Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
New Testament : Parable of the Unforgiving Servant? Christianity has undeniably been one of the greatest cultural influences on the history of Western Civilization. The ideologies, moralities, and even anecdotes found in the Christian Bible have reappeared time and time again. From political decisions to art and literature, these ideas helped shape European lives for millennia. One example is the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, a tale found in the Gospel of Matthew, 18:23-35. The story is one of forgiveness, surrounded by other stories of forgiveness, and what it means in the Christian doctrine.
So, in Matthew 18:21, the disciple Peter comes to Jesus and asks how many times he should forgive someone: ”how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Why seven? According to Jewish traditions, you should forgive a person who has sinned against you three times, so Peter thinks he’s being pretty generous. Jesus responds by saying you should forgive someone seventy-seven times, a hyperbole implying there’s no limit to forgiveness.
The servant whose lord forgave him much, ten thousand talents, equivalent to several millions of dollars, was unwilling to forgive another servant who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarius was a day’s wage and was worth approximately sixteen cents. Therefore, compared to what the first servant was forgiven, this was a very small amount. The principle here is, “the one forgiven much should forgive much.” In other words, the principle of forgiveness is that grace or forgiveness to another is without limit. The disciples are not to count the number of times they forgive. Rather, as the parable teaches, they are to forgive much because God has forgiven much.
{The danger is that there is at least one thing that will keep Him from offering us this act of mercy. It’s our obstinacy in failing to forgive those who have wronged us. This is a serious requirement of God upon us and one we should not take lightly. Jesus told this story for a reason and the reason was that He meant it. We can often just think of Jesus as a very passive and gentle person who will always smile and look the other way when we sin. But don’t forget this parable! Don’t forget that Jesus is serious about obstinate refusal to offer mercy and forgiveness to others.|Why is He so strong on this requirement? Because you cannot receive what you are not willing to give away. Perhaps that doesn’t make sense at first, but it’s a very real fact of the spiritual life. If you want mercy, you must give mercy away. If you want forgiveness, you must offer forgiveness. But if you want harsh judgment and condemnation, then go ahead and offer harsh judgment and condemnation. Jesus will answer that act in kind and severity.|Reflect, today, upon those powerfully piercing words of Jesus. “You wicked servant!” Though they may not be the most “inspiring” words to reflect upon, they may be some of the most useful words to reflect on. We all need to hear them at times because we need to be convinced of the seriousness of our obstinance, judgmentalness and harshness toward others. If that is your struggle, repent of this tendency today and let Jesus lift that heavy burden.
It is a parable of Jesus, which appears in the gospel of Matthew. Make sure you’ll listen right to the end to find out who is this unmerciful servant. You might be surprised we find this parable in Matthew chapter 18 please follow with me on the screen as I will read from the Bible. Therefore, the kingdom of heaven maybe compare to a King who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents. And as he could not pay, his Lord ordered him to be sold with his wife and children and all that he had and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, Lord, have patience with me. Discover even more info on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant video on YouTube.
At this point, the servant leaves and encounters a man who owes him a hundred silver coins (a much smaller amount). This man can’t pay, so the unforgiving servant chokes him, demands payment, and has him thrown in debtor’s prison. The king then calls the unforgiving servant back, labels him as wicked, and asks him why he didn’t show the same mercy that was given to him. The servant is then thrown in prison to be tortured in order to pay off his original debt.