18. “I can assure you that when you speak judgment here on earth, it will be God’s judgment. And when you promise forgiveness here on earth, it will be God’s forgiveness.
19. To say it another way, if two of you on earth agree on anything you pray for, my Father in heaven will do what you ask.
20. Yes, if two or three people are together believing in me, I am there with them.”
21. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when someone won’t stop doing wrong to me, how many times must I forgive them? Seven times?”
22. Jesus answered, “I tell you, you must forgive them more than seven times. You must continue to forgive them even if they do wrong to you seventy-seven times.
23. “So God’s kingdom is like a king who decided to collect the money his servants owed him.
24. The king began to collect his money. One servant owed him several thousand pounds of silver.
25. He was not able to pay the money to his master, the king. So the master ordered that he and everything he owned be sold, even his wife and children. The money would be used to pay the king what the servant owed.
26. “But the servant fell on his knees and begged, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you everything I owe.’
27. The master felt sorry for him. So he told the servant he did not have to pay. He let him go free.
28. “Later, that same servant found another servant who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him around the neck and said, ‘Pay me the money you owe me!’