#christianity #forgiveness #biblestudy

A new series analyzing parables through exegesis: Ep 2: the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:21-35)

Narrative Context: Matthew 18 begins with a pericope on “True Greatness” where Jesus commands that his followers become not only humble like children but also to welcome the child into God’s Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew’s Gospel not only refers to the Heavenly reward, but also the institution of the Christian Church. The entirety of this chapter ought to be read as a sermon on forgiveness and inclusion into the Church. It’s within this spirit that Peter asks about the number of times one ought to forgive their brother that paves the way to the parable under study.

Key terms: When Peter offers the number 7 as an acceptable number of times one should forgive their brother (in this case, fellow church member), he is likely referring to the sevenfold vengeance for Cain (Gen 4:15; Lev 26:21). Jesus, likewise counters with 77, alluding to the vengeance for Lamech (Gen 4:24). Seven and its multiples are symbolic for fullness. In other words Christians have no right to place a limit on forgiveness.
The actions of the king indicate that he is to be identified with God -- who demands a reckoning (23), is approached as lord (26) and shows great mercy in writing off a huge debt (27).
Ten Thousand was the highest Greek numeral and a talent was the highest unit of currency. Whereas a single talent was worth more than 15 years’ wages of a laborer, the denarius was the usual day’s wage. Meaning the first servant owed the king an absurdly high amount, with no possibility of paying it back and the second servant owed the first servant a day’s wage.

Historical Context: In an honor-shame society, sin is a breach of interpersonal relations. In the Gospels the closet analogy to the forgiveness of sins is the forgiveness of debts. Debt threatened loss of land, livelihood, family. It made persons poor, that is, unable to maintain their social position. Forgiveness would thus have had the character of restoration, a return to both self-sufficiency and one’s place in community.
Being sold into slavery because of debt was not uncommon in the ancient Near East but was more commonly used for punishment than for payment of debts.
The social structure of the parable assumes that human beings are “fellow servants” living in comparable relationship to God and having various amounts of debt, yet all of them indebted.

The Message: The entirety of Matthew Chpt 18 is geared towards establishing a church position on inclusion of the outcast and by not allowing oneself to become a “stumbling block” before those who believe in Christ.

The parable reminds us that everybody sins and calls to mind The Lord’s Prayer: “and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (6:12), Jesus explains that God’s willingness to forgive us is dependent on our willingness to forgive others. The merciless servant failed to learn from the example of the king and his cruelty towards the other servant results in the revocation of his own forgiveness.

All Parables have a Shock Value and this one has a few of them: The fact that such an immense debt is forgiven would’ve been unheard of! The fact that in turn the servant won’t forgive such a minor debt from his brother is absurd! And The fact the unforgiving servant represents us -- the very people who are willing to point out the little specks in their brother’s eye, but pay no heed to the wooden beam sticking out of their own. What’s scary to know is that when we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we are ask God to forgive us in the way we forgive others. So that leave us with the question -- do we?

Sources: The International Bible Commentary, The Interpreter’s One-Volume Commentary on the Bible including the Apocrypha, with General Articles,The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, The Collegeville Bible Commentary, The Oxford Bible Commentary, An Introduction to the New Testament by Raymond Brown, Social-Science Commentary on the Synoptic Gospels by Malina and Rohrbaugh.