The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

After the defeat of Hitler’s Nazi regime in World War II, Holocaust survivor and Missionary-- Corrie ten Boom returned to Germany to declare the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. One evening, after giving her message, she was approached by a man who identified himself as a former Nazi guard from the concentration camp at Ravensbruck, where she had been held and where her sister, Betsie, had died.

“When Corrie saw the man’s face, she recognized him as one of the most cruel and vindictive guards from the camp. He reached out his hand and said to her,

“That was a fine message, Fraulein! (German for Young Woman) How good it is to know that, as you say, all our sins are at the bottom of the sea! You mentioned Ravensbruck in your talk. I was a guard there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?”

About this encounter, Corrie Tin Boon wrote:

“I stood there—I whose sins had again and again been forgiven—and could not forgive. Betsie had died in that place. Could he erase her slow terrible death simply for the asking? It could have been many seconds that he stood there—hand held out—but to me it seemed hours as I wrestled with the most difficult thing I ever had to do . . . I had to do it—I knew that. The message that God forgives has a prior condition: that we forgive those who have injured us. . . . But forgiveness is not an emotion—I knew that too. Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart. “Jesus, help me!” I prayed silently.”

How would I have responded?

How would you have responded?

As I studied this Parable this week, this was the story that God brought to my mind. And I think God brought it to mind because it is a story that illustrates just how difficult forgiveness can be in real life.

For example, after Dylan Roof, the White Nationalist in Charleston South Carolina, shot 9 African American church members during a Sunday Morning worship service…instead of spewing hate, the victims family uttered these amazing words, “I forgive you.” It was just unbelievable…these family members showed love to the very person that was driven by hate... However instead of being praised, for their display of forgiveness, they were met with criticism. Stacey Patton responded with a New York Times opinion article entitled, “Black America Should Stop Forgiving White Racists.” Forgiveness, according to Patton, “only perpetuates the cycles of attacks and abuse.”

To put it in terms that I once read in a comment section of an article on the #MeToo movement: (Let me say just as a general rule…dont read the comment section…it’s like reading the stall-door in the bathroom.)

The notion that the victims of crime, oppression and assault must forgive their oppressors piles more oppression and harshness on the victim. . . . Insisting that he/she forgive . . . plays into the sickness of patriarchal misogynistic male-supremacist religions that blame women. Forgiveness is overrated. It heals [neither] the body or mind. . . . Let the criminal ask his gods, if there be any, for forgiveness. . . . Instead of talking about victims must forgive, we should be talking about tattooing the word “Predator” on the foreheads of the criminals—this would actually help make women and children safer.

In other words…if you forgive someone…it gives them the power to take advantage of you again…if you let go of the offense, you lose the power to hold a grievance against someone. You open yourself up to getting hurt again...

We culture doesn't forgive anymore…it cancels...

And here is our temptation this morning…our temptation is to believe that this is just a cultural issue and not our problem. But the truth is that people in the church has a forgiveness problem too.

In fact, one 2019 study found that 1-in-4 practicing Christians struggles with unforgiveness.

And if you are the ONE out of Four this morning… If you are the one hanging onto bitterness, anger, resentment, or even hatred toward someone who has wronged you…First, I want you to know that you are not alone. This is a problem that we all face from time to time... And second, I want you to know, that you can have freedom from unforgiveness this morning. You can forgive…and if you are a follower of Jesus this morning…not only can you forgive…but you have to…As followers of Jesus, forgiveness is not optional. If we claim to love, know, follow Jesus, not only can we forgive…but we must.

So if you will…turn your attention to Matthew 18:21

Matthew 18:21 (ESV)

21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”

Peter thought that he was actually being very generous.

The common teaching by Rabbi’s in the first century was that someone only had to forgive up to three times. Rabbi Jose Ben Jehuda (a contemporary Rabbi in this time period) said,

“If a man commits an offence once, they forgive him; if he commits an offence a second time, they forgive him; if he commits an offence a third time, they forgive him; the fourth time they do not forgive.”

And so Peter here probably thought that he was going above and beyond the religious expectations for forgiveness, he was probably proud of the mercy that he was showing…and because he is proud of his view, he asks Jesus a question that many of us would probably ask Jesus if we got the chance today…

“How many times am I required to forgive?”

Jesus responds...

Matthew 18:22 — Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.”

Jesus says...Peter…not seven times, but Seventy-Seven times…or your translation might say “Seventy times Seven.” Both are fine translations of the original language. But whether its 77 times or 70x7 is clear…Jesus was saying that we should always…always…forgive

When your friends betray you…Jesus says forgive. When your family hurts you…Jesus says to forgive. When our neighbors do harm to us…Jesus calls us to forgive. When people mistreat you, disrespect you, belittle you, embarrass you…Jesus tells us that we are to forgive, no matter what…every single time, we must forgive.

