Impossibility of forgiving sins (We cannot forgive each other)

This post is not tied to any particular passage, but something that comes up again and again.

Summary:  As Christians, we often believe that it is our duty to forgive the sins of others.  This is not actually what the New Testament teaches.  The New Testament teaches that God forgives sins, not us; That said, we enable life together to happen by extending forgiveness to others.

Point #1:  Forgiveness of sins is a key mission of Jesus Christ

(The word for forgiveness here is αφεσις; the word for sin is αμαρτια)

• Jesus instructs his disciples before his ascension:  Repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47)
• Jesus describes the new covenant:  "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (Matthew 26:28)
• In Pauline epistles:  "We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace." (Ephesians 1:7).  I realize that many argue Luther(ans) overemphasize forgiveness in Paul, but it would be impossible to read Paul, even the perceived "real" Paul, and say that forgiveness was neither significant nor connected with justification.
• Hebrews has a lengthy developments of the theme of forgiveness and Jesus work as the new sacrifice, once and for all.  (E.g.:  Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.)

Point #2:  Forgiveness of sins is a divine and not human task

• In Matthew 9, Mark 2 and Luke 5, there is the story of a paralytic who is healed.  In each case, the issue is whether Jesus had permission to forgive sins.  In fact, his forgiving sins is considered blasphemy because it means he is assuming the role of God.
• In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus teaches about prayer and forgiveness.  However, The Lord's Prayer does not invite us to forgive the sins of others
• The Lord's Prayer in Matthew's Gospel:  καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν.  Forgive us our debts as we forgave the debts of others. (6:12)
• Further instructions about forgiveness:  Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος·(6:14)  Here we are invited to forgive the trespasses.  While this is similar to sins, the writer Matthew is clearly avoiding commanding us to forgive the sins of others.  Why?  Because this is for God alone!
• In Luke's Gospel, there is also careful attention paid to the words around forgiveness:  
• καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίομεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν.  Forgive us our sins as we are forgiving others.  (11:4).  
• In Luke's Gospel, the lack of human capacity to forgive sins is even more strongly underscored by the change in words here.  We are to pray that our sins are forgiven, but we are to forgive debts.
• The only time humans are commanded to forgive sins is when they are given the "power of the keys", that is, explicitly told to forgive sins.  This is done by the resurrected Christ as he breathes on his disciples the Holy Spirit
• “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:22-23)
• When we look at the New Testament (and Old Testament) as a whole, we realize that within the biblical worldview, the declaration that humans can forgive sins is earth shattering.  Literally.  This is not a casual declaration that we can live and let live, but that human agents can change the divine ledger.  This is a truly awesome power given over to the apostles.  

Point #3:  As Christians, we are to practice forgiveness toward each other, but outside of the office of the keys, this is not about declaring someone forgiven before God.  Rather, this is about making life possible together.

• In Ephesians and Colossians, we are commended to forgive each other.  Yet a look at the words, reveals this is not about forgiving sins:
• ἀνεχόμενοι ἀλλήλων καὶ χαριζόμενοι ἑαυτοῖς ἐάν τις πρός τινα ἔχῃ μομφήν· καθὼς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἐχαρίσατο ὑμῖν οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς·  "...bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive." (Colossians 3:13, cf Ephesians 4:32)
• The word that is used here is χαριζόμαι, which means "be gracious to", "give favor" akin to Mary being called "full of grace."  The point here is not to declare them righteous before the heavenly Father, but to be gracious to them.
• In Luke's Gospel, we are commanded to forgive someone seven times seventy times. 
• ἐὰν ἁμάρτῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἐπιτίμησον αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐὰν μετανοήσῃ ἄφες αὐτῷ· 4 καὶ ἐὰν ἑπτάκις τῆς ἡμέρας ἁμαρτήσῃ εἰς σὲ καὶ ἑπτάκις ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς σὲ λέγων Μετανοῶ, ἀφήσεις αὐτῷ. If your brother sins, rebuke him.  If he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times that day, saying "I repent" forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)
• Here may be the only time in Scripture that we are commanded to forgive someone else for what they do.  However, linguistically, the object of the forgiveness is the person, not their sins (we forgive them, not their sins).  This forgiveness here seems far more like akin to the meaning "let go" or "permit" (also meanings of the word αφεσις).  In short, what seems at stake here is letting the person back into your life, rather than declaring them forgiven before God.

