(ii) Describe Jesus’ teaching about forgiveness in Matthew’s Gospel Flashcards
Jesus teaches there should be no limits to how often a Christian should forgive
those who have offended them.
• He also teaches that God will forgive those who forgive others and how important
it is to show mercy if one expects to receive mercy.
• In teaching the Lord’s prayer, he teaches his followers to ask God for forgiveness
whenever they pray.
Relevant reference to source is likely to include:
• Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my
brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I
tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 23 “Therefore, the kingdom of
heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he
began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was
brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and
his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. 26 “At this
the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I
will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, cancelled the
debt and let him go. 28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow
servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to
choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell
to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’ 30 “But he
refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could
pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were
outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then
the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I cancelled all that
debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on
your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over
to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. 35 “This is how
my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister
from your heart.
• Matthew 6:14-15
14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will
not forgive your sins.
