BIBLE LESSON

“Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” — Matthew 18:33

Jesus told a parable about a rich king who loaned in today’s dollars more than a trillion dollars to one of his servants. When the servant could not repay him, in accordance with the law the king resolved to sell him and his family into slavery. When his servant asked for patience and promised to repay him, the king showed him grace, forgave him and canceled his debt. Then, the servant refused to forgive one of his fellow servants who owed him a pittance (100 silver coins). Instead, the foolish servant choked him and threw him into prison; thereby further impoverishing his family and depriving the king his services. When the king heard this, he called his servant “wicked” for not graciously doing for others what he had done for him. The king expected him to follow his good example and show compassion, forgiveness and grace to others. However, the servant remained wicked because he loved money instead of God. In Matthew 6:24, Jesus preached, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” In 1 Timothy 6:10, Paul warned, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” As Paul warned, because the servant remained wicked, his king threw him into prison. In Matthew 18:35, Jesus concluded, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”