The Unforgiving Debtor
This Week We’re Reading:
We are so glad you are joining us as we read through multiple parables that Jesus shared throughout this series! This week we are reading Matthew 18:21-35. Click the button below to go straight there!
Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone, who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”
Matthew 18:21-22
This Week We’re Asking:
As we have been reading through these parables, it is tempting to just skim through them since we have heard and read them multiple times. As we read this parable together, here are a few questions to help focus on what Jesus is saying through this parable!
What do you think it means to forgive someone?
Why do you think the servant wouldn’t forgive his fellow servant who owed him, even though the King forgave him from an even larger debt?
How do you think we can forgive with our whole hearts?
This Week We’re Watching:
Sometimes believers say weird things. Like, the Bible is alive. What does that even mean? Pastor Alan dives in head first, seriously, he might have hit his head in this one. Click the image above to watch the video now!
This Week We’re Doing:
Through the parable of the Unforgiving Debtor, Jesus brilliantly shares the importance of understanding God’s forgiveness that He freely gives us while also emphasizing our call to forgive others from our hearts. In order to be intentional about seeing our need for His forgiveness and the call to forgive others, our family challenge is to make four “I Will” Statements that will help us to stay focused on this throughout the whole week!
Grab 4 pieces of paper and write one “I Will” statement on each page. Then place the statements somewhere the whole family will see it each day this week to be a helpful reminder for us to focus on forgiveness!
Here are the “I Will” statements:
I Will Remember What Jesus did for Me.
I Will Ask For Forgiveness.
I Will Thank God for Forgiving Me.
I Will Forgive Others.
This Week We’re Memorizing:
“For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable.”
Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT
BONUS!
Jesus was a master storyteller, and many of his most well-known teachings were told as parables. But these stories were designed to do much more than simply "teach." Jesus said the parables were designed to both reveal and conceal his message about the arrival of God's Kingdom. In this video, we explore the main themes in Jesus' parables and ask why he used them as the primary vehicle for his message. Check it out right here!