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THIS WEEK’S PASSAGE MATTHEW 18:21-35
PREPARATION
You will need: enough coins for each young person to have ten each and with a substantial number spare, a piece of paper and a pen, two more pieces of paper – one with ‘Yes’ written on it and the other with ‘No’, and a version of ‘Amazing Grace’.
HEDGING YOUR BETS
15 mins
Give ten coins to each young person, making sure that you have a large number left over to loan to bankruptcy victims later in the game. Explain that every young person has a ‘starting debt’ of ten coins. They must try to repay their debt by winning games of rock-paper-scissors. Stakes can be as high as they wish, but make it clear that you all debts must be repaid by the end of the game. Those who run out of money can come and get more from you, but this must be written down and added to their debt.
THE PARABLE – PART 1
10 mins
Use the video at this point in the session as a way of introducing the parable and creating an opportunity for discussion and conversation around it. The video is available at premieryouthwork.com/parablevideos. Then read Matthew 18:21-25 and ask:
• How do you think it felt to be in debt?
• Have you ever been in a situation in real life where you’ve run out of money?
• What makes a good steward of money?
THE PARABLE – PART 2
5 mins
Read Matthew 18:26-27 and ask the group for any immediate reactions.
KEY POINT
We cannot do anything to earn or merit the kingdom of God. The servant owes his master the equivalent of millions of pounds, a debt he cannot ever hope to repay. But he still tries to convince the king that he can, in the same way that we try to convince ourselves that we can get God to like us more based on our ‘performance’ as Christians. But the king, like God, knows this is not possible.
WOULD YOU FORGIVE?
15 mins
Label one end of the room ‘Yes’, the other end ‘No’ and the area in the middle ‘Unsure’. Prepare a list of forgiveness situations beforehand and ask the young people to move to the part of the room that represents their opinion for each situation. Tailor these questions to general, small issues that may affect your youth group. Before moving on to the next question, make sure you get the view of one young person from each opinion represented. Be flexible and allow relevant debate to flow.
KEY POINT
The servant does not ask the king for a loan, but for time to turn his situation around so that he can repay his debt. But instead of giving his servant the opportunity to pay back an unmanageable debt, the king simply cancels. In the same way, God forgives our sin as he knows it is impossible for us to repay this debt.
LOVE MADE VAN DER BROEK FAINT
10 mins
Read ‘Love made van der Broek faint’, from Philip Yancey’s book Rumours from another world or in online form at premieryouthwork.com/links and then ask:
• What would you have done in the mother’s situation? Why?
• Would you spend time with someone who had harmed your family so much?
THE PARABLE – PART 3
5 mins
Read Matthew 18:28-35 and Galatians 5:13-14, and ask the group for any immediate reactions.
KEY POINT
We see amazing demonstrations of huge forgiveness like the woman in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. We like to think that we would do the same. But most of us are never going to encounter that kind of situation. However, we all have, and will have, people in our lives who do us small wrongs, and it’s incredibly easy to hold a grudge against them. Jesus spells out the consequences for those who do not echo his father’s forgiveness, especially in the small things.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
5mins
Read The Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13 and discuss how the way Jesus teaches us to pray requires our action if we are to be forgiven.
REFLECTION AND PRAYER
5 mins
You may want to play ‘Amazing Grace’ in the background here. First, focus on the grace and forgiveness received by the servant. Ask God to forgive us for the things that we’ve done wrong, but also to help us fully realise and accept his forgiveness. Secondly, ask God to help us be ready to forgive others and to share the forgiveness he offers with them, too. Invite the young people to say The Lord’s Prayer.
PEACE BE WITH YOU
5 mins
Say: Now that we have said, and meant, the phrase ‘forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us’, we have to take it seriously. If we want to receive forgiveness freely, we have to offer it freely, too. Use this time to make peace by asking or offering forgiveness of the other people in your youth group. If you can’t think of anything you need to be forgiven for, or to forgive, simply share the peace of Jesus with them by shaking their hand and saying, ‘Peace be with you’.
Encourage the young people that the place where this kind of forgiveness will have the most impact is outside of the walls of the church / youth group.
