Matthew 18:31 – 35

Forgiveness 3

31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.

32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’

34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

We have to remember this story or parable is about the church or “kingdom of heaven.” The message is how God expects us to forgive others.

This ungrateful servant may have thought the king or master would never know how he treated others.

The $19 billion USD is like the amount of sins God forgave us when we accepted Jesus as our Savior, the king is God, we are the servant. The message in verse 31 is God sees all we do including how we feel about those who have wronged us.

The king forgave the man his huge debt because the servant had asked for forgiveness, not because he had earned the mercy shown by the king. God forgives us because we ask for his mercy, not because we have earned it. God is pleased when we ask Him for favors

(Matthew 7:7 - 11[7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ])

The servant simply asked for time to pay off the huge debt, and the master forgave the entire debt, he should have passed on the same courtesy to his debtor when asked. God expects us to treat others with the same mercy He gives us.

(Matthew 7:12[Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.])

The king gave the unforgiving servant to the ones who obtains the truth through the use of torture, He would use pressure to force the debtor to acknowledge the debt and take the necessary steps to pay it.

Verse 35 tells us if we are unforgiving to our fellow brothers then we can expect to be delivered to the place of torment in the day of judgment.