Admission:  I am not developing here a deep theology of "the office of the keys" by which humans declare to each other that they are forgiven on Christ's behalf.  This is certainly a reality.  Humans need an external word of forgiveness and we can become Christ to each other, to offer forgiveness.  I am thinking more of a situation in which two people are upset with each other and the one person begins to feel they are responsible for "generating" the love required to forgive the other person.

What is at stake:  When Christians teach an ethic of forgiveness, we need to be careful that we do not ascribe too lofty a goal for ourselves.  God takes care of the heavenly ledger.  Outside of the office of the keys, this is not ours to mess with.  What is our job is to trust that Christ has been gracious to us and therefore find a way to be gracious to others.  More deeply, we might begin to see that God is also gracious to others and has forgiven them and therefore, any movement to forgive them is an act of aligning ourselves with God's movement.

Furthermore, God's forgiveness creates resurrection and new life -- this is in fact, what the story of the healed paralytic shows.  The man, forgiven, rises to new life.  As Luther writes, "where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation."  We cannot transform the hearts of others.  This is the work of God.  What we can do - with Christ's love - is make life possible for each other...and on rare occasions, be given the great joy of handing over the promises that Jesus has already forgiven the other person. 

John 1:6-8, 19-28

This passage occurs in the Revised Common Lectionary during Advent (year B), most recently December 17, 2023.

Summary

I have not preached on this passage in years, choosing to focus on the Isaiah passage or the words of Mary in the Magnificat.  In many ways, it is the tamest picture of John the Baptist we have in the New Testament.  The Gospel writer John effectively takes the focus away from John the Baptist and returns it to Jesus.  This then is a model for confessing Christ!

John is asked "Who are you?"  His answer is in relation to Christ.  May we answer likewise when asked this question.

Confessing Christ - Words and Grammar

μαρτυρια (as verb and noun, "testify", 1:7)  

Translation note:  What the NSRV translates as "witness" and "testify" are both the same word in Greek (or the same word in verb and noun forms).  This distinction in translation of the root "martyria" has no basis in the Greek but reveals the English language's disdain for the same word in a sentence twice!

• To give witness does not necessarily mean to have all the answers; nor does it mean to have an emotionally cathartic story.  It simply means to point back to Jesus Christ.
• The witness of John conforms to the New Testament pattern in which the witness we will need to give is over and against a skeptical but curious, if not threatened world.

Συ τις ει; (question asked to John, 1:19).  

Translation note:  The NIV botches the translation of this sentence by making the question, "Who are you?" into an indirect question. It is a direct question in the Greek

• We will be asked the question: "Who are you?" in life.  This is especially true in the 21st century, when identity is a construct of (perceived) choice rather than something given through family or genes. 
• John answers his identity in terms of Jesus.  How many of us would do the same?  We did learn as children - "If anyone asks you who I am, tell them I am child of God."  We must learn as adults to sing this again.
• Almost all of the speaking verbs in this section are in the aorist; yet here John must say repeatedly (present tense): "I am not." Perhaps a suggestion that we have to confess Christ over and over again.

ομολογεω (meaning "to confess", 1:20).  

Pronunciation and translation note:  The o here has a rough breathing mark, meaning it is pronounced "homologeoo."  This word literally means "same speak" or "to speak the same as another."  

• It is interesting that a unilateral confession is unintelligible!  In the case of Christians who feel that we are alone in our context, we never confess the faith alone, but stand with others across the globe and across time.

Warning

• The people asking for the witness, in this case, are "the Jews."  In light of the rise of antisemitic words and actions, I would humbly offer to translate "the Jews" as "the Jewish leaders of Jesus day."

Mark 1:1-8

This passage occurs in the RCL during Advent (year 2, week 2; most recently Dec. 10, 2023)
 
Summary:
The Greek in this passage is not complex, but it is riddled with problems.  How do we read Mark's rough Greek and sloppy use of the Old Testament?  Perhaps the hermenuetic offered by Mark about Isaiah is the proper one for us today.  Mark rips Isaiah out of his historical context and reestablishes the passage's meaning christologically.  In the same way, let's rip John the Baptist out of his context and interpret him christologically:  You need more than confessing your sins.  You need the son of God to send out the Spirit to forgive your sins in your Baptism!  Sure, that adds a bit of theology to the whole thing, but as Mark shows, that is the job of a proclaimer :-)

->  My added insight for 2014:  Mark's Gospel begins, it seems, with the theology of the cross.  Where do we find God?  In the wilderness, on the edge, in a stinky socially unacceptable man.  Jesus will keep showing up in the wrong places in the Gospel of Mark (and all the Gospels).  Jesus will keep showing up in our lives in the wrong places too.

