Mt 18:21-35
21Peter [approached Jesus and] asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. 23That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 24When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. 25Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. 26At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ 27Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan.
28When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ 29Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ 30But he refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back the debt. 31Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. 32His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. 33Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ 34Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. 35So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives his brother from his heart.”
UNLESS YOU FORGIVE YOUR BROTHER: The parable of the Unforgiving Servant is part of Matthew’s collection of Jesus’ discourses on how the community of disciples should deal with one another. The sayings focus mainly on how to handle the erring members. The lesson is clear: every Christian must forgive his brother from his heart.
The lesson is driven home by the story of two debtors. The first owes his king ten thousand talents (here translated as “a huge amount”), an impossible amount. The hyperbole is typical of peasant stories and heightens the contrast on which the story depends. One hundred denarii (“a much smaller amount”) owed to the first debtor is nothing, yet this debt-freed servant refuses his fellow servant “mercy.” The king, on being informed of this, has the unmerciful servant jailed since his behavior makes a mockery of the king’s generosity. The servant thought that he was “wise and clever” to take advantage of the king with impunity. In the end, his being unforgiving catches up with him.