Matthew 18:21-35 -The Merciful King, The Unmerciful Servant

Lesson Focus:
Receiving great and immeasurable grace requires the giving of great and immeasurable grace.

Catch up on the story: 
Jesus has just been speaking about the importance of the unity of the community of faith by way of a parable concerned with going after those who have strayed from the church. He punctuated the segment with a small teaching on the way to go about reconciliation. It is the will of God that none, specifically those belonging to the church at one time or another, be lost. Additionally, those who belong to the community of the faith would do well to remember that they are constantly accountable to the community. Now the narrative moves from unity through reconciliation and the unrelenting chasing after our brothers and sisters to forgiveness.

Critical Questions: 

1. How does this text reveal to us the nature and character of God/What is God doing in this text?
2. What does holiness/salvation look like in this text? 
3. How does an encounter with this story shape who we are and who we should become?

The Text:
Our passage begins with a question that Peter puts to Jesus. If we are honest with ourselves, we have probably asked the same question of others or ourselves at times when we have faced people or groups of people who have repeatedly hurt us. So, it seems that the question may be a natural one, “How often should I forgive? As many as seven times?”

At the heart of the question is the notion that there is a limit to forgiveness. Peter is trying to discover what that limit is. Peter offers up the number seven. In the Bible, the number seven is the number of completeness, and perhaps Peter thought that if he had reached that number his responsibility in regards to forgiveness had been met. I don’t think we should be too hard on Peter. How many of us want to forgive after the second or third infraction let alone the seventh? I believe Peter is trying to be generous.

Jesus, however, blows Peter out of the water by suggesting that forgiveness should extend to the seventy-seventh time. John Chrysostom remarks that Jesus’ response is “not setting a number here, but what is infinite and perpetual and forever.”[1] In other words, forgiveness should be unlimited. Jesus could leave this saying here and move on to another subject. A command from Christ should be enough to stir us on toward offering an unlimited forgiveness.

Jesus, however, offers a story that helps us see just why it is that we should be so extravagant in our offering of forgiveness. The story begins with the familiar phrase, “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to…” Jesus here, as he has and will do in other places, is comparing a known world and rule to living in the reign of God. In other words, Jesus is painting a picture of life as it should and will be when Jesus’ kingdom is fully established. In other places, in Mark and Luke’s Gospel, Jesus will use the phrase “the kingdom of God.” The two phrases are mostly interchangeable.

What is the kingdom of heaven like? It is like a king or ruler who wished to go through the books to determine the state of his kingdom. This audit reveals that one of the king’s servants owes him a very large amount of money. It’s to be noted here that the word “servant” does not always denote someone of very lowly status. Rather, it points to a worker in the administration of the king. Judging by the size of his debt, he is rather high up in the governmental organization.

The amount of money the servant owes is ten thousand talents. This was an exceedingly large sum. One talent was equal to six thousand denarii. If we do the math, ten thousand talents were equal to 60 million denarri.[2] To put this into perspective, the normal wage for a day laborer was around one denarri. Translating the amount into terms we can get our mind around, after all we hear of transactions in our business world that are in the billions, diminishes from the force of the amount Jesus is specifying. The idea that Jesus is trying to convey is that the amount that the servant owes is infinitely large, it is well beyond his or anyone else’s ability to pay back. Blomburg states that, “The ‘talent’ was the highest known denomination of currency in the ancient Roman Empire, and ten thousand was the highest number for which the Greek language had a particular word (myrias; cf. our myriad).[3]” Greek speaking persons could not conceive of a number larger than ten thousand talents.

The king brings the servant into his chamber to discuss with him his debt. The servant finds himself in a rough spot; he and his entire family will be sold into slavery until the debt could be paid. At this point, both the servant and the hearers of this story realize that neither the man nor his family will ever be free again. There is just no way they will ever pay back the debt. So, the servant begins to call on the mercy of the king. He offers to pay back everything, if only the king would have some patience.

Here’s where we get a picture of the kingdom of heaven, as God would have it. The king is moved to pity. The Greek word translated “pity” (splagchnizomai) here is more intense. The word itself has to do with the “inward parts” of the person or animal, namely the stomach and intestines as well as the heart, kidneys and liver. Matthew uses splagchnizomai in three of his parables to talk about the divine compassion that God has toward creation.[4] So, the NRSV’s pity could be conveyed as such, “And out of bowel shaking feelings of compassion and mercy for the servant, the lord of that slave released him and forgave his debt.”

The first act of the parable is now complete. The servant, who had a great, immeasurable, incomprehensible debt, was forgiven his debt because of the unfathomable grace and mercy of the king. Now, we could stop right there and go on for days about the nature of the “kingdom of heaven.” The kingdom that Jesus has brought and is bringing is one characterized by immense and outlandish levels of love and forgiveness. Peter’s question seems silly when we compare it to the response of the king toward great debt. The temptation to stop here and soak in this great grace is profound, but this is not where Jesus ends the story.

Act two begins with the newly pardoned servant roaming the streets of his city. Keep in mind that he is a person of standing in the community and kingdom and has persons that are under him. He sees a man who owes him a debt. It is not an insignificant amount, 100 denarri, but it would take some time to repay. The servant seizes the man by the throat and demands that the man pay what is owed.

