Helping a Lost Brother/Sister
Read: Matthew 18:10-35
Matthew writes of one lost sheep in verses 10-14 as a picture of God’s pastoral care over His
children. In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus has explained to the disciples what true greatness is
and now He tells a story to demonstrate it. To ignore a lost sheep is to show that you haven’t grasped
the principle of true greatness. The parable teaches us that God’s pastoral care is extended to all His
people. The moral is clear; the true disciple must share God’s concern for people and not despise
any. Verses 15-20 are often used to guide church leaders on disciplinary action in the church but they
are also addressed to the individual disciple. The concern is not with the punishment of the offense
but rather the attempt to rescue a brother whose sin has put him in danger. This passage is about
being concerned and caring for the wondering brother in Christ. The ultimate goal is restoration of
the offending brother. The disciple is not to ignore a fault he sees in his fellow-disciple, but rather
to lovingly confront him with the hope that he will repent. Sometimes this concern degenerates into
a critical spirit or being judgmental therefore the disciple must be careful how this is done and with
what attitude. Extreme caution is advised, so is being prayerful about it as to not cause further harm.
Jesus continues to explain Kingdom community principles in verses 21-35 by emphasizing the priority
of forgiveness in the area of personal relationships. Jesus demonstrates that forgiveness must be
unlimited by using a parable. The unimaginable size of the debt is used to show us the measure
of the forgiveness that the servant received. The King went well beyond what the servant asked
by cancelling the debt when the servant only asked for time to pay off the debt. This emphasizes
the free basis of God’s forgiveness. The point to this parable is seen in verse 35; those who will
not forgive cannot expect to be forgiven. If the church is the community of the forgiven, then all its
relationships will be marked by a forgiveness which is not a merely words. Someone who does not
grant forgiveness to others shows that his heart has not experienced God’s forgiveness.
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. How have you experienced God’s pastoral care in your life? Pray that you would grow in
extending that same care to others in the church.
2. Spend a moment and pray about someone that you can extend care to this week. Ask the Lord
to show you something that you can do this person.
3. Ask the Lord to show you if you have any areas of unforgiveness in your heart and who this
unforgiveness is towards. Pray that you would grow in feeling God’s forgiveness so that you can
forgive others.
