Matthew 18:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’

NIV: At this the servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.'

NASB: So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’

CSB: "At this, the servant fell facedown before him and said, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything.'

NLT: But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’

KJV: The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

NKJV: The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’

This parable illustrates why Christians ought to be willing to forgive when others sin against them. He has described a king who is demanding payment for an impossible debt from one of his servants. The man owes 10,000 talents, the equivalent of literally thousands of lifetimes of earning. Jesus chose a huge, unpayable number in order to make His point about forgiveness. Since the man cannot pay, the king has ordered him and his family to be sold into slavery, along with everything he owns. The amount the king would get for this would not add up to a drop in the bucket of the servant's debt. Still, the king would get something (Matthew 18:23–25).

Now the servant falls on his knees before the king and begins to beg the king for patience. He promises to pay back the money if given enough time. Given the amount owed, however, everyone listening to Jesus tell this story would have understood that to be absurd. The servant's promise was empty and hopeless. The king in the story understands this, as well.

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.

Accessed 5/7/2024 5:21:17 AM