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Matthew 18:21-35
21 Peter came to Jesus. He asked, “Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.
23 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to collect all the money his servants owed him. 24 As the king began to do it, a man who owed him 10,000 bags of gold was brought to him. 25 The man was not able to pay. So his master gave an order. The man, his wife, his children, and all he owned had to be sold to pay back what he owed.
26 “Then the servant fell on his knees in front of him. ‘Give me time,’ he begged. ‘I’ll pay everything back.’ 27 His master felt sorry for him. He forgave him what he owed and let him go.
28 “But then that servant went out and found one of the other servants who owed him 100 silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he said.
29 “The other servant fell on his knees. ‘Give me time,’ he begged him. ‘I’ll pay it back.’
30 “But the first servant refused. Instead, he went and had the man thrown into prison. The man would be held there until he could pay back what he owed. 31 The other servants saw what had happened and were very angry. They went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the first servant in. ‘You evil servant,’ he said. ‘I forgave all that you owed me because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on the other servant just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers. He would be punished until he paid back everything he owed.
35 “This is how my Father in heaven will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Raise your hand if forgiveness is easy? Let’s be honest. It’s not easy to forgive someone that hurts you, even when they say they’re sorry. But forgiveness can be easier when you remember one big truth. We don’t forgive others because they ask for it. We forgive others because God forgives us.
When it comes to forgiveness, God went first! Jesus made a way for everyone who believes in Him to be forgiven.
Think about someone who might have hurt you this week. Are you still holding on to your anger? Take time to pray and ask God to help you replace that anger with kindness and forgiveness. Thank God for choosing to forgive you too.
Today’s verse gives us a plan for how we can think about others. Others might annoy us, but we get to choose how we respond. Instead of staying annoyed, we can choose to let it go.
Finish It
Finish each word of the verse with its correct ending from the box below. Use another sheet of paper if needed.
“P_____ u_______ wi______ o_______ an_________ .
For______ on______ anot_______ i_______ y________
a________ hold_____ some_____ again________
some_____ . Forgi______ , j______ a______ t______
L_______ for_____ yo________ .” Colossians 3:13
e f p s u ou he st re ut th ve ord one her ing give gave thing other ne ust
Multiples of Seven
In the space below, fill in the blank multiples of 7:
7 14 ____ ____ ____ 42 ____ ____ ____
70 ____
When it comes to forgiveness, is there ever a limit?
If someone is consistently being unkind without apologizing or trying to change their behavior, then it’s time find a trusted adult. But for everyday mistakes that most everyone makes, Jesus wants us to forgive. Why? Because God forgives us! God’s forgiveness has no limits. If we mess up 7 times or 77 times, God will forgive. All we need to do is ask! So instead of keeping score this week, ask God to help you forgive.
Have you ever played a game of Taboo? In Taboo, if you say one of the words listed on the card, a fellow player gets to push the red buzzer. That annoying sound lets you and everyone else know that you messed up.
Imagine if God had a buzzer like that. What if God pushed it so that everyone could hear it every time you mess up?
Thankfully, that’s not what God does with us. Instead of keeping track to punish us, God chooses to forgive us when we need it most. Because of Jesus, forgiveness is available to everyone.
The next time you do something wrong and you need forgiveness, think about that annoying buzzer sound. Be honest with God about what you’ve done and be thankful God forgives you.
As your kid starts their day, point out a time when they were kind even when those around them may not have been.
At a meal, have everyone at the table answer this question: “Have you ever had a time when it was hard to forgive someone?”
While on the go, ask your kid: “Who is the nicest person you know? What do you most admire about how they treat others?”
Pray for each other: “God, thank You for forgiving us. Help us to follow your example and forgive others.”
