The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

God's word is from Matthew chapter 18, verses 21 to 35. Please listen attentively as it is the word of God.

 

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt’[cite: 4]. The servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go. But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me. I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened[cite: 7]. Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.” “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”

 

Amen.  

 

Background of the Parable 1: The Path to the Cross

The parable we read today is the very familiar ‘Parable of the Debtor’ or ‘Parable of the Unforgiving Servant’. Matthew chapter 18, which contains this parable, is part of the section from chapters 16 to 20, which includes very important words in the overall flow of this Gospel. Looking at the beginning of this section, we see verse 16:21 where Jesus prophesies, ‘Now I will die and bear the cross, and after that, I will be resurrected’. Then, in chapter 20, in the final verse, we can see the Lord saying the exact same thing to his disciples again. We say that this is enclosed in parentheses according to the structure of the famous Hebrew literature. This literary form uses the repeating phrases at both ends as parentheses for the theme and records important content between the two sentences, a unique Hebrew literary expression. However, the theme used as parentheses is precisely that Jesus Christ will bear the cross, suffer, bear the cross, die, and then be resurrected. Then, right after that event, Jesus finally goes up to Jerusalem and bears that cross. In other words, we can see that the parable we read today and its contents are on the path to the cross. Therefore, to understand this passage correctly, one must first understand what the cross is. Only then can we properly understand why this parable is placed between these theme sentences and recorded as the most important word of this entire section.  

 

Background of the Parable 2: The Disciple Community and the Problem of Forgiveness

Keeping this fact in mind first, let's explore the second characteristic of this parable that we need to consider. Jesus knew He now had to bear the cross, and finally went to Jerusalem, knowing He would spend Passover there with His disciples and bear the cross. Therefore, Jesus spends the most time with His disciples during this period. And the teachings at this time were not directed towards Gentiles, Pharisees, or scribes, but almost all content was focused on the disciples. Therefore, the subjects dealt with were quite applicable to our church as well. Among them, chapter 18 is not about another topic, but about what to do when believers sin against each other, how to restore that relationship and forgive each other. Speaking of forgiveness, the principle of forgiveness among believers within the church is not vastly different from the principle of forgiveness among people in the world, but it differs slightly in its actual manifestation. Within the church, forgiveness among believers can manifest in its complete form as the Bible says. However, when applied to people who do not know God at all, the principle of forgiveness required by the Bible often fails to be fully realized. Therefore, the story of forgiveness in today's parable focuses much more on the relationships among believers within the church.  

 

Admonition (Discipline) within the Church and Difficulties

Within the church, there exists what we know well as ‘discipline’. When we are baptized, we pledge to abide by this discipline. This discipline means guiding a person correctly within the church, separating them from sin, and helping them not to sin. So, discipline can also be used as the word ‘admonition’ and includes not only personal relationships but also more communal relationships. Therefore, if this is applied within the church community, it can involve not only multiple church members but also be handled by the session, and like secular courts, it has several stages reaching the next levels of presbytery and general assembly. However, in reality, it is difficult to see cases within the church that go as far as discipline involving the presbytery or general assembly. But general discipline, that is, admonition among believers, where those strong in faith admonish those weak in faith, happens frequently in the church, and through these, our faith is often renewed. However, the Bible teaches that when someone admonishes us, we should have a humble and gentle attitude. And when we tell someone, ‘This behavior of yours is wrong,’ it clearly states that we should approach them with an even more gentle and humble heart, considering them better than ourselves. If discipline or admonition is not carried out with this kind of heart, it is easy to unknowingly manifest a condemning attitude like, ‘Why can’t you do what I do?’ or ‘I know this much, why don’t you know this properly?’. And naturally, the person involved will automatically feel, ‘How great are you?’ or ‘What right do you have to interfere with me?’. Therefore, without true humility and gentleness, it is really difficult for discipline to occur correctly in the church. If we give and receive admonition with this heart of love, gentleness, and humility, that person gains an opportunity to repent by receiving the admonition. Even if what they say differs from our own thoughts and beliefs, we can use it as an opportunity to examine ourselves once more. We can make it a chance to strive to build better relationships with the other person in our lives. Therefore, it is right for us to exchange this admonition with a humble and gentle attitude.  

