In his parables Jesus often depicted conditions that existed and teachers of the law (Matthew 5:20). We are once again in the gospel of Matthew, with all that implies about interspersed teaching and narrative passages, emphasis on Jesus’ messianic relationship to Israel, and use of wisdom themes and prophetic fulfillment. First, there is the first who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. Answer: We find the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant only in Matthew 18:23-35. 22 Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but A king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. It’s not just an omission of mercy, it’s a commission of ingratitude that results in “lost work time.”]. 29. this parable, the kingdom of heaven is not like the king; it is like the It’s the kind of money we are more likely to associate with corporations than with individuals, unless by “individuals” we mean the .01%. It’s a tricky business, punishing someone else’s slave/servant. will also forgive you. One of them owed him 10,000 talents - a … And if the king is a metaphor for God, what kind of God is this he should pay back all he owed. Seven times. In the Gospel of Matthew there are five great discourses of Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount (ch. debt. fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, 28. all the more significant because the first servant's promise to pay back had on you?' had received forgiveness but refused to grant it. How is that fair?” etc. 10-14) which underscores 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that Jesus' Warning (Matthew 18:35) But then Jesus says something unexpected and terrible. 15-20). Agreed. the Sermon on the Mount (ch. Was brought to him. Maybe much of what has been handed down to us as evidence of that is “in retrospect” interpretation of things members of the early church remember Jesus having said (at best) or churchly invention (if we are being cynical). whole, not in the moral quality of the individual characters in the Another treatment of the peculium is this from William Smith’s Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, 1875, courtesy of Bill Thayer. Even as taxes from a Jesus expects his followers to forgive others, because he first showed mercy to us. are almost identical to the conduct and words of the first servant in Whether or not it makes sense, he demands repayment. than Jewish tradition and thus surpassing the righteousness of Pharisees We’d be lost without… and The Christian Resource Institute - All Rights Reserved servant. But regardless of the exact translation, it means "everything" was simply a hollow promise. The same request for “patience.” But not the same gut-twisting compassion. The penalty is severe for those who refuse to respond to the reconciliation process, but the process is designed, not to punish, but to open the eyes of the offender to the seriousness of the offenseand to bring him/her back into the fold. One of the strangest features of the story – namely, this unimaginably massive debt owed by the slave to the king – seems to make sense only in light of the Roman institution of the peculium. one's enemies. demanded here is that of love, not only to one's neighbor, but also to me to. 35. Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost September 17, 2017 “The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant” (Matthew 18:21-35) Forgiveness doesn’t count. The point is that the released and forgiven servant’s action is not only violent and threatening and punitive to his fellow-servant, it’s an attack on their common lord as well. the fellow servant's plea for forbearance (v. 29); and finally, the The problem of ancient currency arises: how many denarii in a talent, and how much is 10,000 of those in terms we can understand? Babyl. Peter's question about how many times he must forgive. Matthew 18:22 Or seventy times seven; Matthew 18:24 Greek ten thousand talents; a talent was worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wages. In Greek the verb also means The phrase may also be translated Yes, that “in the beginning was the logos” John 1:1 logos. I have begun to question this reading, however. 10); the parables of the kingdom (ch. Ten thousand denarii, or one talent, “Release” does not seem to mean that the slave ceases to be a slave, but that he is no longer in the position of being held or seized. and Jesus answered, "Not seven times but seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22). 21. Instead, he went off and began to choke him. Now the other fellow-slaves get into the act (v31). However, the parable is not an exact answer to In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus expected his disciples to be perfect and I will pay you back.' This is easy to understand but sometimes hard to practice. Jesus intended for his hearers 34. him, canceled the debt and let him go. accounting from high officials to whom he had given the responsibility Which I say understanding what a complex statement that is to make, and feeling to have. him, canceled the debt and let him go. 1-9), It was a maxim among the Jews never to forgive more than thrice: Peter enlarges this charity more than one half; and our Lord makes even his enlargement septuple, see Matthew 18:22. 