Unless otherwise specified, the Bible text used in this lesson is taken from the American Standard Version of the Bible, copyright, 1929, by the International Council of Religious Education, and is used by permission.
MARCH 9, 1969: Matt. 18:21-35
WEEKLY UNITY - HOW to FORGIVE AND FORGET
Unity interprets a living BIBLE LESSON
Prepared by Mary Mae Oesch
One day the apostle Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive an offense. Seven times, perhaps? Jesus responded, "Seventy times seven" (an unlimited number of times), meaning, in effect, that this would show the true spirit of love.
Then Jesus told a parable which showed that in order to receive God's forgiveness, we ourselves must be willing to forgive without reservation. A king called to account a servant who owed him a large sum of money. The servant could not pay his debt; and the king ordered that the man and his family should be sold into slavery. Sorely distressed, the debtor pleaded for leniency and promised that, if given more time, he would fulfill his obligations. The servant's appeal touched the king's heart, and he not only released the debtor but also canceled the debt.
Soon the forgiven debtor came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a trivial amount of money. The man who owed the small debt asked his creditor to be patient until he could pay. But the servant who had been forgiven the staggering debt of ten thousand talents refused to show mercy, and had his fellow servant thrown into prison.
Friends who were distressed at witnessing such rank injustice informed the king of the first servant's actions. The king summoned the ungrateful servant and berated him soundly. Could not he who had received kindness and mercy in generous measure have forgiven his fellow debtor? As a result of his cruelty, the ungrateful man was then imprisoned until his own debt was paid.
Thus the apostles understood that forgiveness can be received only by one who is truly loving and forgiving.
Practicing the gentle art of forgiveness is vital to our well-being. Forgiveness is as practical as elementary arithmetic. It is both an art and a science that follows an infallible law.
Jesus' parable of the two insolvent debtors illustrates how the law works in our lives. The first debtor, who owed a large sum, could enjoy the king's forgiveness only so long as he himself was willing to forgive his fellow servant. Because of his selfish, hard-hearted refusal to forgive another, he cut himself off from the free flow of forgiveness that he desired. We see in this a direct application of the law of giving and receiving.
The term to forgive means "to give for," to give good in return for what seems evil, to restore right relationships between ourselves and others and between ourselves and God. True forgiveness is a flooding of God's love into our hearts, so that we feel no malice. Jesus stressed the point that in order to receive forgiveness, we must keep the channel open by always being ready and willing to forgive.
What happens if we harbor a grudge against another for an injustice? If we seek revenge, either mentally, or in an outward way, we create more inharmony and have two injuries to deal with instead of one. Two "wrongs" never add up to one "right." But if we can forgive and forget, then we free ourselves and the other person for a restoration of harmony.
Some persons may protest that forgiveness is not always possible. At times, it may not be easy; but with God's help it is always possible. A helpful affirmation is: The forgiving love of my inner Christ adjusts all things rightly in my mind, heart, and affairs.
We can begin the process of forgetting an offense by refusing absolutely to harbor anger or resentment. When our thoughts dwell on an injustice, we live it over again and suffer accordingly. But when we deliberately turn to prayer and to thoughts of love and understanding, we feel grateful for God's love and generous and forgiving toward the one who has offended us.
It is important also to look for the Christ Spirit in the offender and to appreciate his commendable traits. Then we are ready to pray in full confidence:
"Forgive us our debts,
As we also have forgiven our debtors."
What is the condition on which we receive forgiveness? That we ourselves live by the principle of love and forgive others freely.
What influence does forgiveness have on physical health? Through forgiveness true spiritual healing is accomplished. Forgiveness removes the errors of the mind, and bodily harmony results in consonance with divine law.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 10-19-2013