Here are some problems:
Citation problem:  Isaiah in verse 1:2 and v 3
Mark says "Just as it is written in the prophet Isaiah" and then goes to quote Malachi.  He doesn't get to Isaiah until verse 3.  (My guess is that Malachi wouldn't be known to his audience but Isaiah perhaps would have been).  Even if you ignore this problem, Mark is clearly a bad student of the OT because he takes the verse out of context.  Clearly Isaiah was not talking about John the Baptist!  But wait a minute.  If Mark takes Isaiah out of its historical context and reinterprets the passage in light of Christ...then cannot we do the same??

Word problem:  John the Baptist/baptizing in verse 1:4
Literally the text reads "John the one who baptizes" or even "John, while baptizing."  However, I do not think calling him "John the Baptist" is an unfair translation.  In fact, Mark will call John the Baptist elsewhere, 6:25; 8:28.  Here Mark is emphasizing his activity of baptizing.  The most complex thing however is simply the word "baptism."  We have 2,000 years+ of interpretation of this word.  In this pre-theological usage it simply means, "to dip in water to wash."  It came to mean, according to the Freiberg dictionary, "of Jewish ritual washings wash, cleanse, purify by washing."  The point of all this is that John's Baptism is not necessarily what we think of as our baptisms.  This is not a baptism of grace; it is not a baptism of binding oneself to Jesus ministry, much less his death and resurrection.  John was telling people to commit themselves to God and signify their repentance with Baptism.

Textual problems:  "Of God" in verse 1:1
The phrase "of God" (του θεου, tou theou) is not found in all the manuscripts. It is pretty debatable from a textual point, although I think Nestle Aland 27's double brackets are a bit strong.  Some significant manuscripts have it.  The NET Bible notes offer a really fascinating hypothesis as to why the "son of God" is dropped from various manuscripts (based on the particular letters that are used).  However, this is kind of a moot point for the Gospel of Mark.  Jesus clearly is the son of God in the book; the question is when and how do we learn this. From the first line of the book?  No.  From the cross.  From a centurion nonetheless.  Perhaps it simply adds to the great mystery novel that Mark wrote...

Punctuation problem:  "In the wilderness" in 1:3
The position of the phrase "in the wilderness" is arbitrary.  We do not have the original punctuation is either Hebrew or Greek.  Later Jewish monks added the punctuation (suggested by the original likely meaning of the verse), "A voice cries out, 'In the wilderness prepare the way'" but the writer of Mark moves the break and makes it "A voice cries out in the wilderness, prepare the way."  Admittedly, we really don't know Mark's original punctuation (this was not passed on for the first four centuries at least) but Mark definitely seems to suggest a change from the Hebrew.

Participle problem:  "confessing" in 1:5
The tenses of the Greek participles fight against an "Ordo Salutis" in this passage. Baptizing and confessing occur at the SAME time CONTINUALLY. Not one after the other (imperfect active verb with a present participle == concurrent, on-going action).  The people do not confess and then get baptized or the other-way around.  They are doing both of them.

Isaiah 40:1-11

The passage is found in the Narrative and Revised Common Lectionary, Advent 2, Year 2 (Most recently Dec 10, 2023).

Summary:  This passage is almost impossible to translate because one has Handel's Messiah in the background!  One possible direction:  Highlight the work of the Holy Spirit, as that which kills but also creates through compassion and comfort.  But I am preaching in Advent so I will focus, most likely, on preparing the way.  In what way do we need a wilderness, a time of disconnecting, to connect to God?  In what way is God's Holy Spirit present to us in the wilderness?  I would argue that the wilderness is not a time of listening to inner voices, but a time of being comforted by the communion of saints and hearing the Word of God.

