The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Today's Reflections

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 

graceandspace.org

Mt 18:21-35

²¹Peter [approached Jesus and] asked him, “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.”

Reflection:

The master forgave him the loan. Often when we are offended, we find it difficult to forgive. And we rationalize our refusal to forgive by saying, “He does not deserve to be forgiven!”

Let me tell you: no one who has offended another deserves forgiveness from the offended person. Forgiveness is not a right. It is a gift from the offended to the offender. And we forgive not because the offender deserves our forgiveness but because we have been forgiven incomparably more by God whom we have all offended. A person who realizes that he has been forgiven by God his sins will find it “natural” that he should forgive others.

“Be kind to one another, compassionate,

forgiving one another as God has forgiven you

in Christ” (Eph 4:32).