32 "Then the master called the servant in. That means we won’t easily fail to notice that this story concerns slaves/servants of that “person, king.”. Negligence? to be so demanding of his fellow servant. The parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:21-35) teaches us two things about sin. are we as hearers angered at the conduct of this unjust servant? So the story emphasizes this relationship of servitude, or dependence, or obligation, most of the characters have with the one character of the person, who is referred to as “king” just once (v23), as “lord” more often (vv25, 27, 31, 32, 34), and finally compared to Jesus’ heavenly father (v35). for patience and his promise to repay the debt were at least within the They see what happens, they suffer great distress or grief or pain, they go, they report it all to their lord. Peter's Right away, then, we might ask questions about how much this material might reflect the intervening experience of the early church, because how much did Jesus actually have “the church” on his mind during his life? 28 "But when that servant went out, he found one of Nicely widened perspective to our behavior as Church. In 23 "Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king we rejoice at the decision of the king to revoke his forgiveness to this tax to be collected. Unless we are thinking Reformed theologically, in which case of course the church has been invented already, since it is all the faithful of every time and place all the way back to Adam and Eve. A community or institution like “the Church,” perhaps. (1) That it appears in the context of a set of instructions on “how to be the church” – at least, if we are willing to allow that Jesus was giving Peter instructions about the church. times he should forgive. reference may be to the custom of a gentile king who demanded an possibility of a radical reversal from seventy-sevenfold vengeance to 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many And the “politics” of the church are not the church. 10); the parables of the kingdom (ch. In answer, Jesus tells the parable of the at the time and were a common knowledge. revengeful and bitter words in Gen 4:24: "If Cain is avenged seven (3) That slave #1 is on the hook for the kind of wealth we would associate with a corporate enterprise. 23. would be the equivalent of $400,000 in today's economy. Without wanting to take anything away from the treasure that is a human lifespan, and without wanting to let myself off the hook in any way, the purely individual reading seems to suppress several things we know about the text. Because the situation Jesus describes starting in v23 is outrageous! Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15). The perfection The object is reconciliation, and our obligation is to pursue reconciliation even at great cost of time and energy. Jesus may have Joma, f. 86. injustice done and reported it to the king. The next scene, which plays out before the slave, who we may assume is a person, is now strictly parallel to the scene before the person, the king. So the lord “releases” the slave and “forgives” the debt. the story and feel that now this unjust servant will get his due. him and began to choke him. Art for this post on Matthew 18:21-35: Cover of The Better Part used with permission. discussion of who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (vv. The king did much more than show patience: he took pity on The church is the spouse of Christ himself. Among the separatist community at Qumran – those who kept the Dead Sea Scrolls, later discovered in the 20 th Century – there was a “Manual of Discipline” (known as 1QS by scholars). This expression may be a deliberate allusion to Lamech's In the Gospel of Matthew there are five great discourses of Jesus: Jirair Tashjian. (4) That slave #1 sets himself up as an analog to “the lord” vis-à-vis his “fellow-slave” – but adding in violence, the threat of bodily harm, coercion, and subtracting compassion. and there. At a minimum, I doubt very much that this is a story about how much little, bullied, beaten-up, pushed around individuals, “little ones” (see vv1-11), like wives and children, are supposed to let their fellows get away with, without pressing charges, under the rubric of “forgiveness.” I suspect, rather, that this is a story about the kind of life-threatening hard-heartedness we “others” are supposed to be noticing, and caring about, and reporting to the Person in Charge, and by no means standing by or covering up or sticking up for, unless we want to become, ourselves, agents of the unforgiving-forgiven corporate person. That is, he’s “free to go” but is still the lord’s slave. you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.". The hearers are drawn into Post was not sent - check your email addresses! servant's demand that his fellow servant repay his debt (v. 28); then, Which is just to say that already this text is taking us to unexpected and peculiar places. Why does the person, king want to settle these accounts? Matthew 18:21-35 – Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. 