Episode 7: Forced Forgiveness: Misinterpreting Matthew 18 with Dr. Scot McKnight
Aug 13, 2024
TW/CW: references to sexual assault
Have you ever had Matthew 18 used against you?
Far too often, the forgiveness passage in Matthew 18:15–17 is weaponized against those who experience hurt and harm. Victims are forced to face their abusers, and there is no real reconciliation. The abuser walks away “forgiven” and restored, and the abused walks away humiliated and put in their place.
Join me and New Testament scholar Scot McKnight as we dive deep into the original language and nuance of this passage. Discover what it really says about interpersonal conflict and its role in cases of abuse or an imbalance of power. Learn how much repentance is implied in the original Greek, when it doesn’t show up in our English Bibles.
download Episode Transcript 📄
Quotes 💬
I think that this is about ordinary, inter-human relationships. I don’t think that this is a text that solves all let’s say conflict management theory. This is not about conflict management theory. This is about an interpersonal breakdown.
You can never demand that an abuser go one on one with the abused. So I don't think this text, this text is not designed for that situation. It's designed for an interpersonal conflict that's manageable and yet requires repentance. And if there is no repentance, there is going to be no reconciliation.
My contention is that churches misuse this as a template for everything that happens that needs to be reconciled, and it's a mistake.
When, when there’s a power differential, I think Matthew 18 should not be used. The word is sibling, brother and sister. This is a family relationship. This is not a hierarchy.
Episode Resources and Links
- That Sounds Fun podcast Episode 494: Dr. Scot McKnight on When You Feel Like Your Church Is Falling Apart
- That Sounds Fun podcast Episode 879: The Gospel of Matthew with Dr. Scot McKnight
- The Second Testament: A New Testament Translation at Bookshop.org | on Amazon
- PIVOT: The Priorities, Practices, and Powers That Can Transform Your Church Into a Tov Culture | at Bookshop.org | on Amazon
- A Church Called TOV: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing at Bookshop.org | on Amazon
Guest Spotlight
Scot is a New Testament scholar who has written widely on the historical Jesus and Christian spirituality. He is a Visiting Professor of New Testament at Houston Theological Seminary and at Westminster Theological Centre (UK). He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornerstone University, a master's from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and a doctorate from the University of Nottingham. He has written more than 80 books, including the popular The Jesus Creed, which won an award from Christianity Today.
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