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Matthew 18:21-35 (Parable of the unmerciful servant)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called “Jesus, the Master Teacher,” and we are looking at a series of Jesus’ teachings from Matthew 18-20. We said earlier that the teaching in these chapters represents examples of what we call “occasional teaching” from Jesus – various teachings that were prompted by specific occasions. The occasion that prompted the first set of teachings was when the disciples asked Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Now here in verses 21-35 we have a new occasion. Peter asks Jesus a question about forgiveness, and Jesus responds with teaching and a parable. (Read Matthew 18:21-22 and pray.)

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I imagine some of us did not like last week’s message of withholding forgiveness without repentance. We don’t like the idea of having to confront or discipline another believer. And guess what! A number of us probably won’t like today’s message of unlimited forgiveness either!

We are an obstinate people! God says, “Withhold forgiveness when there’s no repentance” and we say, “That’s too harsh!” Then God says, “Practice unlimited forgiveness when there is repentance,” and we say, “That’s too gracious!” What it really comes down too is that we want to extend or withhold forgiveness on our own terms rather than God’s. And God says, “You cannot do that when you belong to me.”

We summed up the earlier messages in our series as follows: 1) Jesus loves the little children, and so should we. 2) God takes sin seriously, and so should we. 3) God seeks the wanderer, and so should we. And we can sum up today’s message this way: 4) God offers unlimited forgiveness, and so should we.

Looking at our text, first Jesus teaches us about the measure of forgiveness. And then he tells us a parable in which he explains the motivation for forgiveness.

I. The measure of forgiveness (21-22)

So, let’s talk about the measure of forgiveness first. Look at verses 21-22:

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

   A. How many times should you forgive?

Last week we examined the steps we should take when the sinning brother does not repent. That gets Peter thinking, “What if he does repent? I know, I need to forgive him. But what if he sins against me again? And then again? How far does this forgiveness thing go? Obviously, there must be a cut-off, but what is it?” And so, Peter asks the question, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?”

The rabbis taught that you should forgive a person three times, but not the fourth. (“If a man commits a transgression, the first, second and third time he is forgiven, the fourth time he is not forgiven.” – Yoma 86b) Peter ups the ante by doubling the rabbis’ limit and adding one. He probably felt pretty good about himself! (Good old foot-in-the-mouth Peter!) But before we get on Peter’s case, ask yourself, how often do you forgive? Because a lot of us don’t forgive the first time, never mind seven.

   B. Jesus tells us to practice unlimited forgiveness
      – Genesis 4:23-24; Psalm 32:1-2; Matthew 5:38,44; 1 Corinthians 13:5

Jesus’s answer must have devastated Peter’s sense of pride and goodwill. “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21) I wonder what Peter and the others thought when Jesus first said, “Not seven times.” They probably thought Peter had gone too high! I mean, can’t you just imagine Jesus pausing here for dramatic effect: Peter asks the question: “Up to seven times?” and Jesus answering, “Seven times? No way, not on your life. I tell you, not seven times … but seventy-seven times!”

Jesus may have gone even higher! The phrase seventy-seven times can also be translated seventy times seven, which is 490. But either way the point is the same. We are not to put any limits on our forgiveness, whether seventy-seven times, seventy times seven, or seven hundred times seven thousand.

Jesus is probably alluding here to Genesis 4 where a man named Lamech boasts: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. 24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Genesis 4:23-24) Lamech’s boast is a picture of unlimited revenge. The young man had merely wounded him; Lamech responded with murder. Jesus is saying the Christian’s capacity for forgiveness must be as unlimited as the human capacity for revenge.

And just as Lamech’s revenge went far beyond an eye for an eye, so should our forgiveness, but in the opposite direction. Jesus said in Matthew 5: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’… But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:38,44) Jesus said when it comes to forgiveness: love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you, turn the other cheek, forgive without measure.

You know, some of us are probably stubborn enough to count all the way up to 77 or even 490. But you know what? If you’re counting, you’re not forgiving. Aren’t you glad God doesn’t count with us? I’m guessing most of us hit 490 with God a long time ago.

But God doesn’t count because God forgives. That’s why Psalm 32 says: “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:1-2) God doesn’t count, because God wipes the slate clean each time you confess and repent.

Peter probably would have been a lot happier with Jesus’ answer of unlimited forgiveness if he had asked, “How many times should someone forgive me when I sin against them?” You see, we love the idea of unlimited forgiveness when it comes to our own sins. We only dislike it when it applies to other people and their sins.

1 Corinthians 13:5 says: “Love keeps no record of wrongs.” (1 Corinthians 13:5) What is the measure of forgiveness? The measure of forgiveness is measureless. Jesus tells us to practice unlimited forgiveness.

II. The motivation for forgiveness (23-35)

So, that’s the measure of forgiveness. Now let’s talk about the motivation for forgiveness. You might be saying in response to Jesus’ words, “How can I possibly forgive like that? How can I possibly put no limits on my forgiveness? That’s beyond me. That’s super-human.” And you’re right! It is beyond us. That’s why Jesus told us this following parable – to answer the question, “How can I possibly forgive others as Jesus instructs me to in verse 22?” This parable is for all of us who have ever said, “I will never forgive that person for what they have done to me.”

