The Text This Week - Lectionary, Scripture Study and Worship Links and Resources

The Text This Week
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Index:
 
  Trinity
   (May 18)
  Corpus Christi
   (May 25)
  Pentecost +2
   (May 25)
  Visitation
   (May 31)
  Pr 4/OT 9/P+3
   (June 1)
  Pr 5/OT10/P+4
   (June 8)
  St. Barnabas
   (June 11)
  Pr 6/OT 11/P+5
  (June 15)
  Pr 7/OT 12/P+6
  (June 22)
  Nativity of John
   (June 24)
  Pr 8/OT 13/P+7
   (June 29)
  Sts Peter & Paul
   (June 29)
  Pr 9/OT 14/P+8
   (July 6)
  Pr 10/OT 15/P+9
  (July 13)
  Pr11/OT16/P+10
   (July 20)
  Mary Magdalene
   (July 22)
  James the Elder
   (July 25)
  Pr12/OT17/P+11
   (July 27)
  Pr13/OT18/P+12
   (August 3)
  Transfiguration
   (August 6)
  Pr14/OT29/P+13
  (August 10)
  Assumption Mary
   (August 15)
  St Mary
   (August 15)
  Pr15/OT20/P+14
   (August 17)
  Pr16/OT21/P+15
   (August 24)
  St Bartholomew
   (August 24)
  Pr17/OT22/P+16
   (August 31)
  Pr18/OT23/P+17
   (Sept 7)
  Creation 1
  Pr19/OT24/P+18
   (Sept 14)
  Creation 2
  Holy Cross
   (Sept 14)
  Pr20/OT25/P+19
   (Sept 21)
  Creation 3
  St Matthew
   (Sept 21)
  Pr21/OT26/P+20
   (Sept 28)
  Creation 4
 
 
 
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  YEAR C
  FESTIVALS/
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  Pentecost
 

 

 

