The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

(Matthew 18:21-35)

Mike Johnson

On one occasion, during the ministry of Jesus, Peter asked Him this question, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?” Peter probably felt the number which he mentioned was very generous.  Seven times would have been more than the Jews would have said was necessary.  However, Christ indicated in verse 22 that the number of times to forgive another should be “seventy times seven,” meaning an unlimited number of times.  Christ then presented “The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.”

Contrasted Attitudes

 The parable speaks of a king considering individuals who owed him money.  A man who owed ten thousand talents stood before him, which, scholars say, would equal about 15 million dollars in our currency today.  This sum would have been impossible for almost anyone to pay back.  The servant did not have the money to pay, so the king said he would sell him, his wife, his children, and all that he had to obtain the payment.  Falling before him, the servant asked the king to have patience and said he would pay it.  The ESV says the man “fell on his knees, imploring him.”  The king, showing compassion, forgave the debt.

As the story continues, another person owed the forgiven man a debt of a small sum.  Verse 28 says that he owed him a hundred denarii.  This amount would equal about 15 or 20 dollars in our money today, and he could have paid it back if given enough time.  But, surprisingly, the man forgiven of so much would not forgive the one who owed him this small amount, nor would he give him the time to pay the money back.  So instead, he cast him into prison.

When the king heard about this, he called this unmerciful servant back and said (32b-33), “. . . You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?” The king then put the unmerciful servant in prison until he could pay.

Applications

The figures of this parable are apparent.  The king represents God; the debt would be sin, and the servants represent mankind.  Jesus states the general lesson in verse 35.  He says, “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” The lesson is that we, who have been forgiven of so much by God, must be willing to forgive others.

Ephesians 4:32 is just one of the passages in God’s Word which teaches about forgiveness.  It says, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”

Another critical passage is Matthew 6:14-15.  It says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” From these verses and the parable, we learn that God has forgiven us of so much, but we must forgive others to be forgiven by Him.  People who cannot forgive others break down the bridge over which they must pass themselves.

Another consideration involves the extent of our forgiveness.  Some might say, “I can forgive, but I can never forget.” This sort of “forgiveness” would not be forgiveness at all.  We learn from Hebrews 10:17 that when God forgives, he remembers no more.  Our forgiveness should be like God’s — it should be complete.

Christ has forgiven us of much, yet many Christians will not forgive others.  When we fail to forgive others, we follow the same course of action as the unmerciful servant.  We should consider how much we have been forgiven by God when we find it difficult to forgive others.