Key words:
נחם ("nakham" meaning "comfort, repent or compassion", vs 1)  This word appears in all sorts of amazing and significant passages.  It can mean a range of things -- comfort, repent or have compassion.  The idea is someone taking a deep breath.  In this case, the translators of every language, whether Greek speaking Jews in the 4th century BC, or Jerome in the 4th century AD, to modern English translators, have translated this word to mean "comfort."  I agree!  The question remains linguistically in the passage -- who is doing the comforting?  The ancient Israelites to each other?  God?  The pastoral question for us is -- who comforts us?  How is do we experience God's comfort?
Lastly, it is interesting that the Greek translation of this word παρακαλεω (parakaleo) will also be used as a title for the Holy Spirit in John's Gospel!

יד ("yad", meaning "hand", vs 2)  It is strange and disconcerting that the same God who offers comfort is also the same God, from whose hand the people have taken punishment.  It is a reminder that God has two hands -- one to punish and one to build up. (An article by David Lose talks about these two hands) in Luther's writings.  

מדבר ("midbar", meaning "wilderness", vs 3)  Wilderness does not mean "place where God is not."  The book of Numbers records God's faithful presence in the wilderness.  Wilderness can mean a time of reflection and examination, comfort and repentance, but certainly not banishment from God. 
Final note:  If you are curious about the position of the comma in the sentence:
A voice cries out in the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord...see this week's post on Luke 3 

מסלה ("mislah" meaning "highway", vs 3)  The word highway is a fairly modern word!!  The point here is that this is not a city street, but a royal road that would have been constructed.  As NET Bible offers:  "typically refers to a main road, possibly paved with stones or made level with fill (see HALOT 606 s.v. and The Concise DCH 230 s.v.)."  The point is that there is a royal entourage coming into town!

רוח ("ruach" meaning "spirit, voice or breath", vs 7)  The "literal" translation could be "the spirit of God blows upon it."  I find it quite strange that anyone would want to translate this as breath.  What is God's breath if not God's spirit?  This is important because it helps us recognize that the Spirit's work specifically in this passage but also more generally in the work of putting to death.  It is also worth noting that the Spirit is connected here to the Word of God (vs 8) and finally proclamation of the good news (9)

רעה ("rahah" meaning "shepherd", vs 11) It is striking that the glory of the Lord is revealed not simply in power, but in merciful compassion.  God's alien work may be bringing about death and destruction, but the proper and crowning work of God is exhibiting mercy.
Side grammar note:  the is technically a verbal noun, like "the one who shepherds" or more literally "shepherder"

ישא עלית ינהל ("raise up those who are giving suck and lead them", 11)  This verse can fairly be translated as "He will gently lead the mother sheep."  But I see it a bit different:  He will raise up and lead those who are nursing, those who are feeding.  This is a little word of hope for those involved in ministry -- who are feeding other sheep.  God will raise you up and lead you.  The word lead here is also used in Psalm 23 -- lead us besides still waters.  The leading is not into a hard place, but a place of rest.

Mark 13:24-37

This passage is used in the Narrative Lectionary (along with Mark 13:1-8)
It is also for Revised Common Lectionary for Advent 1, Year B, most recently Dec 3, 2023

Summary:  Check your 2nd coming baggage at the ticket counter and preach the text!

For those preaching on those during Advent:  This passage is a great passage for a culture swamped with Christmas chores.  Our focus should not be on to-do lists that come and go, but on Jesus Christ and his Word!

Otherwise:  I also think you can play around with the word authority and derive the mission of the church from Mark's Gospel:  While we await the coming of Christ in an age of idolatry masked as piety, we are to pray and teach prayer; cast out unclean spirits and heal people; we are to spread the Good News of repentance and forgiveness.

Key words:
γρηγορειτε ("watch out". 13:34, 35 and 37)  This word comes into English as "Gregory".  To note:  in the very next chapter the disciples will not be able to stay awake...

θλιψις ("suffering", "distress" or "tribulation";  13:24 and also 13:19)  This is hard word to translate.  "Suffering" has all sorts of baggage, both in the Bible and in our culture.  "Tribulation" can mean a particular thing to certain people.  As Wikipedia helpfully summaries:

In the futurist view of Christian eschatology, the Tribulation is a relatively short period of time where anyone who chose not to follow God before the Rapture and was left behind (according to Pre-Tribulation doctrine, not Mid- or Post-Tribulation teaching) will experience worldwide hardships, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will wipe out more than 75% of all life on the earth before the Second Coming takes place.

