Matthew 18:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

NIV: Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to.

NASB: Then summoning him, his master *said to him, ‘You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.

CSB: Then, after he had summoned him, his master said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

NLT: Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.

KJV: Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

NKJV: Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.

The distress of a man's fellow servants has now become the fury of his king. Those servants have reported to the king that the same man he had forgiven for an unrepayable debt had turned around and thrown another servant in jail for a ridiculously smaller debt. The one who had been forgiven all refused to forgive any (Matthew 18:23–31).

The master, the king, calls the servant back into his presence and then calls him wicked. The king reminds him that he just forgave the enormous debt because the man pleaded with him. One can only imagine the anger the king would have expressed. This will not go well.

Jesus' point is obvious now. God has forgiven those who believe in Jesus of an enormous, unpayable debt of sin instead of sending us away to the fires of hell. Should that change the way we think about forgiving each other? How can someone who is a born-again believer fail to appreciate the debt they've been forgiven? Does such a person even understand their own relationship to God (Matthew 6:14–15)? That, in fact, is the point Christ will make in the next verses (Matthew 18:35).

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.