As we look at this parable together, it’s important to remember that a parable is different than an allegory. In an allegory each individual detail often has a specific meaning. In a parable, you don’t press the details. The details help carry the story along, but they do not always have a direct application. A parable usually makes only one or two main points.

   A. Jesus shares the parable of the unmerciful servant

And so, Jesus shares the parable of the unmerciful servant.

      1) The master settles accounts with his servants (23)

The parable begins with the master settling accounts with his servants. Look at verse 23:

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.” (Matthew 18:23)

Because of the high amounts of money involved, these probably were not servants involved in menial labor. Very likely these were high ranking civil servants, responsible for collecting taxes under the king’s jurisdiction. They were entrusted with great responsibility and large sums of money, and now the king calls them before him to settle their accounts

A similar situation exists between all of us and God. All that we have comes from God, and we are responsible to use it for his glory. One day the King of the universe will call each of us before him to give him an account of what we have done with our lives.

      2) The servant’s large debt is cancelled (24-27)

Jesus continues the story in verses 24-27:

As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents 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. 26 “The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. (Matthew 18:24-27)

Now, ten thousand talents is a huge amount of money. You think you’re in debt? You could not afford to be in the debt this guy was in. Ten thousand talents is roughly equivalent to twelve million dollars. Can you imagine being twelve million dollars in debt? It’s not so important how this servant ran the debt up (embezzlement? mismanagement? who knows?) The emphasis here is on the impossibility of paying it back. This servant is in deep trouble. Imagine how he felt as he was brought before the king.

The king ordered that the man, his wife and all he had be sold to repay the debt. Obviously, the king had no hope of recovering the entire amount. The top price for a slave was only one talent, more commonly one tenth of that, so this was more of a punishment than a repayment plan. This servant is never going to be able to pay this debt back. He and his wife and children will be slaves for the rest of their lives.

Once again, this is a picture of our situation before God. Each of us have sinned against an infinitely holy and almighty God. We owe God a debt we can never repay. An eternity of service will never repay the debt we owe God because of our sin. And that’s why the Bible teaches the awful truth of eternal punishment for sin. We have all sinned against God. So, when our day of accounting comes, what will we do? What will we do?

The servant is desperate. He falls on his knees before the king and begs him: “Be patient with me and I will pay back everything.” Of course, he can’t repay. He knows it. The king knows it. And so, the king does something amazing here. He takes pity on the servant, cancels the debt and lets him go. Just like that! (Can you imagine if Visa or Mastercard let all your debt go just like that?)

The phrase “took pity” in this verse means “moved with compassion.” It’s the same word used of Jesus when we’re told he had compassion on the crowds. In Luke 7 when Jesus encounters the widow who had just lost her only son the same word is translated, “His heart went out to her.” I like that. The king’s heart went out to the servant. He canceled the debt and let him go. He actually did more than the servant asked. The servant just asked for more time to repay. The king forgave all his debt.

Do you have compassion for people? Do you have compassion for those who sin against you? When someone offends you, does your heart go out for them? Jesus says, “The king took pity on the servant, canceled the debt and let him go.”

Canceled debt is actually a good definition of forgiveness. When you forgive someone, that’s what you do: you cancel the debt, you write it off, you treat the other person as though the offense had never happened. “You don’t owe me anything!” That’s forgiveness. That’s what the king did for the servant.

This is a wonderful example of unlimited forgiveness – not unlimited because of a repeated offence, but because of the magnitude of the offence. But the point is the same. The king did not put a limit or a measure on his forgiveness. Ten thousand talents – it may as well have been ten million talents! He had compassion. He canceled the debt, and he let him go.

Forgiveness always involves a “letting go,” a releasing of the other person. And when we release them, we find ourselves released as well – released from the cruel prison of bitterness and resentment which chokes out our freedom and growth in Jesus Christ.

Now if Jesus had stopped there, this would have been an amazing parable as it is. There’s so much we learn just from the first half of the parable. Our sin against God is an incredible debt which we can never repay, but God in his goodness offers us grace that is greater than all our sin. The master canceling the servant’s debt is shocking. It’s amazing. It makes a great parable all by itself. But Jesus really adds the zinger when he steps into the second half of the parable.

      3) His fellow servant is thrown into prison (28-30)

And so, now we move on to act two. Look at verses 28-30:

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. 29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt.” (Matthew 18:28-30)

This is unbelievable. After receiving such incredible mercy from the king, the servant goes out, finds a fellow servant and treats him this way. Notice the many contrasts between the servant and the master. These contrasts only serve to magnify his wrongdoing.

First of all, the contrast between the words “brought” and “found.” The original servant was “brought” before the master, but he went out and “found” his fellow servant. The first servant was just one of many servants being brought before the king. But after receiving mercy, he went and intentionally sought out this poor second servant.

Secondly, the contrast between the king and the second servant. The first servant stood in a vertical relationship with the king. The king had authority over him and could do what he pleased. But in the second situation, the two servants are fellow servants. This is a horizontal relationship. They are colleagues. Neither one has authority over the other. The only leverage here is because of the debt.