I would translate it "distress" here.  But I want to focus on why.  Normally I believe in "canonical" translation, that is, help people see connections within the larger context of Scripture.  However, suffering and tribulation are such buzzwords that they distract from the immediate point of Jesus:  There will be an age of false messiahs and prophets who will claim to be saviors.  The great distress is living in an age where people turn away from the true worship to idolatry, the worst kind, where people call it Jesus but it is not.

Power:  There are three different words in this passage that relate to power.
αι δυναμεις (25):  When this word (coming directly into English as "dynamite") is in the plural, it means miracles or deeds of power.  In this case, it is translated "the powers," a logical translation, but strange use of the word!

δυναμεως (26):  Here the word is an adverb meaning powerfully

εξουσιαν (34):  Here the word means authority.  The man in the passage has conferred authority on his people.  It is worth noting that in spite of the fact that the end is coming, Jesus has still given us authority to do works.  In chapter 6 of Mark's Gospel, Jesus gives his disciples authority.  In that case, they were called to cast out unclean spirits, heal, evangelize and preach repentance.  In chapter 11 you might also argue that Jesus gives his disciples authority to pray, to teach and to forgive.  If you put these together, you come up with the mission of the church in Mark's Gospel:
While we await the coming of Christ in an age of idolatry masked as piety, we are to pray and teach prayer; cast out unclean spirits and heal people; we are to spread the Good News of repentance and forgiveness.

Grammar note one:  Why learning future participles is a waste of time
The construction of 13.25 is so odd.  The word for 'fall' here (from pimp-oo; πιμπω) is a present tense participle used with the a "to be" verb in the future tense. This construction (instead of a future participle) is a good lesson of why you should not waste any time learning future participles. They are so rare and even Greek speakers avoided them with other constructions, using the familiar English construction of:  "They will be falling"

Grammar note two:  Strong future denials
In 13.31 the promise of Jesus that his Words will never pass away is a ου μη construction, ie, a STRONG future denial. Also interesting is that this word (parercho-mai; παρερχομαι) appears in 2 Cor 5:17, Behold, Everything has passed away.  This could effectively be translated, "no way, never gonna happen."

Matthew 25:31-46

This passage occurs on Christ the King Sunday, Year A, most recently November 26, 2023.
 
Summary
Much like the beatitudes, it is hard to preach this text without steering off the cliff of works righteousness.  A few thoughts.  First, a goat and sheep are born that way; the sheep did not become sheep by their actions; neither for the goats.  They are declared righteous, but the text never declares them righteous because of their action.  It simply says they are righteous.  They did X, Y and Z good things.  Lutherans believe the righteous do good things.  Second, the sheep are not endeavoring to save their hides but they are simply helping people.  The goats were perfectly willing to help Jesus to help themselves, but they weren't interested if it didn't get them points.  The whole freedom in faith righteousness is that we no longer have to work about our own reputation (glory) or status before God but instead can worry about our neighbor.  The goats never got that far.  Lastly, for Matthew glory is found in judgment.  For Lutherans we believe that judgment comes on the cross, which points toward the cross being the center of glory.  Even if this seems stretching it the basic point of this text is a theology of the cross:  Jesus's glory is revealed, yet still somewhat hidden, in the brokenness of the world.

Simpler summary: simul iustus et peccator.  Tell them they are goats.  But tell them they are also sheep for whom the Good Shepherd died, the king of glory over sin, death and the devil.

Key words:
δοξα ("glory"; 25.31)  It is interesting to note that in the Gospel of Matthew the word δοξα is connected with Jesus second coming and judgment (see 16:27; 19:28; 24:30).  Perhaps it is worth reflecting on -- what is so glorious about judging?  Perhaps it is the purification of the people?  Of creation?  While we obsess over the potentially painful and violent cleansing, it seems that for Jesus this is the means, not the end.  Jesus cleanses the temple; in Matthew's Gospel he restores it to a place of healing.  This is a reminder that there is not a linear path to healing; that it will take judgment and "birth pains." (Matthew 24:8)

εθνος ("gentiles" or "nations"; 25.32). When used in the plural it normally means "gentiles" ie, non-Jews.  Jesus will finally tell us to go to all the nations.  This also forces a different take on Jesus words -- perhaps this is about the judgment of peoples, not simply individuals.  But yet, a close look at the Greek reveals that what is judged is not the nations, but individuals...(see note below).

