Dear Partner in Preaching, This is one of the hardest parables we’ll ever preach on. Actually, that’s not quite true. The parable itself is actually pretty straightforward; it’s the reality the parable describes that’s hard. The parable itself, we should keep in mind, comes on the heels of Peter’s question to Jesus about how many times he should forgive. When Jesus stuns him by multiplying Peter’s generous suggestion of forgiving someone seven times to seventy-seven (or, probably a better translation, seventy times seven) times, Jesus then illustrates the importance of forgiveness by sharing this parable. While the overall...

Dear Partner in Preaching, I wish I had an easier way to say it, but here’s the straight-up truth: authentic community is incredibly hard to come by. In case you’re not sure, take another look at these verses from Matthew. Actually, don’t look at just these verses, or you’re likely to fall into reading the Bible as some kind of divine reference book instead of the living Word of God. Here’s what I mean. The heart of chapter eighteen is about forgiveness: about how important it is to God, about how important it is to us, and about how hard it can be to actually extend and receive it. And so in the verses just before those we read...