Thirdly, there’s the contrast between the 10,000 talents that the first servant owed and the 100 denarii that the second servant owed. A talent was worth over 6,000 denarii. The denarius was the daily wage of a laborer and worth about eighteen cents in those days. So, the second servant owed him about $18 compared to the $12 million the first servant had owed the king. Now granted, 100 denarii was still worth something. We’re talking about one hundred days’ wages for the average laborer. But $18 compared to $12 million? There’s really no comparison. The first servant’s debt was 666,000 times bigger than the second servant’s debt.

We often think the sins people commit against us are pretty horrible, and sometimes they are. But the sins committed against us are actually pretty small compared to our sins committed against God. They pale in comparison. God is infinitely holy and so a sin against God has infinite magnitude.

The fourth contrast is between the words “let him go” with the first servant and “grabbed him” with the second. The king let the first servant go. The first servant grabbed the second servant.

Fifthly, there is the contrast between justice and violence. Notice that before the king had mercy on the first servant, he simply administered justice. Nothing personal. The servant owed him money and couldn’t pay him back. But the first servant resorted to personal violence. He not only grabbed the second servant; he started choking him, saying: “Pay me back!”

Verse 29 tells us the fellow servant fell to his knees and begged the first servant, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.” Sound familiar? Those are the exact same words the first servant spoke to the king. That brings us to the sixth contrast, which is between the king’s compassion and the servant’s hardness of heart. The king took pity on his servant when he fell on his knees and begged him. The first servant refused his fellow servant when he fell on his knees and begged him.

And then the final contrast is between mercy and punishment. The king showed mercy to the first servant and cancelled his debt. The first servant threw his fellow servant into prison until he could pay back the debt.

      4) The master is angry with the unmerciful servant (31-34)

So, what happens next? Look at verses 31-34:

When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened. 32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you 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 turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. (Matthew 18:31-34)

The other servants are distressed. They should be. They should be outraged by such injustice. Sure, the first servant had a legal right to throw his fellow servant into prison, but after the great forgiveness he had received, he had no moral right. This is our situation once again. Sure, we have some sort of right to be offended or angry when someone has sinned against us. But if God has forgiven us our sins, we have no moral right to withhold forgiveness from another.

The other servants tell the master what happened, and he calls the servant back in. I don’t know about you, but I would not want to be in this servant’s shoes. The master reprimands him: “You wicked servant.” A lack of forgiveness from those who have been forgiven is a great evil. The master says, “I cancelled all that debt of yours because you begged me to – simply because you asked!”

And then the master says, “Shouldn’t you . . .?” And this is really the heart of the parable. How is it that some people think mercy is only for the taking and not for the giving? The master’s words are even stronger in the original language. “Must you not also have mercy?” In other words, it is necessary. It is not optional; it is compulsory. We who have been freely forgiven are not free to withhold forgiveness.

“Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” We prayed something similar in the Lord’s Prayer earlier this morning. Did you mean it? Did you mean it when you prayed, “Forgive us our trespasses even as we forgive those who trespass against us?”

Jesus says the king was angry. Can we provoke God to anger? Absolutely. Notice the king wasn’t angry about the size of the debt. He was angry with the lack of forgiveness. The magnitude of your sin is no obstacle to God’s forgiveness, but the attitude of your heart is.

“In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.” It would have been better for him to be sold! And this was until he paid back all he owed, which in this case was forever. The threat of eternal punishment is a truth of Scripture which we only ignore at great peril to ourselves and our loved ones. Jesus saw no conflict between a God who forgives sin and a God who punishes sin. Those who are forgiven must also forgive.

   B. Jesus gives the meaning of the parable for us (35)
      – James 4:12-13

Finally, just so there are no misunderstandings, Jesus gives us the clear meaning of the parable at the end. Look at verse 35:

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.” (Matthew 18:35)

Jesus says you must forgive your brother from the heart. Forgiveness must be genuine, internal, from the heart, not just an external show of forgiveness. James 4 says: “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 4:12-13)

And if we don’t forgive our brother from the heart? Jesus says. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat you.” Warren Wiersbe wrote, “Many Christians have received forgiveness, but because they have never experienced forgiveness, they are unable to extend forgiveness.” You need to meditate long and hard on this parable and your own sins against God and his mercy to you. Then see if you can find it in your heart to forgive.

CONCLUSION: Let me close with five words of application.

1) Our sins against God are very great. God is infinitely holy, and so our many sins against him are infinite in magnitude.

2) People’s sins against us are relatively small, both in number and magnitude.

3) God freely forgives our many sins through Christ.

4) Therefore, we should forgive those that sin against us. Ephesians 4:32 says: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

5) If you do not forgive, you will provoke God’s anger and discipline. You will experience loss of fellowship with God, loss of joy, loss of God’s favor on your life.

Is there someone you need to forgive this morning? Someone you need to forgive from your heart? Don’t waste any more time in resentment or bitterness. You have been forgiven far more than you will ever have to forgive. God offers unlimited forgiveness, and so should we.

© Ray Fowler

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