(15–20 minutes, easy set-up)
Students will study Matthew 18:21-35 to analyze God’s forgiveness.
Provide a copy of the Student Worksheet and a pen for each student. Also provide a dry erase board and markers.
Learning Goal: Students will analyze God’s forgiveness.
Say: Imagine a person walking up to you in the hallway at school, hitting you in the face, and walking off. Ask: What if this person did that to you every day? How many days would you forgive someone for hitting you in the face? (Students will likely say they would probably hit back the first time, certainly the second time. You probably would feel the same way.) Explain: In today’s passage, Peter was trying to understand Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness. Distribute copies of the Student Worksheet and pens to learners.
1. Believers are expected to generously forgive people who sin against them (Matthew 18:21-22).
Enlist a volunteer to read Matthew 18:21-22. Explain that Peter had just heard Jesus describe the process of reconciling with a person who had offended him (vv. 15–17) and wanted to know how many times he must forgive the offender. Lead students to imagine the situation: Someone hurts you. You forgive. The same person does the same hurtful thing again. You forgive again. The same person does the same thing yet again and you still forgive. You continue to forgive the same person for the same thing seven times. Ask: Do you think Peter was being selfish or generous with his offer to forgive seven times? (Students will probably agree Peter was being very generous with his forgiveness.) Encourage students to look at Matthew 18:22 again. Ask: What did Jesus mean by this response? (Jesus probably did not mean for Peter to count to 77—or 490, depending on your translation—and then quit forgiving. He probably meant for Peter to develop a heart that is quick to forgive regardless of the situation.) Lead students to write forgive on the first line of their worksheets.
Explain that Jesus followed His statement with a story to illustrate His point. Remind students that Jesus taught in parables to teach truths about God by using earthly stories.
2. Believers have received extravagant and unmerited forgiveness from God (Matthew 18:23-27).
Encourage students to work with one or two partners to read Matthew 18:23-27 and to list under the first column on their worksheets everything they learn about the king’s forgiveness. After a couple of minutes, call for responses and list them on the board.
Explain that the debt of 10,000 talents represented a sum so large that the servant had no hope of repaying it. Note that the servant’s request was for more time to repay this debt. Then, ask: Could this servant have ever worked long enough or hard enough to repay such a large debt? (obviously not) Ask: Why might the king have shown mercy to the servant when he owed so much? Emphasize the king’s extravagant and unmerited grace shown by forgiving the servant such a monstrous debt.
Discuss: Suppose you had spent years racking up a debt (whether monetary or by offending others) and you were then confronted by the people whom you owed the debt. How would you feel when the burden of that debt was completely forgiven? Restate that Jesus used this parable to describe the forgiveness God extends to those who trust in Him. Ask: What does God’s forgiveness reveal about His heart? (Possible answer: God loves us enough to forgive us even though we have sinned against Him and can do nothing to earn His love and forgiveness.) Encourage students to write extravagant and unmerited in the second blank on their worksheets.
3. Believers who refuse to forgive others will not receive God’s forgiveness (Matthew 18:28-35).
Encourage students to work with their partners to read Matthew 18:28-35 and list under the second column on their worksheets everything they learn about the servant’s forgiveness. After a couple of minutes, call for responses and list them on the board.
Point out that the forgiven servant “went out” and “found” someone who owed him a debt. Ask: What does the forgiven servant’s actions reveal about the true condition of his heart? Lead students to compare the miniscule debt that the second servant owed to what the first servant owed. Ask: How does this parallel God’s willingness to forgive our sins compared to our willingness to forgive those who offend us? Explain that Jesus calls His followers, who have experienced God’s incredible forgiveness, to show that same level of forgiveness to other people because People are God's Treasure. Ask: How does a person’s willingness or refusal to forgive others affect people’s receptivity to God’s love? Remind students that Jesus stressed that those who refuse to forgive others will face severe consequences. Encourage students to write refuse in the third blank on their worksheets. Ask: What consequences do we face when we refuse to forgive? In this life, whom do you really hurt if you refuse to forgive others?