Matthew 18:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’

NIV: "His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

NASB: So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you.’

CSB: "At this, his fellow servant fell down and began begging him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’

NLT: His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded.

KJV: And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

NKJV: So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

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).

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.