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Matthew 18:21-35

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bulletReading the Text:
bullet NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
bullet The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
bullet The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
bullet The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
bulletHistorical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
bulletThe Five Gospels Parallels, John W. Marshall, University of Toronto.
bullet"Forgiveness and Reconciliation," Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit.
bulletComparative primary texts about Sin and Justice from Mishna and Babylonian Talmud. At Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus, Rutgers University.
bulletVision II.2, Similitude IX.23, Shepherd of Hermas. (c.145)
bulletXXVII.1-13, 22-23; Tatian's Diatessaron (c. 150-160).
bulletChapter VII, On PrayerTertullian (c. 199)
bulletI.1, Stromata, Clement of Alexandria (c 200)
bulletChapter XII, On Patience, Tertullian (c. 202)
bulletChapter XXI, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217)
bulletXIV.5-13, Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Origen. (c.247)
bulletEpistle XXX (from the Roman Clergy to Cyprian) -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250)
bulletOn the Lord's Prayer -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
bulletLatin text of Augustine's Sermon 73 (Mt 18:21-35).
bullet Homily LXI - Matthew 18:21, Homilies on the Gospel of St. Matthew, St. Chrysostom (c. 380):
bulletFrom the Catena Aurea, Patristic Commentary by St Thomas Aquinas.
bulletFrom the Geneva Notes.
bullet"They will find God severe and not too pleased, who do not forgive their brethren even if they have been purposely and grievously injured by them."
bulletFrom Matthew Henry's Commentary.
bullet"How justly will those be condemned, who, though they bear the Christian name, persist in unmerciful treatment of their brethren!"
bulletFrom Wesley's Notes.
bullet"Till seventy times seven - That is, as often as there is occasion. A certain number is put for an uncertain."
bulletFrom the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
bullet"...till seven times?--This being the sacred and complete number, perhaps his meaning was, Is there to be a limit at which the needful forbearance will be full?"
bulletFrom The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
bullet"Observe Christ says, "My heavenly Father," not your. God will not be their heavenly Father unless they emulate his spirit of mercy, and are as ready to forgive others their trespasses as he is to forgive their own."
bulletContemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
bullet Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
bullet "Forgiveness: Seven Times Seventy," Gospel Analysis, Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington. Detailed background and exegesis.
bullet"This teaching directly reverses the revenge of Lamech in the Old Testament who wanted revenge seventy times seven."
bullet "First Thoughts on Year A Gospel Passages in the Lectionary: Pentecost 17" William Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia, 2002.
bullet"The reduction of the gospel to forgiveness of sins misses the point of the gospel which is about making people whole."
bullet Matthew in the Margins, by Brian McGowan, Anglican priest in Western Australia.
bullet "Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost: Matthew 18:21-35," Transformed for Disciple Community: Matthew in Pentecost, James L. Boyce, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1993.
bullet "Matthew 18:21-35, Pentecost 17," Perspectives on the Parables -- Glimpses on the Kingdom of God, Robert H. Albers, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1984.
bullet "Power and Forgiveness in Matthew 18," Elaine Ramshaw, Word & World: Theology for Christian Ministry, Volume XVIII, Number 4, Luther Northwestern Theological School, 1998.
bullet"A piecemeal and acontextual use of the texts on forgiveness and reconciliation in Matthew 18 can lead to the exclusion of some and the abuse of others. The chapter as a whole envisions a better way."
bullet Exegetical Notes by Brian Stoffregen at CrossMarks Christian Resources.
bullet "Does repentance need to precede forgiveness?"
bullet "Violent Parables and the Nonviolent Jesus," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Parables," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2006.
bullet "Continual Forgiveness," Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel. Adult Study, Children's Story, Family Activity, Support Materials.
bullet "Is there someone in your life who is difficult to forgive?"
bullet Exegesis, Proper 19A, by Richard Donovan at lectionary.org.
bullet"The common element in these portions of this chapter is that they call us to throw away the calculator when dealing with relationships."
bullet "Released Him and Forgave Him," Jerry Goebel, One Family Outreach. "Focus on scripture from a justice perspective." Exegesis, study, and teen study and activities.
bullet"Even if the forgiveness is for a sin that is large by human standards; it is infinitesimal in comparison to the compassion of our Savior. We do not compare another sin against our own accounts; we compare to God’s compassion. We do not say; 'Look at what you owe me!' We say; 'Look at how much God forgave me!'"
