text
stringlengths
7
443
[521.40 --> 522.66] In fact, in Jewish teaching,
[522.66 --> 523.56] rabbinic teaching,
[524.36 --> 525.82] the general teaching was
[525.82 --> 526.82] if someone sins against you
[526.82 --> 528.24] one, two, three times,
[528.30 --> 529.06] you must forgive them.
[529.14 --> 530.86] But four and no more.
[531.38 --> 532.56] There's a limit to grace.
[532.92 --> 534.16] You don't just need to take it.
[535.30 --> 536.60] And so when Peter asks this question,
[536.68 --> 537.76] he's probably thinking,
[537.92 --> 538.82] okay, I'm with Jesus.
[539.04 --> 540.30] He changes a lot of things.
[540.60 --> 542.34] He ups the requirements of obedience.
[542.52 --> 543.80] So maybe if I double three,
[543.98 --> 545.04] add one for good measure,
[545.16 --> 545.90] and ask Jesus,
[546.14 --> 547.14] is seven the one?
[547.30 --> 547.90] He's going to say,
[547.98 --> 548.54] yes, Peter.
[549.22 --> 550.00] Seven's the limit.
[550.00 --> 552.26] And what does Jesus say to him?
[553.50 --> 554.72] Not seven times.
[556.24 --> 557.24] Seventy times.
[558.16 --> 559.14] And some translations,
[559.36 --> 560.32] maybe your Bible has this,
[560.38 --> 562.28] it says seven times,
[562.42 --> 563.94] or seventy times seven.
[564.82 --> 565.96] And if you're a literal reader
[565.96 --> 567.04] of the Bible in this passage,
[567.12 --> 567.28] you're like,
[567.32 --> 568.42] well, what is it, Pastor Dave?
[568.46 --> 570.22] Is it seventy or is it four hundred and ninety?
[570.28 --> 571.06] Because I have a spouse
[571.06 --> 572.50] who's hitting the high three hundreds,
[572.66 --> 573.18] and I'm ready
[573.18 --> 574.78] to pull back the grace.
[574.78 --> 577.08] And I hope you know
[577.08 --> 578.78] Jesus is speaking hyperbole here,
[579.00 --> 581.26] and his answer to Peter is,
[581.82 --> 583.06] I want you to match
[583.06 --> 585.02] my limitless forgiveness.
[585.92 --> 587.64] I want you to receive
[587.64 --> 589.82] this unmerited,
[590.32 --> 591.88] generous, abundant grace,
[592.20 --> 594.32] and I want you to mirror that
[594.32 --> 595.86] to the people who sin against you.
[596.74 --> 599.24] It's an extravagant ethic
[599.24 --> 600.20] of forgiveness
[600.20 --> 601.68] that Jesus is inviting
[601.68 --> 602.72] all believers into.
[602.72 --> 605.60] And now I want us to look
[605.60 --> 606.48] at this parable.
[606.68 --> 607.42] Jesus goes straight
[607.42 --> 608.18] from teaching Peter
[608.18 --> 609.20] into this parable
[609.20 --> 610.62] about this unforgiving servant
[610.62 --> 611.90] or this generous master,
[611.98 --> 613.00] whatever you want to title it.
[613.46 --> 614.52] And in my opinion,
[614.78 --> 615.58] maybe you'll agree with me
[615.58 --> 615.98] at the end,
[616.08 --> 618.62] this is a piercing parable.
[619.14 --> 620.46] The first half is great,
[620.52 --> 621.24] I want to stay there,
[621.30 --> 621.96] but the second half
[621.96 --> 622.70] is just getting right
[622.70 --> 623.34] into our business,
[623.46 --> 624.26] so let's take a look
[624.26 --> 624.90] at this teaching.
[625.76 --> 627.44] It's a parable about a master
[627.44 --> 629.02] who has servants
[629.02 --> 630.08] who have debt.
[630.62 --> 632.12] And he calls in one servant,
[632.12 --> 633.12] and we're told that this servant
[633.12 --> 633.94] has how much debt?
[634.68 --> 637.32] 10,000 bags of gold.
[638.76 --> 640.02] One scholar estimates
[640.02 --> 640.74] that that is around
[640.74 --> 642.30] a trillion dollars of debt.
[642.90 --> 643.96] So this is supposed
[643.96 --> 645.32] to maybe make us smile
[645.32 --> 645.70] a little bit
[645.70 --> 646.10] because this is
[646.10 --> 647.22] an insurmountable debt.
[647.30 --> 648.44] It's a national debt,
[648.50 --> 649.26] not a personal debt.
[649.82 --> 650.66] And so the master
[650.66 --> 651.62] brings the servant in
[651.62 --> 652.22] and says,
[652.30 --> 653.00] you must repay it.
[653.06 --> 653.70] He can't,
[653.74 --> 654.78] and so he and his family
[654.78 --> 655.44] have to be sold
[655.44 --> 656.36] to repay the debt.
[656.56 --> 657.18] And then what does
[657.18 --> 657.74] the servant do?
[659.12 --> 660.00] He begs.
[660.00 --> 661.22] He says,
[661.56 --> 662.12] forgive me,