07/09/2026
This passage is part of a larger section of Matthewās gospel talking about how the movement among his Jewish followers, that is springing up around Jesus, should conduct itself. Jesus teaches that what makes his followers different from the prevailing Jewish society around them is forgiveness. As God forgives us, so we must forgive others. What does that remind you of? Doesnāt it sound a lot like the Lordās Prayer, the way Jesus taught us, earlier in Matthewās gospel, how to pray? We are, he says, to ask God to āForgive us our sins and we forgive those who sin against us.ā
Conflicts will arise. We are only human. But whatever relations may be between believers, if they come together truly in Jesusā name, he is with them, God is there. To truly be together in Jesusā name, however, we must find a way to forgive one another; and to be reconciled, says Jesus here, we need to listen to one another.
Next week, Jesus will tell us a parable that illustrates this concept clearly.
