Faith Daily Lectio Tuesday, October 27, 2026 Gospel
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 · Tuesday in the week of the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25)
Gospel
Oratio (prayer)
Lord Jesus, You have forgiven me a debt I could never pay. Send Your Holy Spirit as I read Matthew 18, that I may receive Your mercy and learn to forgive as I have been forgiven. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Meditatio (meditation)
Matthew 18:21-35
21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
22Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
24And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
25But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
26The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
27Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
28But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
29And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
30And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
31So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
32Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
33Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.
Consider even rereading in another translation.
You could also consider listening to this chapter, narrated:
KJV (Max McLean) · ESV (Max McLean) · NIV (dramatized)
You might read the whole reading slowly, aloud, more than once.
Consider this verse, for example:
“Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?” (Matthew 18:33)
What other lines speak to you?
Peter asks how often he must forgive a brother who sins against him, and wonders whether seven times is enough. Jesus answers with a far larger number and then tells a parable. A king forgives a servant who owes him ten thousand talents, a debt no one could ever repay. That same servant then seizes a fellowservant who owes him an hundred pence and has him thrown into prison. When the king hears of it, he calls the servant wicked and hands him over to the tormentors. Jesus closes with a sober warning about forgiving from the heart.
The Law Peter wants a limit: "how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?" (v. 21). We want limits too. Like the servant, we can receive great mercy and still take a brother "by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest" (v. 28). Jesus does not soften it: "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (v. 35).
The Gospel The ten thousand talents are our debt before God, and like the servant we have "not to pay" (v. 25). Yet the king "was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt" (v. 27). That is what God has done for you in Jesus Christ. He paid the whole debt at the cross, and in your Baptism and in the absolution He says to you, "I forgave thee all that debt" (v. 32). His forgiveness comes first, and it is the root from which our forgiving grows.
Prayer Lord Jesus, I confess that I keep count of wrongs done to me and forget how much You have forgiven me. Have mercy on me. Loose me from my debt, and give me a heart that forgives my brother freely. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tentatio (trial)
Some hurts are hard to forgive, and they return to mind again and again. Under trial it may help to hear Jesus' answer to Peter, "Until seventy times seven" (v. 22), first as a picture of His own mercy toward you, and then to ask Him for help to forgive one more time.
Prayer Lord Jesus, You know the hurts I carry. Forgive me, heal me, and help me to forgive from my heart. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version.
My church home: Peace Lutheran Church, McMurray, PA. Looking for a church? See About Daily Lectio.