bullet "New Math," Gracia Grindal, Christian Century, 2002.
bullet"I know that Jesus is right to say that without forgiveness the Christian community cannot flourish. But with our psychologizing of guilt and shame this past century, we've gotten so messed up on what forgiveness is that I find it difficult to sort this story out."
bullet Wellspring of the Gospel, Ordinary 24A, Catherine McElhinney and Kathryn Turner, Weekly Wellsprings.
bullet "A 'Political' Interpretation of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matt 18:23-35)," Roberta C. Allen.
bullet"The huge variation in the sums involved may have been intended to illustrate the unbreachable gulf between 'sin' and human 'debt or crime'. Speech about God or his 'kingdom' is metaphorical and while use of human terms may help to explain our understanding the analogies always necessarily fall short."
bullet "The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
bullet "Forgiven and Forgiving," Susan Pendelton Jones. Commentary from The Christian Century, August, 1999. At Religion Online.
bullet"Christian communities are sustained by people who know what it means to discover the miracle of God's forgiveness, and who are thus committed to a way of life as forgiven and forgiving people. We do not abandon others, and refuse to be abandoned ourselves."
bullet "Unlimited Forgiveness," analysis by Cathy Lessmann in Sabbatheology by the Crossings Community of St Louis, Missouri.
bullet"The impact of a changed heart is stunning. Not only are we able to cease keeping track of the number of times we forgive our brother or sister -- we don't even realize we are doing it!"
bullet "The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant," analysis and reflection by Ed Schroeder, in Sabbatheology by The Crossing Community of St Louis, Missouri.
bullet"Peter's question = Our question: Aren't there limits to forgiveness? Wouldn't seven times in a row be enough, before you responded to that congenital sinning sibling with some hard knocks of the recompense and retribution? Can you really practice "management by mercy" in daily life and survive?"
bulletArticles & Background:
bullet "Parable of the Unmerciful Servant," wikipedia.
bullet "Matthew's Nonviolent Jesus and Violent Parables," Barbara E. Reid, O.P., (other resources at) "Parables," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2006.
bullet"Jesus' Sermon on the Mount instructs us to not return violence for violence; instead we should be like God, who offers boundless, gratuitous love to all. But in the same Gospel Jesus tells eight parables in which God deals violently with evildoers. Which of the divine ways are we to imitate?"
bullet "The Force of Forgiveness," Minka Shura Sprague at The Living Pulpit.
bullet"We have known since Noah that forgiveness is God's will."
bullet "Jesus, Apocalyptic, and World Transformation," David B. Batstone. Theology Today, 1993.
bullet"It is often overlooked how ideologically explosive the notion of the kingdom of God was within Jesus' own social milieu. In first-century Palestine, it did not have the same metaphorical and strictly religious connotation that makes the term so safe within our own theological world. In fact, it evoked the memory and visionary impulse of Yahweh who acts to deliver Yahweh's 'chosen ones' from occupation and oppression at the hands of alien nations. Intrinsic to that symbolic universe is the conviction that the chosen suffer and the unjust prosper in the present day only because history stands at the brink of a great reversal."
bullet "Divine Incongruity: Comedy and Tragedy in a Post-Holocaust World," A. Roy Eckardt, Lehigh University.
bullet"How may God receive the 'dangerous thoughts' of those intercessors who serve the comic cause? I propose that, ultimately speaking, forgiveness may win the day. The aggression against God--or the counteraggression-in response to the divine aggression is, itself, eligible for forgiveness. Yet, I also submit that, in the final reckoning, forgiveness is never a purely human achievement, it is a gift from beyond. Thus, may forgiveness enter the dialectic of humor and faith, pointing to the beginnings of reconciliation among all parties. For, in the depths of authentic humor, everyone stands forgiven. That's what humor comes down to really: forgiveness. "
bullet "The Craft of Forgiveness," L. Gregory Jones, Loyola College. Theology Today, October, 1993.
bullet"If, and insofar as, Christians are able to recognize that forgiveness is a way of life rather than a simple word to assuage guilt, then we will be on our way to embodying the wholeness of the gospel through mastering the craft of forgiveness."
bullet "Repentance and Forgiveness," David R. Blumenthal, Cross Currents.
bullet"Teshuvá is the key concept in the rabbinic view of sin, repentance, and forgiveness. The tradition is not of one mind on the steps one must take to repent of one's sins. However, almost all agree that repentance requires five elements: recognition of one's sins as sins (hakarát ha-chét'), remorse (charatá), desisting from sin (azivát ha-chét'), restitution where possible (peira'ón), and confession (vidúi)."
bullet "Prayer and Forgiveness: Can Psychology Help?" Kevin Culligan, Spiritual Life, 2002.
