No Trespassing

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Matthew 18:21-35

So, Jesus was just chatting with His boys about how to handle things when someone messes up. Peter, always eager to get the right answer (and maybe score some points), chimes in. He knows Jesus is all about forgiveness, so he asks, "Lord, how many times should we forgive someone? How about seven times?" You see, the religious teachers back then had this "three strikes" rule, so Peter was trying to be extra religious! Jesus replies, with a smile, I imagine, "Not just seven times, Peter, but seventy times seven!" What He really meant was, "Don't even try to count. Just keep on forgiving, no matter what!"

Then, Jesus tells a story to illustrate how things work in God's kingdom. Imagine a king who's settling accounts with his servants. One guy gets brought before the king owing a massive debt – we're talking millions in today's money! This guy's totally broke, so the king orders him and his whole family to be sold off. Not that selling them would cover the debt, but it was more about making a point and preventing the debt from getting worse. The servant throws himself at the king's feet, pleading, "Please, just give me some time, and I'll pay it all back!" The king, being a merciful guy, feels compassion. He lets the servant, and his family go free and cancels the entire debt – poof, it's gone!

Now, here's where it gets interesting. This same servant, fresh from his royal pardon, finds another servant who owes him a tiny amount – a pittance compared to what he was just forgiven. He grabs the guy and demands immediate payment. The other servant begs for mercy, "Please be patient; I'll pay you back!" But the first servant is unforgiving, totally merciless. He throws the man in jail until the debt is paid.

When the other servants see this, they're shocked and tell the king. The king is furious. He summons the first servant and says, "You wicked servant! I showed you mercy because you begged me. I forgave your enormous debt. Does this sound familiar? I forgave you so much, and you couldn't forgive someone who owed you so little?" In a fit of righteous anger, the king has the unforgiving servant tortured and makes him repay the original debt in full. He wouldn't be released until it was paid.

Jesus explains that His Father in heaven will do the same when we don't forgive our brothers and sisters from the heart. True forgiveness comes from deep within. Forgiving and forgetting isn't easy, but it's something we can get better at with practice. After all, we pray, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors." Otherwise, it's just empty words – like "balloon juice" (the worthless moisture left in a deflated balloon).

But wait! There's more... Read about "A Fair Wage"