Matthew 18:33 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

NIV: Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’

NASB: Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?’

CSB: Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’

NLT: Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’

KJV: Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

NKJV: Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’

The king has heard that the man he recently forgave of an absurdly huge debt had another servant thrown into prison over a much smaller obligation (Matthew 18:23–32). He now asks a question that should pierce the guilty man's heart. It should also pierce the heart of every believer in Jesus who struggles to forgive others. The king asks, "shouldn't you show the same mercy to others I showed to you?"

This makes Jesus' parable very personal. God is the king who has forgiven our sin. How much does that add up to? Romans 6:23 is clear that the wages of sin is death. In other words, we owe God death, eternal and painful, as the payment for our sin. The debt we accrued for sin is so outrageously large we have no hope of ever paying it back. And yet, God not only is patient with us while we accumulate those sins (2 Peter 3:9; Romans 2:4), He offers complete and total forgiveness (Romans 5:8; John 3:16–18) Those who believe in Jesus, though, are forgiven. Romans 6:23 goes on to say that the gift of God is eternal life, rather than death, for those who are in Jesus Christ.

Jesus, the one telling this story, will soon die on the cross to pay the death we owed to God for our sin (John 12:32–33). God will soon offer eternal life to all who come to Him through faith in Jesus. Eternal life begins with the forgiveness of sin through the death of Jesus. This is a gift of mercy.

It's helpful to realize that both parts of Jesus' parable involve debt—meaning both instances of forgiveness imply something real. Jesus is not saying that when others sin against us, or harm us, or hurt us, that we should act as if it's nothing. The second servant's debt was significant. The point is that even those large, painful "sins" others commit against us don't compare to the level of forgiveness we've been offered through faith in Christ (Colossians 2:13–14).

Those who follow Christ should have mercy on each other, even for the painful wrongs done to us, as God has had mercy on us for our debt of sin against Him.

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.

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.