κληρονομήσατε (from "κληρονομεω" meaning "inherit"; 25.34)  This word can mean receive, but it really involves inherit.  An inheritance means two things:  First, that someone died.  Second, that there is a gift.  The kingdom given to us is a gift in Jesus Christ and his death.

ο ποιμην ο βασιλευς (the shepherd; the king; 25:32; 25:34) It is interesting here that Jesus declares himself to be a shepherd-king!  I wonder if this is the ancient way of understanding servant-leadership.

ξενος ("stranger"; 25.35) The phrase, 'I was a stranger and you welcomed me' actually has the word: "xenos" as in xenophobia.  Furthermore, the verb is "synagagete," from which we get synagogue.  To translate a different way: "I was an outsider and you gathered me to worship." "Synag-oo" as a verb does not mean invite to church, but the word underneath means gather.  I think Jesus is implying something stronger than simply welcoming strangers but more like:  ushering in freaks. 

εμοι εποισητε ("You did to me", 25:40)  Jesus begins his teaching ministry with the beatitudes, a declaration that God doesn't operate like the world.  Here Jesus ends his teaching ministry by affirming that indeed, God doesn't operate like the world.  Jesus, as God, doesn't simply bless the weak and infirm from afar, but stands with us.  This helps us see what is truly happening in the cross, where God stands with the weak, with the condemned, with the one suffering, with the sinner.

It is interesting that the word δοξα can mean "reputation" or even "honor."  What is the honor of God?  To be with those whom the world has forgotten.  What is God's reputation?  To be with those whom the world doesn't care about.

κολασι(ς) (translated as "punishment", 25:46)  A quick look in almost Greek dictionary reveals this word has many shades of meaning and a fascinating entomology.  There is a sense here of pruning David Bentley Hart, in his translation of the New Testament, offers the following footnote that helpfully summarizes what the Lexicons offer:  

"The word κολασις originally meant 'pruning' or 'docking' or 'obviating the growth' of trees or other plants, and then came to mean 'confinement', 'being held in check', 'punishment' or 'chastisement' chiefly in connection with correction.  Classically, the word is distinguished (by Aristotle, for instance) from τιμωρια which means retributive punishment only.  Whether such a distinction holds here is difficult to say, since by late antiquity κολασις seems to have been used by many to describe punishment of any kind.  But the only other use of the noun in the New Testament is in 1 John 4:18, where it refers not to retributive punishment, but to the the suffering experienced by someone who is subject to fear because not yet perfected in charity.  The verbal form (κολαζω) appears twice: in Acts 4:21, where is clearly references only to disciplinary punishment, and in 2 Peter 2:9 in reference to fallen angles and unrighteous men, where it probably means 'being held in check' or 'penned in' [until the day of judgment].

Another interesting reference to ancient Greek is found in the TDNT (Kittel):  Who discusses Plato's view that, "Punishment brings blessing by freeing from a false frame of soul."

Ζωη ("zoo", meaning "life", here used in conjunction with "everlasting"; 25:46)  The theme of "life" and "everlasting life" is not nearly as developed in Matthew's Gospel as it is in John's Gospel, but it is present.  What is more common is the language about the Kingdom of God.  My sense is that Kingdom of (Heaven) in Matthew's Gospel = Life in John's Gospel.

Grammar:  Unclear antecedents
Like in English, Greek uses pronouns.  Sometimes it is unclear what "it" is referring to.  For example, the Greek says, "throne of glory of his."  Is the throne his or the glory?  Probably doesn't matter in this case, but worth reminding ourselves that Greek does have ambiguities.
In 25.32 the object of the word "divide" is interesting.  Jesus has just finished talking about the εθνος (gentiles), which is a neuter noun.  The pronoun object of the word divide is a masculine plural, suggesting the nations are not what are divided, but the individuals in the nations (masculine plural pronouns can refer to a group that has both men and women).

Matthew 25:14-30

This passage occurs in the RCL "Pentecost"/"Ordinary"/"Proper" Season, Year A, most recently November 2023.
 