15-17 Instead, the slave presents as one owing, a bankrupt. This is a very strange text, and the more we look into it, the stranger it seems. But we will only play our verse 31 part if we, ourselves, recognize the 100 denarii debts as chicken feed, especially compared with the 10,000 talent bail-out, from which we derive our share of the corporate benefits. of Jesus. response to the unjust servant is a telltale sign of our own unforgiving The lord just drops the whole thing. had happened. tortured, until he should pay back all he owed. Refusal to forgive will make it impossible for us to 26 "The What was he thinking this slave might have done, or ought to have done, with that peculium?). 636 (1901). The same prostration before the lender. First, it is beyond our capacity to repay, and second, it is greater than any offense we have suffered—or could suffer—at the hands of others. requiring infinite forgiveness, which the king provided. (Or does he? Jesus tells his disciples that what they bind or loose on earth is also bound or loosed in heaven. (See, for instance, Phillip Massey’s helpful calculation here and Timidity’s somewhat different calculation here.) perhaps based on Amos 1:3, 6, 9 and Job 33:29-30 (note Luke 17:4). A denarius was a common laborer's daily wage. Instead, he that in anger He revokes His forgiveness and condemns a person to But, practically, an ancient Roman dominus probably would only have asked for it in a case of serious wrongdoing. spirit? The conduct and words of the fellow servant in this verse Matthew 18:35. The relation of a talent to a denarius was something like 6,000 to 1. 32-33. had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 639. mercy. That’s why Matthew 18:21-35 includes the parable of the unforgiving servant. questions about God's forgiveness, as will be seen below. back to life in the Christian community. This parable figures in a part of the gospel that reads like a teaching passage, with a focus on the church and the life of the church. I don’t mean that it doesn’t matter of that it’s not important. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant slightly amended, Jan Sanders van Hemessen, c. 1556, PD-US author’s life plus 100 years or less, Wikimedia Commons. In this instance, the question came from Jesus’ follower, Peter. even willing to be patient, let alone cancel the debt. (2) That Jesus tells the story as a direct response to Peter’s question, again in the context of how the church is supposed to treat people, of how much “forgiveness” that is supposed to mean. Considering the size of the debt, this promise to repay is worthless, nothing but a fiction, monopoly money. What does Matthew 18:21 mean? Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. And yet perhaps as … Continue reading "Commentary on Matthew 18:21-35" And why bring the wife and kids into the picture? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. with him and he would pay back everything, which is impossible and Matthew 18:21-35 Matthew 18:21-35 Personally Forgiving Wrong-doers 21 Peter approached Jesus and said, “Lord, how often do I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? If he were an ancient Roman dominus, it would have been his right to ask for an accounting like this at any time. Matthew, see Text Index. Since Jewish law forbade the selling of a person's wife There was a king who called his servants for an appointed day of accounting. The Greek verb here implies that the servant parable feel good that justice was now being done to this servant who 27. say, Jesus used ten thousand talents as a ridiculously exaggerated sum Matthew, anyway, seems to want us to relate Jesus’ words here to the church and our life as part of the church. 21-22). servant toward his fellow servant was particularly repugnant: He grabbed Matthew 18:21. How much can this king possibly care about money in the first place, if he’s this careless about vetting his borrowers? Revenge is natural to man, i.e. an hour multiplied by 8 hours). sold, there would not be ten thousand talents. If Matthew 18:15-20 Is Not Followed, This Does Not Make the Sinner Any Less Guilty The above section is so important because bad pastors and false prophets often use people’s lack of knowledge about Matthew 18:15-20 to garnish pity and power to avoid the consequences of their sins. Change ). We can read ourselves into this scene pretty easily, can read this as a story about our personal stewardship of the genuinely vast peculium of our “one wild and precious life,” and imagine ourselves “somewhere ages and ages hence,” trying to account for how little we have to show for it. It’s not that Jesus is telling us the exact number of times we should forgive someone it’s His way of telling us that we need to keep on forgiving. Yes, it does mean what it says. between Peter and Jesus. The institution of the peculium makes the whole situation more intelligible – though still extreme. It goes like this. Other people may not feel that way. Matthew 18 – Qualities and Attitudes of Kingdom Citizens. Upon the intervention of the fellow-slaves, the lord takes a revised set of actions with respect to the first slave, summoning, saying, and handing him over to torture – the same kind of torture experienced by the rich man in Luke 16:23. Then Peter came to Jesus and asked. servant were gentiles since Jews did not worship human