Jesus did not answer the Pharisees’ question directly at first. Later he does (in verse 9). But here, instead of allowing the matter to be debated on their level—they were asking about the minimal grounds for divorce—Jesus raised the discussion to the level of God’s original intention in marriage, directing his questioners to the first and second chapters of the Bible where the institution of the marriage relationship is found.
“Whom, therefore, God hath joined together, let no man put asunder.” These are the words that end the most common form of marriage service used in Christian churches. They come just before the benediction. But men are “putting asunder,” and women too. The statistics tell us that nearly one in two marriages taking place in the United States today will end in divorce, and the statistics are not much better for Christian marriages. We see the evidence of decay all around us. What are we to make of these statistics, especially when we turn to the Bible and find that God requires chastity before marriage, fidelity afterward and lifelong unions of Wives and husbands without easy divorce as an escape?
How do we understand Jesus’ words following this parable? What we need to recognize is that Jesus is not giving the whole of the gospel message in one story. What he says is true enough, that there is an unbreakable connection between God’s forgiveness of us and our forgiveness of other people. This is intended to snap us out of any lethargy we may have and confront us with the life-changing power of the gospel. But it does not mean that we are saved by forgiving others or that salvation, once acquired, can be lost. Jesus is only saying that, whatever else is involved (and a great deal more is involved), forgiveness must be part of what it means to be a Christian.
We concluded yesterday’s story with the king turning the debtor over to a jailer. At that point the story is finished, and we might wish that Jesus had stopped there. But he had this additional disturbing word: “This is how my heavenly father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart” (v. 35). That is troubling because it seems to imply a “works” salvation, that is, if you forgive others (a work), you will be forgiven. But even if it does not teach that, it seems to imply a continuance in grace by means of works. We may be saved by grace; but if we fail to act rightly, God may cancel his forgiveness and have us thrown into hell anyway. That is unacceptable for several reasons. So some have tried to work out ways of getting around it.
The bridge to the parable is Peter’s question: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (v. 21). The rabbis had been teaching that one should forgive an offense three times, but not beyond that. So Peter was probably thinking that he was going a long way toward mastering the spirit of Jesus when he suggested that one might actually forgive seven times.
