the parables of Jesus: Matthew 18: 21-35

the parables of Jesus: Matthew 18: 21-35 by ric gustafson


Six verses before this story, Jesus was teaching on confronting one's offender. Peter then asks Jesus " Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?". He thought he was being generous by saying up to seven times. But in the next verse, Jesus says not seven times but seventy seven times.
Jesus starts the story by saying that the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. First, a man who owed ten thousand talents was brought before him. At first, the king was going to have him, his wife, children be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him.  He begged that he would pay it all back. The king took mercy on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
After this, the servant went out and found a servant who owed him a hundred denarii. He yelled at him to pay back what he owed him. The servant fell at his feet and begged for more time to pay it back. Instead, the servant had the man thrown into prison until the debt was paid. Friends of the servant went to the king and told him what had happened. The servant was hauled back before the king and he called him a wicked servant. He forgave his debt but he would not forgive someone else's debt. He turned the servant over to the jailer's until the debt was paid.
Jesus is teaching us that God will treat us like this unless we forgive our brother from the heart.


research help: ' Inverted' by Tom Ellsworth


Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric