The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

Jesus often used parables to give life lessons or spiritual insight to his disciples.  The parable of the unforgiving servant is found in the book of Matthew in the New Testament of the Bible.  In Matthew 18:21-35, the lesson was initiated by Peter. Peter asked Jesus how many times he is required to forgive someone who has wronged him.  Peter's suggestion was seven times.  Jesus replied that it was not seven times, but seventy times seven.

What is significant about the number 7?

In the Old Testament in the book of Genesis is when God brings the number 7 into his works. Genesis 1 describes the first creation of the World by spending six days to create the Heavens and the Earth but on the seventh day, they rested. This day was known to be the Sabbath Day, which is the day known to keep it holy and rest as mention in Deuteronomy 5:12 . According to scholars, the number 7 represents something as being completed, finished, or done with. In order to completely forgive someone, Jesus uses the number 7 because it represents "completion." So, when Jesus wanted something to represent completion, he would make reference to the number.

Did Jesus use the literary tool of hyperbole to create a stronger effect ?

 Here is the first exaggeration made in this parable.  It seems that Jesus was basically saying to forgive an unlimited amount even though seventy times seven is an actual number: a person would not expect to have to forgive someone that many times in actuality.  This statement begins the parable lesson of the unforgiving servant.  

Considering that Jesus just used an exaggeration of how many times to forgive, he begins his parable with an exaggerated amount of money owed by the servant. The servant was brought before the king because he owed him 10,000 talents.  The chart below gives an idea of exactly how large an exaggeration Jesus used.  It would take 16 years to pay back 1 talent.  This servant owed 10,000 talents to a king.  Whether a king would have allowed a servant to accrue that much debt is not addressed in this parable, however what is more clear is that the debt was more than the servant would ever be able to repay.

How Does this teaching differ from the Old Testament Teaching

This teaching was different from the Old Testament found in Exodus 21:24  According to Matthew 5:38-42. They were not so forgiving in the Old Testament but sought restitution. Jesus was bringing a new message of compassion and mercy. The Jewish laws was not just laws found in the Old Testament but a system of rules that help establish the operation of conflict to validate secular laws. What typically occurred when someone owed a debt is that slavery was invoked.  This was the option given to the unforgiving servant until he pleaded with the king.  There is no evidence that this level of forgiving was common nor is it easy to believe that a king would be so quickly turned by the pleading of a debtor. 

Metaphorical interpretation

Jesus seems to be giving an example of how God, which is represented by the king, has the authority and compassion to forgive beyond understanding just as the king did.  Also just like the king, God can make a judgment call in light of man's unwillingness to treat their fellow men in the same manner. The debt owed by the servant can be the representation of mankind's sin. Sin is a debt to God that cannot be repaid by mere human acts and it can be man's sin against each other.

The Unforgiving Servant: What lesson was Jesus teaching through the unforgiving servant?

According to the Bible, there are four gospels in the New Testament. The word gospel means "good news." Each gospel testified about Jesus: who he was, what he did what he said, and why it was important. The four gospels in the New Testament are Mathew, Luke, Mark and John. In his teachings, Jesus often used parables to give life lessons or spiritual insight to his disciples. Jesus also performed acts before the disciples to do the same thing.  Matthew 18:21-35, https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+18:21-35&version=KJV, contains a parable concerning a servant who was unforgiving.  The lesson was initiated by Peter who had asked Jesus how many times he is required to forgive someone who has wronged him. Peter's suggestion was seven times but Jesus responded with the larger number of seven times seventy.  Peter, I am sure had a look of disbelief which probably led to this lesson in forgiveness.  Why would Jesus choose such a large number? What is the characteristic of human nature that is reflected in this parable of the unforgiving servant?

The first thing that is noticed when reading this parable is that the servant had gotten himself in a very bad situation with the king.  He was in great debt, 10,000 talents, and when the king began to speak the judgment for this debt, this man showed no pride by begging for his own forgiveness. To understand the amount of debt, "suffice it to say that for the king to forgive this kind of debt is incredible.  1 talent = the current price of gold per troy ounce X 12 (12 troy ounces in 1 pound) X 70 (70 pounds in a talent).  We came up with an incredibly high figure for just one talent of gold: $1.4 million dollars.  By this calculation, 10,000 talents puts this person in debt roughly $14 billion dollars" https://ldsscriptureteachings.org/2012/10/19/matthew-18-a-ten-thousand-talent-god).  He wanted to be forgiven for his negligence of paying and to be given more time to fix the situation without having to face the consequences of losing everything.  The king's proposal was for his belongings to be sold which included his wife and children. Seeing this man's sorrow, the king showed mercy and forgave his debt.  This clemency is shown sometimes in today's society so this aspect of human nature is still present if not prevalent as I am sure it was not common in biblical times either.

Needless to say, the man left the presence of the king full of joy and peace after being released from debt.  Who would not be happy? One would think that this level of compassion would be contagious but this servant did not catch it.  As the parable continues, the man ran into a fellow servant who owed him only 100 pence.  After receiving forgiveness for such a large debt one would think he would grab his fellow servant and scream "do not worry about the debt, I forgive you." This was hardly the case: the servant grabbed him and choked him and demanded payment! 

The large number of times to forgive, seven times seventy, is unbelievable just like the large amount of debt that the king forgave the servant.  Why would Jesus choose this amount? One commentary explains it this way when referring to the large debt. "This of course was absurd. Who would lend someone $3,000,000,000? And how could he have possibly have spend so much money? But Jesus used this illustration to reveal God's attitude towards our sins and how absurd it is to think that we can pay it back ourselves" (http://www.bcbsr.com/survey/pbl14.html).  Not only was Jesus teaching a lesson on forgiveness but he was also showing that without the power of God, it cannot be done.

This teaching was different from the Old Testament teaching of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. According to Matthew 5:38-42,it says, “38You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’h 39But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you" (http://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/5.htm).

The unforgiving servant also shows us a flaw in the nature of the human race.  People often receive mercy or forgiveness that they are unwilling to extend to others.  A friend may be forgiven for lying but be unwilling to forgive another friend for revealing a secret.  The measuring stick of man is much different from that of God.  Jesus was trying to teach a lesson that he wanted the disciples to learn and to teach others.  Is there a flaw in this teaching?  Is it totally impossible for the human race to embrace this level of mercy for each other?  A flaw in the teaching, no.  There should be no limits in forgiveness because when you set limits you also have to understand that those same limits apply to self.  Is it impossible, yes and no.  Scripture teaches that on our own there are many things that we cannot do but according to Matthew 19:26, "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."