Not 3 times...

Not 7 times...

But every time...

And in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant…Jesus teaches us two truths:

Jesus Teaches Us “Why We are Called to Extend Forgiveness”

Jesus Teaches Us “What Happens if We Dont Forgive”

First: Why We are Called to Extend Forgiveness

Matthew 18:23–27 (ESV)

23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

The story of the Unforgiving Servant goes something like this.

There is a King who has come to settle accounts with his servants. When he began settling those accounts, a servant is brought to him that owes his master a debt. Jesus tells us at the end of verse 24 that the debt which he owed was worth “Ten-thousand talents...” This was more money than all the currency that was circulating in Israel at the time…it is

This is the equivalent of around $9 Billion US dollars. Apparently this guy worked for the Federal Reserve... The exact amount of money isn't what is important here though, the point is that the debt that this servant owes the King is totally insurmountable.

And the point that Jesus symbolizes here is clear: it is a picture of just how hopelessly in debt we are with God due to the nature of our sinning.

We have an insurmountable debt in our sin. Just like this servant in this allegory, our debt that we owe to God is impossible for us to pay back.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 6:23...

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death...

Sin has left us hopeless and helpless…we have been left “Dead in our Trespasses and sin...” as Paul says elsewhere. And just like the servant does in this story, our only hope is to plead for the King to be patient with us and hope that he extends mercy and grace.

And this is the beauty of the gospel.

Just like this servant in this story recieved mercy and grace from his King…we receive mercy and grace from the true King of Heaven.

The word Forgiveness here means, “To let go...” or to “Release”

Purely by mercy and the unmerited favor of God…just like this King was released from His debt and set free…we even in our insurmountable debt…purely by the mercy and grace of God have been set free and forgiven of our sin debt toward God.

Romans 6:23 (ESV)

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

--

The Point that Jesus makes in the parable is pretty clear…

We reason why we forgive…is because we have been forgiven!

As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:32

Ephesians 4:32 (ESV)

32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

When our friends betray us…we forgive because we have been forgiven.

When our spouse hurts us…We forgive because in Christ we have been forgiven.

When our neighbors do harm to us…We forgive because we were once the neighbor who harmed Christ...in our sin…We were there…when they crucified our Lord…it was our sin that condemned him, nailed him, mocked him and beat him...and yet we have been forgiven.

Therefore...When people mistreat us, disrespect us, belittle us, embarrass us…we forgive because we mistreated God in our sin; We disrespected God in our sin; We belittled God in our sin; We mocked God in our sin…and God in Christ Jesus forgave us of our sin, he released us from our debt…and he gave us the blessing of fellowship with Christ.

SO....We forgive the sin of others…because we have all been forgiven ourselves…God has forgiven us of the greatest debt toward Him…and so we forgive others of their debts toward us.

But unfortunately…this isnt always how we respond when others hurt us is it? Again…1-in-4 committed Christians say that forgiveness is a real ongoing problem in their life…And I dont say this lightly. I know that there are unspeakable offenses that some of you have faced.

So What Happens if We Dont Forgive?

Matthew 18:28–35 (ESV)

28 But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. 32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”

This is what we often do isn't it? We who have been forgiven of an insurmountable debt by God…aren't we the same people who act like this Unforgiving Servant in this Parable?

After having been forgiven by God…how often do we then go and throw people in relational prisons because they have wronged or hurt us?

Too often...

And there is a warning in this passage that we need to take heed of…their is an eternal danger to an unforgiving spirit. And the danger is as great as any others in the Bible.

If you forgive…you show that you have been forgiven.

But if you dont forgive…then what Jesus teaches us is that God wont forgive you. If you hold onto the bitterness and resentment that you have toward others who have hurt you…Jesus says you will become like this servant who was summoned by his Master and called a “Wicked Servant.” And we will be delivered to the hell.

If you hang onto unforgiveness with one hand…you let go of the hope for heaven with the other...

If you hang onto unforgiveness with one hand…you let go of the hope for heaven with the other...

You see, what Jesus teaches us here in this parable is that forgiveness is a matter of salvation.

If you dont forgive…then what it means is that you havent been forgiven yourself…You have lost sight of the fact that God in Christ jesus forgave you of our insurmountable debt we owed Him.

As Corrie Ten Boom reached out her hand to that former Nazi guard, Corrie says that something incredible took place. She wrote about it in her memoir:

“The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. “I forgive you, brother!” I cried. “With all my heart!” . . . I had never known love so intensely, as I did then. But even then, I realized it was not my love . . . It was the power of the Holy Spirit.”

We can forgive this morning church...

We can honestly pray with Jesus… “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors...”

But it starts with reaching out your heart and your hand toward someone who has offended you…hurt you…cheated you…mistreated you...

It starts with these simple but difficult words… “I choose to forgive…because I have been forgiven.”