 

Hurt and Misunderstanding: The Reality of Relationships

Therefore, Jesus also explains these relationships step by step in detail through the words of Matthew chapter 18. In reality, not only in Korean churches but also in many American churches, the biblical principles in this area are often not followed. Consequently, even believers who believe in Jesus experience much pain when admonishing or encouraging each other, and even in loving or praising each other. This is because we can easily give and receive hurt from each other. We too easily talk about others with a third party when that person is not present. We misunderstand someone looking at us as glaring, and we feel bad when someone passes by without recognizing us, thinking they intentionally ignored us. I once had a chance to talk with middle and high school students, and I was surprised then that these kids were not much different from adults. Even though they were born and raised in America, there was a hierarchy among these kids based on age difference, and they showed anger if younger kids pretended not to know them or passed by without greeting. It's just like us, isn't it? Of course, sometimes it is true. But in most cases, it arises from misunderstanding. And the reason such misunderstandings occur is that we often live life conveniently for ourselves rather than following the principles the Bible speaks of.  

 

Peter's Question: How Many Times to Forgive?

In today's text, Peter, too, was listening to Jesus and the disciples discussing this topic and suddenly had a question after Jesus' words. As Jesus said, we can admonish and encourage each other, try to correct each other, and strive to build the church correctly. But if we go to those people, admonish them, and they repent and feel remorse, but then commit the exact same sin again, how many times should we forgive that person? That was the question. In other words, he asked Jesus what to do if, after admonishing someone once or twice and they understand correctly and repent, which would bring a thankful heart, they continue to make the same mistakes and wrongdoings. Peter asks like this. ‘Jesus, then will you forgive up to seven times?’. This was Peter asking with a truly big heart. The rabbis of that time taught to forgive such people up to three times. The rabbis taught that even if the same sin was committed about three times, it should be forgiven, but Peter spoke of more than double that. In addition, he might have intentionally used the perfect number 7, hoping for praise from Jesus.  

 

Jesus' Answer: Not the Number, but the Heart

However, Jesus, as you know, said that one must forgive seventy-seven times (or seven times seventy). It's exactly 490 times. This is the translation in our Korean Bible, but there are also Bibles that translate it as 77 times. Most English Bibles translate it as 77 times, and the reason is this. The Old Testament, written in Hebrew, was translated into Greek around 200 BC. At this time, the story of Lamech, a descendant of Cain in Genesis, was translated. Among those stories, there is a verse, ‘If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.’ This is not a statement of repentance, but a very arrogant confession saying that although he committed such sins, he is still unshaken. The Hebrew word used at that time for ‘seventy-seven times’ is the same as the Greek word used in today's text for ‘seventy-seven times’. Therefore, nowadays, biblical scholars more often translate this verse as 77 times. Even if we consider both correct, after forgiving 77 times or 490 times, what should be done if the 491st wrong is committed? Let me tell you a story from my time as an evangelist. It's a story told to me by a deacon who has now become a pastor. That deacon, who was a devout believer, had a fight with a friend in high school, and at that time, the friend slapped the deacon's cheek so hard it made a loud noise. The thought that came to him as he was hit was, ‘I’ll endure it this time, but if you hit me just one more time, I won’t let you get away with it’. Because Jesus said if someone slaps you on the left cheek, turn the right cheek also, he thought he would take just one more hit and then kill the person. I heard him say this laughingly. Thinking about it, it might be a funny story, but this is exactly the same as vowing, ‘I have forgiven you 77 times, so if you commit the 78th wrong again, then I will never forgive you’. Is this really what the Bible is trying to tell us? You all know it's not, right? Yes, these 77 times or 490 times are metaphors for infinity. It commands us to forgive endlessly. In this sense, this verse becomes one of the most difficult passages for us in many ways. Peter probably asked Jesus with a similar heart. ‘Jesus, it’s okay to forgive only up to seven times and then take revenge, right?’. Our hearts are not much different from Peter’s. ‘Okay, I’ll endure it just this once, but if you commit the same mistake one more time, you’re finished.’ We all have this kind of heart. Because revenge is sweet, but enduring and forgiving is so hard. However, as I just mentioned, the Lord’s forgiveness in today's text is not about the number of times. We can see the Lord clearly concluding this text like this. “Unless each of you forgives them from your heart” – meaning the problem is not the number of forgivenesses, but a matter of the heart. In this sense, we must look at this parable again. Jesus explains through a parable that it is not okay to do as you please after forgiving this much.  

 

Beginning of the Parable: The Servant Owing Ten Thousand Talents

Now, let's look closely at the content of this parable. There was a king in a certain country. One day, the time came for the king to settle the nation's finances. In the process of settlement, the king discovered an enormous amount of money missing from the treasury. The amount was 10,000 talents, which had been lent to a specific person. This currency unit, the talent, was the highest unit used at that time. To compare it to today, it would be like the $1000 bill used in banks, which I have never seen myself. Calculating the value of 1 talent at that time, a laborer working diligently for a whole day received 1 denarius. In today's terms, even based on minimum wage, it would be around $100 to $200. However, one talent was worth 6,000 denarii. Therefore, it was money a laborer could earn only by working diligently for 20 years. It's an enormous amount of money. So, the 10,000 talents this person owed is an amount that one person would have to work for 200,000 years to earn. According to the writings of the historian Josephus, after Herod died, his three sons divided and ruled the region of Palestine. At that time, the taxes collected from all the people of Israel amounted to 900 talents. If so, you can imagine how large a debt of ten thousand talents was. Therefore, Jesus is now telling a parable using truly enormous exaggeration. That is, owing such a large amount of money cannot happen in reality. Yet, the protagonist today must repay this enormous sum to the king. Therefore, the premise we must first understand to unravel this parable today is that this debt is absolutely unpayable.  

 

Core Lesson 1: The Unpayable Debt of Sin

With this premise, today I want to tell you four facts about the lesson this parable is trying to convey to us. Through this, we will be able to clearly understand the meaning of this parable. The first is that this person who owes ten thousand talents simply cannot repay the money, yet the king is ordering him to repay it. Naturally, this person tells the king that he has no ability to repay. Then the king urges him to repay the debt even by selling his possessions, himself, and his entire family into slavery. But no matter what method is used, the person does not have the ability to repay that enormous debt. In the end, this person had no choice but to cling to the king. He is trying to escape the situation by asking the king to postpone the repayment date for the debt. And he is saying he will definitely repay the debt, even if it takes his entire life. The enormous debt of ten thousand talents in the text, understood in the overall context of the Bible, symbolizes the sin we have committed against the king, that is, against God. And that sin is something we cannot handle with our own strength. The depth, breadth, and severity of that sin are far more frightening than we think. Although we can say before the Lord, ‘I am a sinner,’ we cannot fully grasp the depth of that sin. That sin is so terrifying and at the same time incredibly subtle and ingenious that we easily fall prey to it. That is why we struggle because of this sin and fall to its temptation. But today's text begins the story by informing us at the outset of this parable that the problem of sin cannot be solved by our own strength.  

 

Core Lesson 2: Unconditional Cancellation - The King's Pity

And from the fact that the debt was canceled by the king, we learn the second fact this story conveys to us. That is, the reason the king canceled his debt was because the king pitied the man. There are no other conditions included here. It means there was no reason. The king simply pitied this man. So he forgave the entire enormous debt. The servant himself had done nothing, nor could he do anything. Because he possessed nothing, he could do nothing.  

