The Parable of The Unmerciful Servant
Opening Prayer
Father God we ask your blessing on this study tonight, that you would open our minds and our hearts to your word. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Jesus, show us where we fail, and be our guide in this study. Impart to us those things you would have us learn from your word tonight. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of our group who cannot be with us tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. In Jesus Name we pray Amen
Jesus was speaking to the crowds and to his disciples not only about forgiving one another but about Christian character, both in and out of the church. Jesus’ is in the midst of his discourse on discipline in the church, in which He lays down the rules for restoring a sinning brother, when Peter poses his question.
Scripture: Matthew 18:21-19:1…..21 Then Peter came up and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
Jesus uses this question by Peter as another teaching moment, a time to bring to our attention the proper Christian response to the matter of forgiveness. We often try to reason out the answers to many of life’s questions by ourselves. Peter’s question suggests that he feels that forgiving someone seven times is adequate indeed, since The Jewish rabbis at the time taught that forgiving someone more than three times was unnecessary. That does seem to be more than adequate, and probably would still be excessive in our day and time, in the matter of forgiving someone who has sinned against another. But to the Christian that is just not how it should be.
Q.1 It was a common practice of that day that people were to be forgiven at least three times, then Peter suggests forgiveness should be offered seven times. So what do you think?
Q.2 Jesus tells peter we should forgive 490 times, what does he mean by that?
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Seventy times Seven ?
22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.23 "Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 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. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.
We read Jesus’ answer of seventy times seven, and we think it has a significance that perhaps we are missing. What is being overlooked?
Jesus then speaks a parable about a king who forgave an immense sum for one of his servants, citing that as a comparison to the Kingdom of Heaven. It is a natural occurrence by God for anyone who through his Son, our Lord Jesus will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, and because of Jesus, God has forgiven all, and the Kingdom of Heaven is ours.
We must understand that our debt in sin amounts to more than we could ever be forgiven. It is a debt which is beyond all measure. But only by the grace of God to ransom our debt of sin, did God give up his only begotten Son. If God has forgiven each of us our debt, which is very great, we, too must forgive others of the debt they owe us.
Q.1 What position is taken about forgiveness, from the worlds point of view?
Q.2 Forgive us our sins as we forgive……….?
Q.3 This concept is brought to us in the Lords Prayer, Why did Jesus give us that prayer?
Q.4 If God has forgiven us who are indebted so much, what are we to do about that? Q.5 Does one have to ask for forgiveness before it is given?
Do we have a choice?
28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt.
Jesus teaches that one must forgive in order to be forgiven. If we do not forgive our fellow man we cannot expect God to forgive us.( James2:13). Mercy is truly a gift and it is offered in such a way that justice is not negated. Mercy follows justice and perfects it. If we want mercy shown to us we must be ready to forgive others as God has forgiven us.
Q.1 How does one condition themselves to forgive?
Q.2 How can you forgive someone who has caused you harm and has not asked to be forgiven?
Q.3 Does forgiving such a thing also include forgetting the matter as well?
Q.4 What does God say about forgiveness for his people?
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How did that work out?
31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus is presenting a new principle that is similar to the basis of the forgiveness command for believers found in Ephesians 4:32, Jesus is teaching His disciples that because God has forgiven us, we are to forgive each other. Therefore, because we have received much grace, (Romans 5:8), we are commanded to give that same grace to others. In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, the first servant's debt was forgiven, and he was not required to repay until his unforgiving nature was discovered. In contrast, our sin debt was paid in full by Christ and is the only basis for God's forgiveness. We cannot repay our debt to God or earn our salvation. It is a gift of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9).
There are three things in this parable that offer insights as to how forgiveness works:
1. It is the Man Jesus, who was tempted in every way, who has redeemed our souls with the payment of his own life. That payment has removed the debt from us and our sin then is of no offense to God, and he will not remember it.
2. One should choose not to aggravate our neighbor’s wronging us, lest it become a contentious affliction, and then must be brought, as an offense, before God for an accounting. Then God’s Judgment will prevail, and our payment will be an impossible debt which we cannot redeem.
3. How justly will those be condemned, who, having been forgiven much, yet are not willing to forgive much in return, Having a forgiving attitude is a requirement if one expects to be forgiven.
Jesus says this Parable is comparable to the Kingdom of Heaven wherein God is an all powerful king who rules justly, and He will settle all accounts with his servants. Even those debts that seemingly cannot be repaid. He offers free and complete forgiveness. And Should we present such a hardness of heart as to be an unforgiving merciless servant, It simply means that we have considered our debtors as less forgivable than we, and in the eyes of God, all who accept his forgiveness, must apply the same standard to their debtors.
The servants relationship with Jesus Christ is the key to the settlement as that is where forgiveness begins. It is through the relationship with Jesus that we learn, as the disciples did, how to conduct our lives so as to arrive in heaven before God, blameless, with Jesus as our Intercessor, the Redeemer of our debt. Q.1 In what way does God’s forgiveness differ from the worlds forgiveness? Q.2 How is it possible to go through life forgiving all who wrong us?
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Scripture readings
Jas 2:13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment
Heb 8:10-12 This is the covenant I will establish with the people of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 11 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. 12 For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more
Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind to one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."
Rom 5:8, But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Eph 2:8-9, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Closing Prayer
Lord, you have been kind and forgiving towards us even though we are born sinners. May we be merciful as you are merciful, and free our souls from condemnation by being a forgiving Christian, free from all bitterness and resentment. May we be truly forgiving from the heart for all who have caused us injury or grief. Cleanse our hearts and put a right spirit within us. Now we ask that You be with those of our acquaintance who are suffering ill health and difficult times ___________We pray that you will offer those mentioned in our prayer, and those who we silently hold in our heart your strength and healing comfort. Be with us now as we leave to go our separate ways, and keep us safe from harm. In Jesus Name we pray, Amen
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Meditation
Of course, the king of the parable is God. The ten thousand talent debt illustrates our debt of sin we owe him. We can never repay it. It is so enormous that it took the death of the Son of God to square the account (Romans 3:21-26). His great mercy was and is manifested in the forgiveness of our own enormous debt of sin (Titus 3:3-7). The Father Himself took the incredibly huge loss by giving His only Son to die on the cross so our debt to Him might be forgiven.
The one hundred denarii debt pictures the sins others have committed against us. They are significant but are as nothing compared to our debt to God. Forgiveness manifests compassion and mercy. If we appreciate as we should how much the Lord has forgiven us, How much He sacrificed so He could forgive us, we will be longsuffering and forgiving toward those who wrong us. Asking for and receiving forgiveness from God obligates us to forgive our fellow servants. We cannot live under grace with God while we live under law with others.
Citizens of the kingdom of heaven are and must be merciful. Thus we must forgive those who sin against us in the same manner God forgives our sins against Him. God does not overlook our sins but calls us to repentance. We should not overlook a brother’s sins against us, for they are also sins against God and separate him from God. We should in love rebuke him, and if he repents forgive him.
If my Lord could pray, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" for those who crucified Him, if Stephen could cry, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” (Acts 7:60) for those who stoned him, I think I can forgive those who sin against me. If God has forgiven my unpayable debt, I can forgiven my brother’s much smaller bill. “With our Father we want mercy but with others we want justice. We can’t have it both ways.
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