Bible Study: Matthew
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
In bible study today, we read Matthew 17 and 18. Chapter 17 was pretty straightforward, but 18 dove into some parables. Parables can sometimes be very sticky and take time to dissect.
What is a parable? According to Google, “a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus”.
The Parable I connected with most in Chapter 18 is the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
The story begins when Peter asks Jesus, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Jesus goes on to tell a story about a servant who owed his king 10,000 bags of gold. The servant could obviously not afford that (honestly, who could?), so the king ordered that he and his wife and children be sold to pay off the debt. The servant dropped to his knees and begged for more time. He begged for the king to be patient with him until he could get the gold. The king took pity on him and canceled the debt and let him go.
10,000 bags of gold… canceled. Wiped away and forgotten about! How merciful this king was to this servant. People nowadays will not even let someone get away with not paying them back $5, let alone 10,000.
This is when things get messy. That same servant who was just shown grace then goes out, hunts down a man that owes him 100 silver coins (a much smaller amount than what he owed the king), and chokes him demanding he is paid back. This fellow servant falls to his knees and begs him to give him time and to be patient with him until he can pay him back. BUT he refused. He instead had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.
The king found out what the servant did and called him back in. He labeled him as “wicked” and asked him how he could be so unforgiving and not show the same mercy as what the king showed him. The servant was then thrown into prison and was tortured until he could by off his debt.
Jesus concluded, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
To me, this parable is speaking about forgiveness. The servant should have forgiven this man the way the king forgave him. But, he did not and he was tortured for the rest of his life. This all circles back to the very beginning when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother and sister. The amount does not exist. You should always forgive from your heart, you should always show grace, understanding, and be empathetic.
What does this parable mean to you? Please share your thoughts in the comments!