bullet"Despite Jesus' teaching, many Christians committed to living a prayerful life-including persons who daily practice various forms of contemplative prayer, such as Christian meditation, centering prayer, and Christian insight meditation-choose to remain in a state of unforgiveness."
bullet "Father, Forgive... - Religious Meaning of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Bombings," Kosuke Koyama, The Ecumenical Review, 1995.
bullet"God's eagerness to forgive derives from God's love."
bulletArticles in ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are subscribed and logged in to ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
bulletBinau, Brad A., "'Holding On' and 'Letting Go': the Dynamics of Forgiveness," Word & World, 2007. (See Word & World 27.1 Forgiveness)
  Image Browse - PDF
bulletBridges, Linda McKinnish, "Preaching the Parables in Matthew's Gospel in Ordinary Time: The Extraordinary Tales of God's World," Review & Expositor, 2007. (Section on this text begins on p.346, but is best read in context of entire article.)
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bulletCarter, Warren, "Resisting and Imitating the Empire: Imperial Paradigms in Two Matthean Parables," Interpretation, 2002. (See also, "Parables," issue focus of Interpretation 56.3 (2002).)
bulletGustafson, Roger R., "Covenants Strained and Strengthened," The Living Pulpit, 2005.
bulletHock, Ronald F., "Romancing the Parables of Jesus," Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2002.
bulletHylen, Susan E. "Forgiveness and Life in Community," Interpretation, 2000.
bulletReid, Barbara E., O.P., "Violent Endings in Matthew's Parables and Christian Nonviolence," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2004.
bulletStortz, Martha E., "The Practice of Forgiveness: Disciples as Forgiven Forgivers," Word & World, 2007. (See Word & World 27.1 Forgiveness)
  Image Browse - PDF
bulletReviews:
bulletSermons:
bullet "Down the Up Staircase," Eugene Lowry, at preaching.org. (scroll down)
bullet "What to Do When You're Messed Over," Brad Braxton, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2007.
bullet "Forgiveness: Seven Times Seventy" (trialogue sermon), "Forgiveness Is for Heroes," "Pockets of Poison: The Need for Forgiveness," Sermons from Seattle, Pastor Edward F. Markquart, Grace Lutheran Church, Seattle, Washington.
bullet "Letting the Ending Surprise You," 17 Pentecost - 11 September 2005, David Zersen, Göttinger Predigten im Internet: Every Sunday Sermons based on the RCL by a team of Lutheran theologians/ pastors.
bullet "When the Theology of Mercy Turns into Ethics," George H. Martin, The Clergy Journal, 2005.
bullet "The Unforgiving Servant," narrative sermon by Richard J. Fairchild, Sermon & Lectionary Resources.
bullet "The Things We Dare Not Remember," the Rev. Dr. Thomas Tewell, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2003.
bullet "On Not Keeping Score," The Rev. Joanna Adams, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2002.
bullet "The Way of Forgiveness," Fr. Patrick Brennan, 30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2002.
bullet "Forgiveness: 'Giving Is Harder than Receiving'!" John Jewell, 1999.
bullet "The Freeing of Forgiveness," the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Zanicky, Day 1, 2001.
bullet "The Justice of Forgiveness," the Rev. Dr. Kathlyn James, Day 1, 1997.
bullet "Unforgiven," the Rev. Alex Joiner, Day 1, 1996.
bullet Father Andrew M. Greeley, "Priest, Author, Sociologist," Commentary and Homily:
bullet Ordinary 24, 2005
bulletWith Children:
bullet "Over and Over Again," Charles Kirkpatrick, Sermons4kids.com.
bullet "Unforgiving Servant," Fr. Max Bowers, Kids Church.
bullet "Be Ready to Forgive," Lois Parker Edstrom, Lectionary.org.
bulletDrama:
bullet "Seventy Times Seven," from A Certain Jesus by Jose Ignacio and Maria Lopez Vigil. Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today's gospel. Claretian Publications.
bullet "Forgiving 70 x 7," Penny Hewlett, Drama Southwest.
bullet "Forgiveness," Janelle S. Ponte, dramatix.
bullet "Phar-A-Non," Glenn A. Hascall, dramatix.
bullet "Parable of the Merciless Teacher," Greg Brook, dramatix.
bullet "Mowing Down Cats!" Michelle Pitman, dramatix.
bullet "The Case of the Missing Case," Paul Clark, dramatix.
bullet "Forgiveness - Dwarf Style," Dean Herring, dramatix.
bulletGraphics & Bulletin Materials:
bullet Clip Art, Matthew 18:22, Fr. Richard Lonsdale, Resources for Catholic Educators.
bulletClip Art Images: Matthew 18:21-35, Misioneros Del Sagrado Corazón en el Perú.
bullet Matthew 18:21-35, Matthew 18:21-35, Liturgical Drawing, Maria d.c. Zamora, Claretian Resources, Philippines. ("Download and use these for free.")
bullet Forgiveness Limit, Mathematics of Forgiveness, Eat Your Meal, Part of the Job, Reverend Fun Cartoon, gospelcom.net. Check for printing permissions at right-hand side of destination page.
bullet Matthew 18:21-35, Scripture Pics - graphics relating to RCL texts, Matt Baker, Germantown UMC, Ohio.
bulletHymns and Music:
bullet Contemporary/Praise Song suggestions, Together to Celebrate, David MacGregor.
bullet Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Matthew 18:21. The Cyber Hymnal.
bulletFine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
bulletMovies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
bulletForgiveness/Reconciliation
bullet Study Links and Resources for the Book of Matthew