Matthew 18:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

NIV: The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

NASB: And the master of that slave felt compassion, and he released him and forgave him the debt.

CSB: Then the master of that servant had compassion, released him, and forgave him the loan.

NLT: Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt.

KJV: Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

NKJV: Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

After teaching that Christians should plan to offer unlimited forgiveness (Matthew 18:21–22), Jesus is illustrating with a parable. A servant owes his king 10,000 talents—each talent being worth twenty years of labor. This would have been an impossible amount to imagine a servant owing to a king. It's certainly a sign of the king's patience to allow that to happen (Romans 2:4). Since the servant cannot pay, the king has ordered that he and his family be sold into slavery to make some payment (Matthew 18:23–25).

The servant has begged the king to be patient, promising to pay back all he owes. This, obviously, would have been impossible (Matthew 18:26).

This leads to an unexpected twist: The king takes pity on the man. He doesn't set up a payment plan. He doesn't cut the debt in half. In pity for his servant, the king simply forgives the entire amount. He wipes out the debt. It is gone. If it was impossible to imagine owing a king that amount of money, it would have likely been even more impossible for Jesus' listeners to imagine a king just forgiving it. The king in Jesus' story, though, does exactly that.

The meaning behind Jesus' parable is taking shape, and some of His first listeners may have begun to think they understood it. The debt of sin was apparently often compared to financial debts during this time. Here is a powerful king who not only patiently stands by while a servant accumulates mind-boggling debt, he then forgives the debt. This is meant to be a powerful analogy for salvation through faith in Christ (Romans 5:8; Titus 3:5).

The parable is not done, however. Peter's initial question was about being forgiving towards other people, and so far Jesus has only spoken of forgiveness granted by a king. The tie-in to Peter's question comes in the next part of the story (Matthew 18:28).

Matthew 18:21–35 answers Peter's question about how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus tells a parable about the servant of a king. The king forgives the man's enormous, unpayable debt. In turn, the servant refuses to forgive the much smaller debt owed him by another and has that man thrown in prison. The king is furious and asks the servant why he did not show the same mercy he had been given. The king has the man jailed until he pays everything. Jesus says that God the Father will do the same to those who do not forgive their brothers.

Jesus uses two questions from the disciples to teach important lessons. The "greatest" in the kingdom is the one who humbles himself like a child. Temptation is unavoidable in earthly life, but it's worth going to extremes to avoid falling for it. Even so, those who fall should not be hated and despised. God the Father values them highly and wants none of them to perish. In fact, Jesus lays out a clear, careful process to confront sin in others before removing them from the community. Christ also replies to Peter's question about forgiveness with a parable. This story represents both God's amazing forgiveness, and the way we ought to respond as Christians.

Matthew 18 follows the action of the previous chapter with teaching from Jesus on several issues. These include humility, using the example of a child. Jesus also teaches about avoiding sin and offering forgiveness to others. Interestingly, the following chapter will also feature references to children and to wealth, as Christ continues to explain the will of God to His disciples.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.