The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against
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me? Up to seven times?”

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Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[g]

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the
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settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[h] was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the
master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back
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everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. [i] He
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grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

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“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the
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other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had
happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you
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begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master
handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

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“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Jesus told the parable in response to Peter asking him how many times he must forgive someone who sins against
him. Peter wondered if he needed to forgive the offender up to seven times. Jesus tells him he must forgive that
person seventy-seven times.

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant reminds us that God forgives our debts (our sins) – and our debts to God are
very large! In the same way, He expects us to pass along the mercy and forgiveness He shows us to our fellow
people.

There are several lessons that we can learn from the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. They apply as much to us
today as they did to Peter and the other disciples at the time Jesus spoke the words.

1. Our Debt to God is Huge

We are sinners. If we stacked up every sin we’ve ever committed, we would see a huge mound of dirty, ugly
offenses. These sins are our debt to God. Because of our sinful nature, we’re incapable of being good enough to
“repay the debt” of our sins. Jesus ultimately paid this debt with His life, but we should never forget the massive
debt that God forgave. His mercy endures forever.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. For his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of Gods. For his mercy endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of Lords. For his mercy endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-3 EHV

As Christians, we are to use Jesus’ life as our example of how to live a life pleasing to God. We are called to show
mercy. Jesus gave us countless examples of showing mercy to those who didn’t deserve it or those who had
offended Him. He even forgave the people who were torturing Him as they put Him to death. He set the standard for
forgiveness and mercy at the highest level possible! Through His example, He asks the same of us in extending
mercy. He promises that those who show mercy will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Matthew 5:7 NIV

As much as we don’t like to think about God’s anger and wrath, a truly loving parent holds their errant children
accountable. In the same way, our Heavenly Father holds us accountable for not treating others with mercy. He gives
us the perfect example by forgiving our sins, but He will hold us accountable when we don’t extend that mercy to
others.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment
without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:12-13 NIV

I think it’s worth noting that this lesson was important enough that Jesus told us to pray about it. In the prayer that
we now know as “The Lord’s Prayer”, He said in Matthew 6:11-13 that we should pray… “Forgive us our debts as
we forgive our debtors”. This is sometimes known as “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass
against us”.

As Christians, we expect our debt to be forgiven by God. But we shouldn’t forget about the “as we forgive our
debtors” part! Our loving Father holds us accountable to forgive others as we’ve been forgiven (aka, show mercy as
we’ve been shown mercy). When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are asking that God should only have mercy on us
to the extent we have mercy on others. If that were the case, how much mercy would God really show us?

Questions

 Have you ever found it difficult to forgive? Why?

Challenge for the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

This week, look in your hearts and see if you are holding on to something that you need to
forgive. It is OK to acknowledge that you have been hurt and to ask God to heal that wound.
And remember that you don’t necessarily need to be friends with the person who has hurt
you or interact with them. Ask God to help you let go of your wounds and truly forgive.

Prayer:
Dear God, we thank you for the extravagance of your forgiving love revealed in Jesus Christ.
We ask your forgiveness for those times and relationships where we have failed to be forgiving
people. Empower us through your Holy Spirit to make forgiveness our way of life, beginning
today. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.