Summary:
Alas, another Matthew Parable that seems to preach the Law and not the Gospel.  As a person and as a congregational leader, this passage troubles me.  Yet there is a bit of Gospel is we pay close attention here.  The master gives talents to his slaves.  Talents are huge sums of money.  What kind of person gives someone 1 or even 2 or even 5 to 10 million dollars??  What kind of person gives slaves this kind of money?  Sure, this parable may serve as warning not to hide our gifts.  Law, law and more law.  But the good news is this:  God gives us his assets in a way that in unimaginable in the real world of money.  (You might also say that God blesses his slaves' investments in a way unimaginable in this real world of money...)

What was new in 2020:  Focusing on people as the gifts we have been given.

What is new in 2023:  Focusing on how faith means taking risks and facing the fear of making a mistake.

Key words:

ταλαντον ("talent", a measure of gold weight worth roughly a million dollars or 20 years worth of a standard persons wages, 25:15).  While this parable may produce guilt and anxiety in us that we don't do enough, it is worth remembering that anyone who gives away 5 talents to his slaves (not friends, slaves) doesn't value money they way the rest of us do.  5 talents would be 5-10 million dollars; 100 years worth of human labor entrusted!

I think a sermon nugget here is realizing how much is entrusted to even the person with one talent.  Sometimes we compare ourselves to others and then convince ourselves that either we a) don't have responsibility to make an impact in the world or b) we have no capacity to do good.  We hide our talent.  Even when we are not given the "most" we still have more than we need and can work in the Kingdom with our gifts.

τα υπαρχοντα ("possessions", 25:16)  see below for a grammatical explanation of this word.  This word does mean possessions, but it comes from the verb for "to be" an does not simply mean goods, but really the entirety of one's resources and means.  For instance, in Genesis 12:5, Abraham and his family take τα υπαρχοντα of theirs when they are moving countries.  Second Peter 1:8 actually describes personality traits as υπαρχοντα.  This word is probably better translated as "assets."

εκερδησεν ("gain" from κερδαινω, 25:16)  Worth remembering that Paul said that all of his achievements were "dung" in order that he might gain Christ.  Also worth noting is that Jesus, in all three synoptics, warns of "gaining" the world (same word) but losing the soul.  Jesus is not simply teaching financial advice, but conveying a deeper meaning about the Kingdom of God.

εκρυψεν ("hide", κρυπτω, 25:18)  The word here literally means "encrypt."  The sin here is not having enough gifts, but hiding that which we have.  I wonder too if it is worth playing with this word "hide" and how people hide their gifts.

φοβηθεις ("fear", 25:25).  What is the fear of the third servant?  Interestingly, the third servant is not afraid of losing money for his sake (why people typically refuse to share what they have - they fear they will lack) but because he fears he will not do it right.   What fears hold people back from sharing their gifts?  Normally we would preach on the fear of not having enough, but not doing it right might also be a fear worth unpacking with people.   In 2023, I focused my sermon on the need to take risks for the Gospel.  In order to gain in the market, one must invest; living in faith is moving ahead in an uncertain world in which we might make mistakes. This leads to a nice Gospel message - God takes the risk of giving to us, knowing that God always has and always will make things right.

Grammar Review:  I thought substantive participles were easy!
Generally, one of the easiest participles to translate are a group called "substantive."  Basically, the form is 'the word the'+'participle' and it is translated the 'one(s)/thing(s) that do this verb'.  So in verse 14, you have τα υπαρχοντα.  The second word is a verb meaning "to be" so this substantive participle is translated, "the things that are."  In this case, this is an idiom which means something akin to "possessions" or "assets" but at its core, it is a participle made into a 'substance' by the word 'the'.

However, Greek can get pretty fancy with the substantive participle.  They can stick words in between the 'the' and the partciple.  For example, in 25:18
ο δε το εν λαβων means "But the one having one (talent)."  First, it is tricky because you have to figure out that the words το εν refer to "the one talent" but it is especially tricky because you have to realize that ο goes with λαβων and becomes "the one who has."  Lastly, you have to unpack the middle and put it on the end to translate it because in English you cannot have, outside of poetry, "the one one talent having." 

The nice thing about such participles is that they allow Greek to build some monster phrases, which ultimately are not that hard to translate.  You just have to identify the participle pieces (in this case the 'the' and the participle), translate them and then go after the middle.