Devotional Space for Grace | The Unmerciful Slave | 12.16

[Jim]

December 16th THE PARABLES |The Unmerciful Slave (Matt 18:23-35) ​

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Then his lord called him in, and said to him,
'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?'

Matthew 18:32-33, World English Bible ​

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Context: The Rabbis thought that mercy could extend to forgiving someone three times (Job 33:29-30); Peter thought seven was the limit; Jesus’ mercy knows no bounds! The larger debt written off by the King was 10,000 talents - equalling 60 million denarii or wages that would require thousands of lifetimes to accumulate. The annual tribute given to wealthy Solomon was far less an amount of 666 talents. The forgiven slave would not even forgive an amount equivalent to 4 months wages.



Meaning: If a despotic earthly lord can be so merciful, how much more does our Father in heaven forgive us when we come to Him, laying before Him our total bankruptcy as repentant sinners? We are heart-broken sinners because we have broken God’s heart (Acts 10:43; 13:38-39). Jesus makes it plain that forgiveness begins with the Lord not with us; He takes the initiative. Sadly though, the servant left the throne room unchanged by the king’s grace. He still lived in the realm of justice, not mercy.


Application: As a result of God’s saving forgiveness we are radically changed to forgive others from our heart - even praying for our enemies by name. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:32) “If one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Col 3:13) Are we very critical of others and very easy on ourselves? It should not be too difficult for the forgiven to love the forgiven.

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The World’s worst prison is an unforgiving spirit. ​