THE UNJUST SERVANT

"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants." (Matthew 18:23).

 

Jesus uses this parable in Matthew's gospel to convey yet another lesson concerning the kingdom of heaven.  The opening verse (23) reveals that the king over this kingdom is one who takes "account of His servants."  Each servant is accountable to his own master, and it is our Lord who is our Master and who will be our ultimate judge.  "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." (Romans 14:10).  "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Romans 14:12). 

 

Interestingly, the Greek word which Matthew used in this verse, and was translated as "account" in most English translations, is logos.  We should be familiar with this Greek word because it is translated 218 times in the New Testament as "Word."  Logos is used in John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word [Logos], and the Word [Logos] was with God, and the Word [Logos] was God."  So, there appears to be a link between the Lord's settling of debts and the Word He has spoken, which makes perfect sense. It is only our response to the revealed Word of God that we will be judged by in the end.  "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." (James 4:17).  "He that rejecteth Me, and receiveth not My words, hath one that judgeth him: the Word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."  (John 12:48). 

 

Our sins against man, and against ourselves, always have their roots in our transgression against God's Word.  "Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned...that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest." (Psalm 51:4).  Conversely, our obedience to God's will, and our embracing of His infinite grace, reflects itself in our love for our fellow Christians.  David's sin was against Bathsheba and her husband primarily, but it was God Who settled the account and brought judgment. 

 

"And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.  (Matthew 18:24-27).

 

Thankfully, we have a King Who is very compassionate, and rich in mercy.  He is willing to forgive our debts both small and great, and everything in between.  To illustrate the extent of His forgiveness, Christ used the sum of 10,000 talents to signify the debt that the servant owed his king in the story.  This was an astronomical figure for the time.  In today's dollars, it would be equivalent to about a billion dollars, according to some scholars.  To be in debt for such an absurd amount was unlikely, but to write off the entire debt was unheard of!  God's mercy, however, is willing to go farther than our sin can ever reach.  Being moved with compassion, He is willing to unloose us from the chains of guilt and remorse that hold us like slaves bound in the darkness, and to erase the debt of sin that we owe Him.

 

"But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt." (Matthew 18:28-30).

 

There is a direct link between our relationship with God, and our relationship with one another.  When Jesus was asked what the one greatest commandment in the law was, He answered with two because they are so closely related.  The first was, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."  The second was, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  These two were so important that He said the whole of the law, and all of the prophecies of the Old Testament hung on these two commands.  We cannot hate our brother, and love our God.  If we truly love God, then His love will overflow from our hearts toward others.  And even if they have wronged us, our sense of gratefulness for all that the Lord has forgiven us for will compel us to extend mercy toward them as well.

 

The debt that was owed to the servant by his fellowservant was about $16.00 - an insignificant amount compared to his own forgiven debt.  The Lord's message is loud and clear.  We expect God to forgive our mountain of debt, but withhold our forgiveness from our brother for the most trivial slights.  Often, the Lord's mercy is held back from us because we are not willing to show mercy ourselves.  "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."  (Matthew 6:12).  "And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.  But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses." (Mark 11:25,26).  There are often unresolved difficulties in our relationships that stand as barriers to our own spiritual growth.  In such cases, we must leave our gifts at the altar, reconcile with our brother, and then come before our heavenly Father.

                                                                                                                                   

Jesus said of Mary Magdalene, who poured costly ointment on His feet prior to His passion, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."  (Luke 7:47)  There are those who minimize the size and weight of their own sin before God.  They feel that their transgressions are very small in comparison to others.  This has a direct bearing on the love that they have for the Lord, and therefore, for others.  On the other hand, there are those who have felt the shame of their sin, no matter its size, and have regarded the Lord's mercy as an immeasurable debt that they can never repay in a lifetime.  Such ones love greatly, and that love manifests itself in their compassion for others.

 

Peter once came to Jesus and asked how many times he should forgive a brother who sinned against him.  Jewish tradition suggested that a person who sinned against you three separate times should be forgiven, but on the fourth occasion you were released from extending mercy.  Peter, feeling magnanimous, suggested seven times as the correct answer.  Jesus' answer was not seven, but seventy times seven!  Again, an absurd number in reality, but representative of the idea that our mercy should be unlimited toward our fellow man just like God's is toward us. 

 

"So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him." (Matthew 18:31-34).

 

When Jesus was on the cross, suffering unimaginable pain at the hands of His persecutors, He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."  He, the sinless Son of God, understood the power and necessity of forgiveness much better than we who have received much mercy.  He knew that His enemies were ignorant of Who He was, but that their actions would result in His final victory rather than the defeat that they envisioned.  His forgiveness was part of the evidence of Christ's total acceptance of God's plan and purpose for Himself.  He was able to forgive because He was able to see the broader picture.  His being delivered up to be crucified was part of God's plan to redeem the world.  This had been prophesied centuries before.  Why get caught up in the particulars?  We can't afford to lose sight of the eternal because we are so entangled in the temporal.  It can only blind us to the bigger picture.  Satan loves to sidetrack God's children with petty issues, filling their hearts with bitterness and unforgiveness.  Our enemy is then able to get their eyes off of the goal, and off of the purpose that God has for them.  Yes, Jesus understood this very well, and was quick to clear His plate of unforgiveness or anything else that would fog His vision of God's plan.  He was content to place every detail of His life in His Father's hands, and trust Him for the outcomes. 

 

In the parable, the unjust servant was brought again before his king, but this time, it did not go so well.  His lord rebuked him for his wickedness, and required again the debt that he had owed.  After telling this parable to the people, Jesus issued this stern warning, "So likewise shall My heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses." (Matthew 18:35).  Our relationship with God hinges on our relationship with our brothers and sisters; and our love and devotion to God will result in our love and devotion to His people.  Praise God for His great mercy!  Having been forgiven so much, should we not love much and forgive all?