What is the meaning of the Parable of the Unforgiving / Unmerciful Servant?

Response

We encounter the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant solely in Matthew 18:23-35. The Apostle Peter inquired about the frequency of forgiveness, “Up to seven times?” and Jesus replied, “Not seven times, but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22). The context of this narrative is Jesus instructing His disciples on the “kingdom of heaven.” Valuable principles can be derived from this parable and applied to our present lives.

The servant, whose master pardoned a substantial debt of ten thousand talents (equivalent to millions of dollars), refused to forgive another servant who owed him a hundred denarii. A denarius represented a day’s wage and was valued at around sixteen cents. Hence, in comparison to the forgiven amount of the first servant, this was trivial. The underlying principle is that “those who receive much forgiveness should also extend much forgiveness.” Essentially, the concept of forgiveness implies that showing grace or forgiveness to others should have no bounds. The disciples are not to keep track of the number of times they forgive. Instead, as illustrated in the parable, they should forgive abundantly because God has forgiven abundantly.

In the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Jesus introduces a new principle akin to the foundation of the forgiveness directive for believers as stated in Ephesians 4:32, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.” Jesus is instructing His disciples before the crucifixion, hence in the pre-church era, yet the basis for forgiveness remains consistent. Due to God’s forgiveness towards us, we are obligated to forgive each other. Therefore, having received ample grace, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” «But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. », (Romans

In Matthew 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).

Therefore, in the Parable of the Unforgiving / Unmerciful / Unjust Servant, Jesus is teaching His disciples, and us by extension, that forgiveness should be in like proportion to the amount forgiven. The first servant had been forgiven all, and he then should have forgiven all. In like manner, a child of God by faith through Christ has had all sins forgiven. Therefore, when someone offends or sins against us, we should be willing to forgive him from a heart of gratitude for the grace to which we ourselves are debtors.