 

The Twist: Ruthlessness of the Forgiven

But after he received such forgiveness, a reversal occurs. After receiving such grace from the king, he went out. Let's examine the actions he took. The Korean Bible says this man met someone who owed him money, but the exact meaning of the original text is that he sought out the debtor. That is, after receiving the cancellation of the ten thousand talent debt from the king, he goes to find the person who owes him one hundred denarii. This is also not a small amount, corresponding to about 4 months' wages for an ordinary person. We would expect that since he received such great forgiveness, he would also cancel the debt of the one who owed him. But a reversal happened. The man whose debt was canceled is roughly choking his debtor, demanding repayment of the hundred denarii debt. From our emotional perspective, it is true that we feel resentment thinking how someone who received forgiveness for such a huge sum as ten thousand talents from the king could shake someone by the neck to collect a small debt owed to him.  

 

Core Lesson 3: The Justification of Debt Collection

But here, I state the third fact that this parable speaks of today. That is the fact that this man's action of seizing the person who owed him and demanding his money back was a justifiable act. If you miss this fact, it becomes quite difficult to understand this parable. This person demanding the repayment of the debt did a justifiable thing; it was by no means wrong. Use your imagination and think about this situation. Before the king, he was so penniless that he couldn't repay even a single penny of his debt. Therefore, he had not a single penny to live on immediately. So, demanding his money back from the person who owed him a hundred denarii is, in a way, natural. It was not wrong behavior. Although you and I might momentarily feel angry at this person, he is actually rightfully demanding his own money. This is a very important concept when forgiving someone. If you have been harmed by someone and they have made things difficult for you, you have the right to receive due compensation from that person. We sometimes easily think that a believer should not receive even that, but that might not be biblically faithful.  

 

Core Lesson 4: The Crux of the Matter - Lack of Pity

However, the story doesn't end here and flows towards another place. If the third fact is that he rightfully demanded what was his, then the next problem arises immediately. The reason a problem arose was not that he didn't do a justifiable thing, but that he did not pity the debtor. He did not pity the person who owed him money. This is the key to properly understanding today's parable. If you understand this fact quickly, today's sermon can end really quickly. The secret of the gospel given to us is hidden in this fourth fact. First, we learned that he did a justifiable thing, but he did not pity the one who owed him debt. That person, like today's protagonist, was someone who could not repay his debt. Yet, pressing the debtor and even sending him to prison was the problem of this person who had received the cancellation of ten thousand talents. Do you understand now?  

 

See the Problem of Forgiveness as a Problem of Sin

That is, the most important point of today's parable is the fact that Jesus views this issue of forgiveness as an issue of sin. We often experience pain caused by people we love, whether in church or at home. Parents can be the source of our pain, and children can be our wounds. Even between spouses, arguments can cause mutual hurt and hatred. However, in resolving such pain and wounds, we often use the method of letting time solve it naturally. Marital quarrels are like cutting water with a knife, so we just gloss over them, slyly ask for forgiveness, and casually grant forgiveness, letting things pass as if nothing happened. I am not saying that resolving conflicts or wounds in this way is necessarily bad, but this method of conflict resolution makes us forget something important. It makes us forget the fact that we are sinning. The Bible tells us that the words you spoke thoughtlessly and inadvertently, which pierced another's heart and unknowingly hurt that person, are not just natural occurrences that inevitably happen as people live. Jesus is telling us that it is sin. If you have ever spoken ill of someone behind their back, whispering and gossiping, then you have sinned. We often overlook such actions without any guilt as we live our reality. However, we must remember that the Bible clearly places whispering and slandering neighbors on the same level as murder or other sins. When we unknowingly judge or condemn someone in church, we might think it was just a passing remark or a habitual action, but the Bible tells us that it can be a sin.  

