(Text and Audio)
Title: The Unforgiving Servant, Part One
Last week we “set the stage” for the study of today’s parable. If you recall, we highlighted a few points from verses 21-22 including the fact that Peter (rather peculiarly) wasn’t asking if he had to forgive his brother, but rather he was asking Jesus, “how many times must I forgive my brother.”
We also looked at the idea that the way Jesus answers Peter’s question suggests very strongly a link between our willingness to forgive others, and our father’s willingness to forgive us.
And, to be sure, this isn’t a works based idea of salvation, it’s a proof of our salvation. Let me say it this way:
Primer:
Jesus is not telling Peter that a requirement of Peter’s salvation is that he first forgive others (and do that often) in order to receive forgiveness.
What Jesus is saying is that if Peter is unwilling or unable to forgive others, perhaps the love of God is not in him after all, and, therefore, Peter is not forgiven.
This concept is all over the New Testament: James tells us works “prove” the reality of one’s faith. Paul reminding us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.”
So what I’d like to do over the next two weeks is to work through this parable (one that most of us are very familiar with) and stop a few points along the way to highlight some key elements and briefly explain why I think they are important.
Friends, you will see very quickly that at the heart of this parable is something extraordinary. Something even much more powerful than the requirement of us forgiving others. When we close I’ll return to this concept and make sure we’ve all caught it.
Let’s begin.
(read/pray)
Parable analysis:
“Therefore”
Whenever we see this word what must we do? (Take answers)
POINT: Jesus is using this parable to further explain the truth that he’s already stated in verse 22. (We must forgive “seventy times seven” i.e. “infinitely”)
“He wanted to settle accounts”
Any idea what this is an illusion of?
POINT: Judgement is coming, it’s inevitable. (see Hebrews 4:13)
“Ten thousand talents”
This is an absurd amount of money, equal to six thousand denarii. A single denarii was a typical single day’s wage. This man owed six thousand days worth of wages to his LORD! If he gave 100% of his wages back to his Lord (which is impossible) He would have to work 365 days a year for 16.5 years to pay this debt off, and that included no interest. It is an absurd amount of money to owe. Realistically, he would have to literally turn over his life’s work for the remainder of his life to even make a dent in this debt!
What does such a sum of money symbolize, particularly such a some being owed by a lowly servant laborer?
POINT: We never have had, nor will we ever have, the resources, or ability to repay what we owe to our LORD.
“But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold…”
Is this harshness on behalf of the master, or is it something else? If it is something else, what is the best word to describe it?
POINT: This is NOT harsh, this is JUSTICE. HELL IS JUSTICE.
“…with his wife and children and all that he had.”
Now, surely THIS is harsh! What did his wife, his children, have to do with this man’s debt to his master? How can this be fair?
POINTS:
- A Man is accountable for his household (So, men, we better “gird up the loins of our minds” and get ready for battle, because battle is at our doorstep!)
- The penalty of sin is automatically transferred from parents to children. We are all born with it, before we ever sin in action.
“The servant therefore fell down before him…”
POINT: What is the “therefore” in reference to?
- The realization of the reality of the debt we owe.
- The realization our our inability to pay.
- The realization of the perfection of the LORD we’ve betrayed.
- The realization of the fear and reverence that MUST result from items #1-3 above. (FEAR and TREMBLING.)
Side Question: What evidence is there that previous to the debts being called in, this man did NOT respect or fear his master?
A: That he could even run up such a debt suggests he never thought that the debt would be called in. Do you know anyone that lives like that?
“Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.”
We talked earlier about what a ridiculous amount of money this is. So what is this servant REALLY claiming?
POINT: His giving his life over to the master, in hope that the master will have mercy on him and substitute JUSTICE with MERCY.
“Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.”
As we began our message today I suggested that this parable was about something HUGE, much bigger than even a teaching on forgiveness.
What is the parable really illustrating?
POINT: Jesus begins the parable by stating “The kingdom of heaven is like…” This parable is about the very Gospel itself.
Close:
You’ve all heard the statement “the proof is in the pudding.” Next week, we will examine the “pudding” of this servant’s life and sadly, we will see the reality of the lack of proof.