What does Matthew 18:29 mean?
Jesus' story has taken a shocking twist. A king has forgiven one of his servants his entire debt of 10,000 talents, equivalent to literally thousands of lifetimes of wages. The king was going to sell the man and his family into slavery but took mercy on the man when he fell to his knees and begged the king for patience. The king wiped the debt out and sent the servant on his way (Matthew 18:23–27). This is a powerful picture of God's patience and mercy with our sin-debt, which can never be atoned by good works (Titus 3:5).Instead of that happy ending, though, the servant immediately goes out and finds another servant who owes him money. This debt is, 100 denarii, about 100 days' wages. That's not a trivial amount, but it's nothing compared to what was just written off. However, the man demands immediate payment, grabbing and choking the other servant. The servant in his debt falls to his knees and begs the man to be patient with him, promising to pay what he owes.
The man now finds himself in a similar place as the king was just moments ago. His response will not be the same (Matthew 18:30).