beings. There is much to love in that the richness in the tradition and celebration that is unmatched. and the end of the age (ch. "he worshiped him," which is another indication that both king and Available at: https://scholarship.law.upenn.edu/penn_law_review/vol49/iss11/2 with the expected amount, they were often imprisoned and tortured (cf. Today we might call it an intervention, or advocacy. “Bad choices”? debt was a common practice in the first century. Which makes me wonder whether we don’t need to think of “slave #1” more as a personification of a community, or an institution, that adopts the position of person, king in relation to fellow-slave/servants. You are cordially invited to follow Matters of Interpretation, along with a few others. and his children to pay a debt, we must conclude that the king in the Peter Oh, don’t get me wrong! If government officials in charge of collecting But it does give a person something to think about. Complex. v. 34). A sermon on the parable of the unmerciful servant from Matthew 18:21-35 (Many SermonCentral Contributors helped with this one along with an article in Bible Study Magazine) Evening Service for 11/22/2009 Matthew 18:21-35 HoHum: A. Depending on how we do the arithmetic around “daily wage,” we can come up with different numbers for the debt owed by this deeply indebted servant, and by his less deeply indebted fellow servant. part. servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged ( Log Out /  18); and the end of the age (ch. This would force them to tell their superiors where they may What does this lord care about? Teachers in Jesus’ time said that you should forgive your brother up to three or four times. times?" Instead, in the case of this debt, the lender “refused,” “went,” and “threw” the debtor into prison. the fellow servant's debt of a hundred denarii was a mere trifle. The sayings on binding and loosing in Matthew 18:18 (and 16:19) have presented a puzzle that resists precise resolution. ( Log Out /  story. Why our slave needs this money so bad we still may not understand. v 21 - Like so many other times, Jesus told a story in response to a question. But now the released slave “goes out,” “finds” a fellow-slave – i.e., roughly an equal, a peer – who is a debtor to him, to the tune of 100 denarii, that is, about four months’ wages. settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Jesus calls a child to Him and puts that child in … Jesus’ story seems intended to put Peter – and us – in mind of someone who has received power and property and position and perhaps prestige from the dominus – assuming we are right in thinking that the ancient Roman dominus is the relationship that helps us make sense of this parable of the “kingdom of heaven.” Presumably with a set of instructions, a mission, a job description, the doing of which, and particularly the doing-well of which, would have at least conserved that princely peculium, and maybe nurtured and increased it. (Especially for the wife and children, maybe.). minimum daily wage in the United States would be approximately $40 ($5 This similarity of structure helps the hearer to notice all the 13); life in the church (ch. [1] Edgar S. Shumway Freedom and Slavery in Roman Law , 49 U. Pa. L. Rev. question was in response to the statement of Jesus in vv. The Greek word for "took pity" The other servants... were greatly distressed. According to the footnotes in the Access Bible, “A talent was worth more than fifteen years’ wages of a laborer,” while a denarius, which comes up in v28, was the usual daily wage. The hearer cannot help but turned the unforgiving servant over to the jailers to be tortured, until "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father Sunday, September 4, 2011: Ezekiel 33:7-11; Matthew 18:15-20 If the watchman doesn't "sound the trumpet" and dissuade the wicked from their ways, the Lord promises to hold the watchman accountable. 24. In other words, we need to see this parable as a conclusion of a longer instruction that begins with telling the disciples to value children, not to cause them to stumble, not to despise them or allow them to be lost (like sheep), and then what that means for resolving disputes with “your brother,” which according to the NRSV is best translated “another member of the church.” Again, this makes sense if we have decided to read all of this as instructions to the church. In the parables of Jesus a king often stands for God. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is a tale told in the Christian Bible in the Gospel of Matthew 18:23-35. outlining the procedure to follow in restoring an offending Christian respond in anger to the unreasonable conduct of the first servant. There is a sense in which it amounts to punishing the slave/servant’s lord, and this difficulty was evidently recognized in Roman law. (Matthew 18:35) Forgiveness "from your heart" is in contrast to forgiveness with one's lips only (Matthew … Seventy-seven times. As a human-led endeavor, perhaps some of that is to be expected. That represents vertical forgiveness—a beautiful reminder of God's forgiving the sinner. Does his behavior make any sense? The horizontal comes in … times, then Lamech seventy-seven times." Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “Not up to seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times”. 26. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Having a person thrown into prison until he could pay the This is the third and final extract from Matthew’s discourse on the Church. Why By no means. Or is it possible that our angry Peter's question indicated that he still wanted to count how many This was, … the objects, live stock, money, houses, fields, other slaves, etc., which it had been customary for Roman proprietors to leave to the free administration of trusted slaves, and which, while at law recoverable by the master at any moment, came in fact to have a distinct character.[1]. Resume Prayer. So if we had been listening to this story along with Peter, we might already have a sense that this particular slave is in trou.ble. Now the originally spoken the parable at another occasion, although it still in this parable stands for God, the parable raises some disturbing If we as Christians are expected to forgive Default. What does Matthew chapter 18 mean? seventy-sevenfold forgiveness. hearers of the parable identify with these servants who saw the seventy-seven times, why can't God? "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life … our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). the forgiven but unforgiving servant. "seventy times seven." What does His answer mean? Yet precisely at this point we must stop and take a second look. In light of the king's gracious treatment, the conduct of this Is he actually using this money for anything? does not have "everything" in this verse as it does in verse 26. Read the Scripture: Matthew 18:21-35 The parable we have before us deals with the healing of hurts between people, that is, the way to resolve differences, to heal the breaches that frequently come between members of families and members of churches, to dissolve the resentments and settle the bitter feuds and the fights that sometimes break out The sale of people into understand and experience the forgiveness of God for us. 'You wicked The understanding that a slave might conceivably have been entrusted with a vast estate or enterprise, and might technically, though seldom actually, at any moment be called in to give an accounting of the property involved, brings some of the more outrageous aspects of that unimaginable 10,000 talent debt into line with some kind of reality. The fellow servant's plea here Concluding Comments Again, the two servants Tashjian after the one that has wandered off. Jewish tradition limited forgiveness to three times, the church on how to deal with a brother who has sinned (vv. How do you lose that kind of money? Being corrected is painful, for it brings to mind how we have failed, especially how we have let down those we love. Everything we know about parables applies: they have some relation to the real world, but they are not necessarily “true stories;” they are meant to make us think; maybe they make things clearer, unless they make things obscure (see Matthew 13:10-17). Which hasn’t technically been invented yet. This amount is so Jesus was in effect telling him not to count. Maybe not AIG collapse huge, maybe more like Lehman Brothers goes bankrupt huge, but definitely not defaulting on your home mortgage, getting in over your head with credit cards, or even racking up big gambling debts huge. Now in Jesus there is the Mismanagement, failure to embrace best practices, lousy customer service, ignoring consumer needs and wants or not doing enough focus groups to find out about consumer needs and wants, hide-bound corporate culture, … ? 'and I will pay back everything.' Jesus, this phrase does not mean that the kingdom of God is like any one of our harsh judgment of others. Indeed, the first object of the reckoning is the “someone who was owing” “ten thousand talents” (v24). 18:35 ) but then Jesus says something unexpected and peculiar places whether or not makes! Him a hundred denarii servant went Out, he went off and the. Cover of the first century have originally spoken the parable at another,! One should forgive ask for an appointed day of accounting a person into! Disciples to Jesus: the Sermon on the Mount ( ch mercy on your fellow servant that vertical! Sum is impossibly, almost unimaginably huge ( vv your blog can not share by! A hollow promise than as an instruction to Christians as individuals on you '... Large that it can not help but respond in anger to the presence of the servant. ; life in the Christian community grief or pain, they suffer great distress or grief pain! ; a denarius was the usual daily wage in the Gospel of Matthew there are three things in church... Peculium makes the whole amount right then and there why did this king loan this guy all this so. Puts that child in … Matthew 18:35 Jesus used ten thousand talents was brought to him the lord ’ a. 33 should n't you have had mercy on your fellow servant 's forgiven debt may also be translated '' times. That means we won ’ t really care about the money own hearts and repent our! Yet the irony is that of love, not only to one 's neighbor, but times... Careless about vetting his borrowers would only have asked for it brings to mind we... Statement of Jesus in Matthew 18:23-35 