Obviously the grace that the servant has been shown has had little or no affect on him. The words of the second debtor are almost word for word the same as the servant’s when he spoke to the king. The second man pleads for patience and mercy. The servant refuses and throws the man into prison until he could pay back the debt. A group of the servant’s coworkers witness the whole incident and report back to the king. The NRSV says the servants were “greatly distressed” while the NIV records that the servants were “outraged.” Both translations miss the point a bit. The Greek word translated as “distressed” and “outraged” carries with it more of a feeling of “sorrow” and “grief”. The servants, who perhaps have heard about the king’s great mercy toward the servant, are saddened and brought to great sorrow and grief because of the servant’s actions. This too, should be our response when we see a brother or sister who has received great saving grace from God but refuses to pass on that grace and mercy to others.

The king responds by summoning the servant. The king’s response is one of unbelief, calling the servant wicked for his actions. The payoff line comes in verses 32-33, “I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?” In anger the king hands over the servant to be tortured until he pays his entire un-payable debt. Jesus ends the parable with a warning. This is what will happen to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister.

So What?
What are we to make of this story? What is the kingdom of heaven like? You and I are obviously in great debt to the God of the universe. That’s why we pray the Lord’s Prayer and seek for forgiveness of our debts. Indeed, we are the servant in the parable who has been forgiven an immeasurable debt because we have sought the mercy of Christ our King. The God of the Universe has been moved to provide for us grace, mercy and forgiveness through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Our debt has been paid. We have been forgiven.

As I said earlier, it would be a mistake to merely settle in and enjoy our own freedom and forgiveness. Those who have been forgiven much must extend forgiveness as well. This forgiveness should be extended, not out of some moral obligation, or even out of fear that we might be handed over to be tortured until we pay the last penny! No, this forgiveness should be extended because we have allowed the grace and forgiveness we have received to transform our lives. How do we allow this grace to transform us? By routinely acknowledging and recalling our own great debt of sin. If we forget that we are sinners saved by grace, we will have little compassion on those who sin against us. A warning is in order. It does no good to dwell on our sins both past and present. Doing so will only drag us down, but to healthfully consider that we have been forgiven a great debt, that in many cases we are still in need of great forgiveness, causes us to be more indulgent of the sins of others. For the sins of others are our [humanity’s] same sins coming from different faces and names.

Saint John Chrysostom begins to bring his homily on this passage to a close with these words, “Two things therefore doth He here require, both to condemn ourselves for our sins, and to forgive others; and the former for the sake of the latter, that this may become more easy (for he who considers his own sins is more indulgent to his fellow-servant); and not merely to forgive with the lips, but from the heart.”[5] This is the heart of the matter; we forgive because we have been forgiven. How much do we forgive? The same amount we have been forgiven, which happens to be an insurmountable amount.

Critical Questions: 
 How does this text reveal to us the nature and character of God/What is God doing in this text?

• God is forgiving. That is both what God is doing and the nature and character of God. God’s forgiveness is brought about by the gut wrenching feelings of compassion and pity God has for us, who have racked up such a great debt. At the same time, God brings judgment on those who refuse to pass on the great forgiveness and grace they have received. God is as just and righteous as he is graceful and forgiving.

What does salvation/holiness look like in this text?

• Our salvation is in the hands of a great and gracious God. We grow in grace and holiness when we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so that we might extend great grace and forgiveness to others.

How does an encounter with this story shape who we are and who we should become?

• We are obliged, in light of the forgiveness we have received, to go and offer forgiveness. It is the proper response to the grace of God.

Specific Discussion Questions:
Read the text aloud. Then, read the text to yourself quietly. Read it slowly, as if you were very unfamiliar with the story.

1. Why do you think Peter asks his question in the way that he asks it? Do you think Peter is being generous with his plan to forgive seven times? Or do you think he is trying to go the easy route? Why?
2. Why do you think Jesus recommends forgiving seventy-seven times?
3. As a group, determine who each character is in Jesus’ parable. What is each character doing? What might their motivations be? How could they have acted differently?
4. The king in the story is physically moved to compassion toward the servant. Has there ever been a time where you have been physically moved to compassion for another person? What did that feel like? What was the situation that resulted in your being moved toward compassion?
5. Why do you think the servant didn’t pass on the forgiveness he had received?
6. The king in the parable is full of mercy and grace. Why do you think, at the end of the story, he did not give the servant a second chance but punished him?

Ways to Forgive as God has Forgiven Us…

1.  As you begin each day this week, spend some time gratefully reflecting on the sins for which you have been forgiven.  Express your thankfulness to God for the forgiveness you have received. 
2. Spend some time each day reflecting on the hurt and pain you have received from others.  How have you hurt or inflicted pain on others in similar ways?  Seek forgiveness from God and others for those sins. 

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^[1] John Chrysostom, “Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople on the Gospel According to St. Matthew,” in Saint Chrysostom: Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. George Prevost and M. B. Riddle, vol. 10, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1888), 375.

[2] Frederick Dale Bruner, Matthew: A Commentary: The Churchbook, Matthew 13-28, Revised & enlarged edition (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004), 237.

^[3] Craig Blomberg, Matthew, vol. 22, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 283.

^[4] Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, eds., Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 553–554.

^[5] Chrysostom, 380.