The Parable of the Unforgiving and Unmerciful Servant
Peter thought forgiving someone seven times was generous. Jesus said try seventy times seven. He then told a story about what happens when people refuse.
Jesus taught people by using parables. Matthew 18:21–35 is one parable Jesus told to teach people that they must forgive others repeatedly because God repeatedly has forgiven them.
In verse 21, Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, when my fellow believer sins against me, how many times must I forgive him? Should I forgive him as many as seven times?” Jesus replied by saying, “I tell you, you must forgive him more than seven times. You must forgive him even if he wrongs you seventy times seven.”
Jesus is saying that God’s people must forgive others. There is no limit to the number of times that God's people have to forgive. We must because our heavenly Father promises to forgive us repeatedly if we repent and confess our sins to Him.
In the parable, Jesus also warns against the consequences of an unforgiving and an unmerciful spirit. He did it by telling a story about a king who forgave a servant of his impossible debt which he owed. But the same servant refused to forgive a tiny debt owed to him. His unmerciful actions led him to severe judgment. Jesus describes in verses 32-34 what would probably happen if we did what the unmerciful servant did:
“Then the master called his servant in and said, ‘You evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything. You should have showed mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you.’ The master was very angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.”
Once again, God’s people are required to resemble Him in forgiving, having compassion, and having pity on others. The king represents God in the story. When the servant begs for time, the king feels pity and cancels the massive debt entirely. The king is unlike the servant who finds a fellow worker who owes him only 100 denarii—a very small amount—chokes him and demands payment.
Jesus warns of the consequences of an unforgiving, unmerciful spirit as seen in the punishment of the servant. The king puts him in jail. He will not release the servant until he pays back all he owes (Matthew 18:34). In verse 35, Jesus warns the readers and hearers of this:
“This king did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
When a fellow brother or sister wrongs or sins against us, we should forgive them. That willingness to forgive frees us from bitterness or resentment.