 

Impossibility of Solving Sin: Human Limitations

The purpose of telling you this is not to condemn you. Rather, it is to consider whether, if such whispering or slander constitutes sin, we can resolve it. If we acknowledge these things as sin, it means we become unable to solve the problem of sin ourselves. However, because we consider it not to be sin, we easily think we can amicably resolve everything through our own efforts, employing various worldly methods and spending much time. But in reality, if we were to stand before the Lord with such sins, all these sinful states would be revealed with utter clarity. Even if we didn't know the fact, just as a frog can be killed by a carelessly thrown stone, a person can be hurt even by a thoughtless joke we throw out. How many such experiences must a pastor have, who has to preach to you every week and talk with many church members, both privately and publicly? There were very frequent times when I unintentionally hurt many people without knowing, and each time, going to that person, explaining elaborately, and asking for forgiveness was also quite difficult. This is incredibly hard and not at all easy for you, and for me as well.  

 

The Solution: Jesus Christ and the Cross

However, we must realize that the entire starting point for approaching the problem must change when Jesus declares it as sin, rather than thinking of it simply as a problem that can commonly occur in human relationships. Because sin is not a problem we can solve. Only after realizing that fact do we learn how to solve it. Because Jesus came. Jesus did not come simply to fix the conflicts that arise in our human relationships. He did not come to forgive a simple mistake you committed once. Nor did He come to enable you and me to live a slightly more elegant and refined life, to help us maintain a slightly better standard of living. The Bible clearly defines hurting another person's heart as sin, and warns that because of that sin, we can face death. And Jesus came for that purpose. Even if I resolve not to commit that sin, we are people who cannot do so. No one among us can handle it with our own effort and ability. If we do not realize this, we are people who cannot help but focus on our own psychology and controlling our emotions, our abilities, and such thoughts, rather than going to Christ. But we cannot solve this ourselves. We do not have such ability. Unless we start from knowing that Christ is the master of this problem and that the Lord came for this purpose, as the Bible clearly states, we cannot help but miss the fact that Christ, who died for me, gave us the true gospel.  

 

Difficulty of Forgiveness and the Violence of Coercion

Today's parable focuses on the person who must forgive. If there is someone in the church who has been harmed by something and needs to forgive, we easily tend to take forgiveness for granted simply because they are believers. There can be an implicit agreement within the church that people who believe in Jesus should endure and tolerate even if they suffer some damage. Therefore, among believers, such forgiveness is very often considered easy or natural. However, this is by no means desirable. Forcing blind forgiveness upon a victim, even within the church, can be very serious violence. Because for us, forgiveness is an incredibly difficult task.  

 

The Start of True Forgiveness: Knowing the King's Grace

Today's parable approaches this issue of forgiveness, which seems like a natural duty for believers and accepted as truth if approached in a certain way, slightly differently. Today's scripture connects this issue of forgiveness with sin and declares that we cannot solve it ourselves. And then, it teaches us to whom we should turn with this problem. That is precisely the cross. That is why this parable in today's text emerged within Jesus' journey to the cross. And it makes us realize that actions like hurting our neighbors are not issues that can be smoothed over between the parties involved, and that the sins committed with our lips are actions that stab our neighbors in the back. The Lord came to solve this problem of sin, to solve the problem of my lips. Do you remember the words the Lord spoke? Jesus said that when our hands and lips commit sin, we should cut them off and throw them away. If we truly obeyed the Lord's words, which of us could sit in this sanctuary and sing praises? The hands and lips for praising would all have been cut off. Yet why do we neither confess these wrongs as sin nor find it hard to forgive? Therefore, our starting point is acknowledging that we are people who cannot do it. And we must clearly understand the fact that all forgiveness must begin from the point that the One who initiates this seemingly impossible forgiveness is our King. The beginning of our forgiveness is knowing the grace of this King. It is realizing and knowing how deep and wide is the grace of Him who loved me and gave His all. We can rightfully demand an apology from the person who wronged us. And we can also admonish them not to do it again. However, when we begin all our forgiveness from God's forgiveness, it means acknowledging that all the grace I received from the King is so great, and it is far greater than any compensation I could rightfully receive. Because it is so great and beautiful, and there is nothing in my life that can compare to it, we seek God's grace, which is far greater than small compensations, even more. When this becomes possible, we finally begin to understand, little by little, what it means to truly forgive others.  

