The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Today's Reflections 

 

                                      

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Mt 18:21—19:1

²¹Peter [approached and] asked [Jesus], “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” ²²Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. ²³That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. ²⁴When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. ²⁵Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. ²⁶At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ ²⁷Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. ²⁸When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ ²⁹Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ ³⁰But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. ³¹Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. ³²His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. ³³Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ ³⁴Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. ³⁵So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”

¹When Jesus finished these words, he left Galilee and went to the district of Judea across the Jordan.

Unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart. Jesus answers Peter that there is no limit to forgiveness. He tells the story of a king who writes off the enormous debt of a servant who, in turn, refuses to extend mercy to a fellow servant owing him a smaller amount. His unforgiving nature earns him his master’s ire.

We must forgive that we may continue to grow as a community of believers. Forgiveness mends the rift wrought by sin on the fabric of a community’s unity and harmony and reflects our compassionate God.

“Forgiveness is the answer to the child’s dream

of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again,

what is soiled is made clean again”

(Dag Hammarskjold).