THE PARABLE OF
THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT
21Then Peter came up
and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive
him? As many as seven times?”
22Jesus said to him,
“I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
23“Therefore the
kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with
his servants.
24When he began to
settle one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25And since he
could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children
and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26So the servant fell on his
knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’
27And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave
him the debt.
28But when that same
servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred
denarii and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’
29So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me,
and I will pay you.’ 30He refused and went and put him in prison until he
should pay the debt.
31When his fellow
servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went
and reported to their master all that had taken place.
32Then his master
summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt
because you pleaded with me. 33And should not you have had mercy on your fellow
servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34And in anger his master delivered him to the
jailers, until he should pay all his debt.
35So also my heavenly
Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from
your heart.”
MATTHEW 18:21-35
After our Lord Jesus
instructed his disciples of the manner of solving problems among themselves,
either on a personal level or as a community, He also instructed them in the
need of exercising mercy every time a fellow human showed repentance.
Through the parable
of the unforgiving Servant, our Lord Jesus Christ showed us that every human owes
to God and needs forgiveness of sins. Even the offences and evil acts done to
us, it is an offence to God Himself, who demands total righteousness from all
human beings, and is God who is ultimately affected by our actions. But also
showed us that even though we are all liable to condemnation due to our
ultimate debt to God, and God is willing to forgive us in his mercy to save us
from our rightful punishment; we also should show mercy for every fellow human
who has offended us, because in the forgiving of our sins, God is also
forgiving the sins of others who repents, the same as us, in order to save us.
We all have a moral
obligation to forgive offences from others done to us, regardless of the number
of times they are committed; as God forgives us always every time we repent,
without putting a limit to his own mercy.
The way we react to
this divine mercy, show who we really are.
If any of us, remains
unmerciful to others even after having received mercy from God, he or she is
proving that they do not deserve God’s forgiveness either, and his hardened
heart will be dealt in equal hard manner by the Supreme Judge of the Universe.
“For if you
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
yours”
Matthew 6:14-15
Omar Flores.
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