 

Forgiveness is a Process: Beyond Decision to the Will of the Cross

Forgiveness often does not happen all at once. Even if one deeply realizes God's love in their heart, understands what kind of being they are, and forgives a neighbor who wronged them, after time passes, those painful memories resurface in a corner of the heart. This is why forgiveness is not easy. What is clear is the fact that this forgiveness is not something achieved through our will or determination. Jesus clearly states that this forgiveness is a matter of the heart. We must clearly know that forgiveness, just like being unable to repay the debt we owe with our own strength or ability, is not resolved by deciding in our hearts that we must forgive that person.  

 

Compassion and Love Gained Before the Cross

Forgiveness does not arise from our resolutions. The solution must necessarily come from the cross. That is why there is hope for us. It is not completed by our mutual determination to forgive each other; in fact, Jesus came to us for this task. And Christ died for this, and thus restored and completed that forgiveness. This is the objective truth and fact. Therefore, because of Jesus, we can entrust our hearts of forgiveness to Him. Although we are easily shaken and our forgiveness and apologies are utterly inadequate, knowing that we can do this work relying on Jesus Christ is precisely the beginning of forgiveness. That realization itself becomes the basis upon which we can begin to forgive. And we finally begin to have doubts about the ‘justifiable revenge’ spoken of by many Christian counselors. Thoughts arise questioning whether the desire for revenge against those who hurt and troubled me, or the determination to collect the entire debt, is indeed right. And if this is justifiable, then why did Jesus come to me? When such thoughts arise, one naturally realizes that the other party is also a sinner trapped in a pit, absolutely unable to solve their own problems, and recognizes that they too are incapable of repayment. We are people who lack the ability to share the pain of the many hurtful memories and sufferings that have arisen between us, to cry for each other, and to forgive, though we want to. Because we are people who can only see our own pain. That is why we must encounter the cross of Jesus, and as we see it, compassion, or love, for the other person finally begins to arise in our hearts, and feelings of pity towards each other start to emerge. Therefore, the cross of Christ becomes the starting point of our forgiveness, and true forgiveness begins there.  

 

The Pain of Sin and the Peace of Christ

Sin persistently torments you and me and makes our lives difficult. This sin continuously inflicts wounds upon us and has the power to sufficiently drag us into hellish suffering. You can experience a truly terrible hell because of this sin. And the pains and wounds of the heart cannot be relieved by anything else. Sin is that difficult. But at the same time, you and I know Jesus Christ who overcame all these things. He came to us, became sin with us, died for us, and overcame that sin. And He gave us peace, not anger and suffering. That Lord becomes your friend, becomes our Master, and becomes our joy and everything.  

 

True Forgiveness and Love in the Gospel

Likewise, if you have become someone who can correctly understand the cross of Christ, you will realize that the many problems blocking us and all the reasons why forgiving them is difficult are because of our sin. Consequently, you will be able to cling to the cross once again. Thus, instead of anger and resentment, we see Jesus Christ; instead of hell, we discover the kingdom of God; instead of hating each other, we come to have compassion; and instead of our suffering in the fear of sin, we come to know the heart of the Lord who loves us like this. And when we realize and know that His love is the true power that saves me, true forgiveness and love granted by the gospel can finally begin in our hearts this year. With Christ, we can surely begin and complete this work. I hope you walk that path with Christ.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Loving Lord, we have come to know the fact that it is the gospel that we should pity one another. We thank You for letting us realize that without the Lord, we are beings incapable of resolving the feelings of hatred within us, and for letting us know what joy it is when we find true reconciliation and true resolution before Christ. Let the fact that the Lord did for us what we could only continuously fail at, and that we can rely on that Lord because we know this, truly become our eternal joy and hope, truth and power. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!