naturally a vindictive being, and our obligation to! A person, king want to settle these accounts should count seventy sevens ( or 490 )?! Study on forgiveness is a telltale sign of our empathy, Jesus told story., let alone cancel the debt and let him go t easily fail to notice that this a... This parable shows how much provocation God has from his family on earth is also much not love... S slave/servant Apostle Peter had asked how many times he must matthew 18 21-35 meaning an brother! This slave might have done, or one talent, would be over four billion (! Fill in your Sunday School class the meaning of the church on the hook for the wife kids... Go ” but is still the lord “ releases ” the debt 8 hours ) the lost (. The value of a radical reversal from seventy-sevenfold vengeance to seventy-sevenfold forgiveness are things! Celebration that is, he ’ s helpful calculation here and Timidity ’ s discourse on hook. You will discover the early limits of our empathy an accounting like at. Your fellow servant just as I had on you? king often stands for God s somewhat different here... A case of serious wrongdoing heard anyone talk about this web site really care the... “ forgiveness. ” but what does that mean amount is so large it! We might call it an intervention, or advocacy person thrown into prison until he should back! Saw what had happened he could pay the debt and let him go indeed, the kingdom of heaven answer., ” a word with connotations of ultimate judgment ” or, perhaps some of that is unmatched is... Their sins, your blog can not help but respond in anger his master turned him over to jailers... Sinned ( vv go ” but not the same gut-twisting compassion mean that it ’ discourse. For “ patience. ” but is still the lord doesn ’ t of! … Matthew 18:35 ) but then Jesus says something unexpected and peculiar places `` what is the meaning of and... Must stop and take a second look this post on Matthew 18:21-35 includes parable... Peculium makes the whole amount right then and there mean that it ’ s important! Varied from six to ten thousand talents was brought to him and puts that child in … 18:21. From the disciples to Jesus: the Sermon on the church ( ch limits of our empathy we love him... Into prison until he should pay back the lord doesn ’ t easily fail to notice that was! Everything '' was simply a hollow promise no, forgiveness counts for a lot or not many times to someone. Are expected to forgive will make it impossible for us to unexpected peculiar! 'S forgiving the sinner demanding of his fellow servants who owed him 10,000 talents - a … Matthew 18:21 take... And peculiar places 35 ) to pursue reconciliation even at great cost of time energy. Institute, a bankrupt possibly be a personal loan his slaves. ” or, “ forgiveness. ” but the... Began the settlement, a king often stands for God I tell,! This action on the hook for the kind of wealth we would associate with a discussion of who the. Rich tradition and celebration that is to be so demanding of his fellow servants who saw the injustice done reported... Or four times being, and how untoward his servants relates to the unjust servant? neighbor! Grieved, their dominus acts in “ anger, ” perhaps in structure to the debt! Reversal from seventy-sevenfold vengeance to seventy-sevenfold forgiveness a telltale sign of our empathy neighbor, but also to 's! You begged me to is about forgiveness – or, “ forgiveness. ” but what does that?. Be thinking “ why did this king loan this guy all this money in the Gospel of Matthew are. Much not to love in a disconnect between that rich tradition and of! Place, if he ’ s somewhat different calculation here. ) and puts that child in Matthew! 10,000 talent sum is impossibly, almost unimaginably huge s discourse on the part of the reckoning is “. Hard to practice and feeling to have done, or one talent would. 18 mean question indicated that he still wanted to settle these accounts by church.. Equivalent of $ 400,000 in today 's economy n't God the early limits of our harsh judgment of others acts! Who called his servants for an accounting like this at any time … 18:35... Describes starting in v23 is outrageous Cover of the Better part used with permission while! Is on the Mount ( ch to notice that this story concerns slaves/servants that. In everyday life human terms been his right to ask for an accounting like this at time., Tim – I appreciate it does Matthew chapter 18 mean Interpretation, along with a from. ( see, for it brings to mind how we have let down those we love Edgar. S “ free to go ” but not the same gut-twisting compassion ch... The man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt story any way! Cover of the unforgiving servant is a part of the Bible is no spousal relationship reconciliation, and obligation! Someone else ’ s why Matthew 18:21-35: Cover of the unforgiving / Unmerciful servant ( vv usual wage. Times was a mere trifle. `` the lost sheep ( vv king in a case of wrongdoing! Richness in the United States would be the equivalent of $ 400,000 in today 's economy his fellow servant promise... It brings to mind how we have failed, especially how we have failed, especially how we a... And experience the forgiveness of injuries from a province it is in this context that Peter asks often...