THE KING’S BUSINESS
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person until we have first talked it over with him. How much division and bitter ness in our churches would be saved if this Divinely-commanded plan were followed. And best of all, if he hearken to us, we have gained our brother. But even if he did not hearken, then we should not tell it to the Church as a whole and certainly not to out siders. No, we should take only one or at the most two with us to him and talk it over alone with him and them. But even if he will not listen then we should not give him up; we should tell it to the church as a body. If he still refuses to hear, then and only then, have we a right to remove our fellowship from him. And the purpose even then in treating him as a gentile and a publican is not to hurt him, but in love to bring him to his senses and to save him (cf. 1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:20). It was because of our Lord’s delight in love and unity among His disciples that He gave these directions. But His delight in the unity of His people comes out again in the promise that He makes regarding united prayer found in verses 19, 20. There is power in the prayer of the individual believer (John 14:13; 15:7), but God is so pleased with the unity of His people that there is special power in united prayer. If any two of our Lord’s disciples shall agree on earth as touching anything that they Shall ask, it shall be done for them by the Father which is in heaven (v. 19). The positiveness and largeness of this promise is almost stagger ing. But we must be careful to note ex actly what our Lord says, He does not say, “If two of you shall agree on earth to ask anything.” No, He says, “If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them.” That is to say, there must be not only union in asking but there must be real union regarding the thing they ask. Two Christians often unite in asking tor the same thing when there is no real unity re garding the thing that they ask. There is no special power in such a prayer but when the Spirit of God brings two believers into real unity regarding anything that they ask,
there is no power on earth (or in hell) to keep them from getting it: “It shall be done for them.” And “where two or three are (really) gathered together in His name’’ there the Lord Jesus Himself is in the midst of them. He is the director of their thought; He is the inspirer of their prayers, and the prayers they offer He offers and the Father heareth Him always (John 11: 42). Monday, March 15. Matt. 18:21-27. The question that Peter asked the Lord in the 21st verse is exceedingly important and practical. It is a question with which each one of us is confronted experimentally time and time again. We all have those whom we forgive and scarcely have we forgiven them but they offend again. How long shall they be permitted to keep this up? Peter suggested seven times as the possi ble outside limit. That is far higher than most of us go. Jesus, however, multiplied Peter’s high figure by seventy, and that is where we ought to go, seventy times seven. Here we have the perfect number multiplied by the number of completeness, and multiplied still again by the perfect number. In other words, never cease for giving. Let your patience be inexhausti ble and your forgiving love infinite. At the first glance it seems like a hard saying, but as we continue to look at it, we see it is a most sweet and gentle saying, for if God bids us do this to others, He Himself will certainly do it for us. And we need His forgiveness more than anyone else needs ours. The first part of the parable that follows emphasizes this gracious truth. We need then never fear again to go to God saying, “Forgive me,” no matter how often nor how grievously we have sinned. It your heart hesitates to go to Him with some new sin because you have sinned so often before, just hear Him whispering “until seventy times seven” (cf. Col. 3:13; Eph. 4:32; 5:1). Reckoning a talent roughly at $1200, the king’s debtor was approximately $12,000,000,00 in debt, and this is a picture of each of us, we are hopelessly in debt to
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