Here’s the text of my most recent sermon. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
When I was asked to give today’s sermon in Rabbi Stan’s absence, I once again turned to the parables of Yeshua. Last time I spoke, we took a closer look at the Parable of the Talents, but today I would like to take a look at an entirely different parable that Yeshua offered at a different point in his ministry, under different circumstances. Yet, like the Parable of the Talents, this parable contains several elements that are worthy of closer examination, and so I saw this as a great opportunity to study it more deeply.
This parable is often referred to as The Parable of the Debtor, or the Parable of Great Debt. And so, before we begin analyzing it, let’s read through this parable, so we all have a common frame of reference. The passage begins in:
Matthew 18:23-35
“Because of this, the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared with a king who decided to settle accounts with his deputies. Right away they brought forward a man who owed him ten thousand talents, and since he couldn’t pay, his master ordered that he, his wife, his children and all his possessions be sold to pay the debt. But the servant fell down before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt. But as that servant was leaving, he came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, crying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ His fellow servant fell before him and begged, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused; instead, he had him thrown in jail until he should repay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were extremely distressed; and they went and told their master everything that had taken place. Then the master summoned his servant and said, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt just because you begged me to do it. Shouldn’t you have had pity on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And in anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he paid back everything he owed. This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Now, at first glance, there are a lot of apparent parallels between the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of Great Debt. Both involve a ruler settling accounts with his servants. Both concern themselves with the poor behavior of servants when they are outside of their master’s direct presence. And both parables resolve themselves with the punishment of a wicked or lazy servant.
Both the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of Great Debt are teachings of Yeshua on the kingdom of heaven, on what it will be like when he returns and settles accounts with all flesh, on that final Yom Kippur, on the Day of Judgment. Yet while the Parable of the Talents is a teaching of how we are to use our wealth in this world to help the needy and thereby spread the kingdom of heaven, the Parable of Great Debt is far less concerned with our worldly finances, and more concerned with our direct treatment of others.
What is the main concern or question that gives rise to this parable of Yeshua? We find the context immediately before the parable begins in:
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Yeshua and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Yeshua answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Now, often, this passage is taught separately from the Parable of Great Debt that follows; yet the Parable of Great Debt is a greater elaboration on the theme Yeshua has just established in response to Peter’s question. Their message is both complimentary and congruent. The Parable of Great Debt is acknowledged almost universally to be about forgiveness.
Yet has this parable been heard, understood, and acted upon by most believers? Or have we lost some of the weight of its meaning to the passage of time and culture, so that while most people agree with its point, few actually live out what it teaches, dismissing it as merely “a nice, idealistic homily” on moral living.
To fully understand the meaning and significance of this parable, we first have to understand some of its less-familiar terminology.
First and foremost, lets take a look and what kind of debt we’re actually talking about here, both in the case of the first servant, as well as the servant who owed him a smaller amount. We are told that the servant who is the focus of this parable owed his master ten thousand talents. How much is that? Well, the word talent comes to us from the Greek word talanton, and as we read in:
Strong’s G5007 talanton
• 2b2) a talent of silver in Israel weighed about 100 pounds (45 kg) 2b3) a talent of gold in Israel weighed about 200 pounds (91 kg)
Additionally, as David Stern tells us in his Jewish New Testament Commentary:
Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary, p. 59
In Roman times one talent equaled 6,000 denarii, a denarius being roughly a day’s wages for a common laborer … Haman offered King Achashverosh of Persia 10,000 talents of silver to destroy the Jews (Esther 3:9).
So, if this servant owes his master ten thousand talents, how much is that worth in modern terms? After all, to modern ears, at least, ten thousand of anything doesn’t always sound like much. Our first clue to its value comes from comparing the value of a talent to a denarius.
A denarius in the New Covenant Scriptures appears to be equal to roughly a day’s wages for the common working man or woman. To translate that into modern terms, let’s say that a day’s wages for the average laborer is calculated at an eight-hour work day and a wage of ten dollars an hour. That places the value of a denarius at around eighty dollars today.
A talent, then, is said to be the equivalent of six thousand denarii. That means a single talent would be roughly equivalent to $480,000. It would also mean that 10,000 talents would be equal to $4.8 billion. How long would it take to pay back such an amount? Over 164 thousand years, as a common laborer!
Also, it is important to realize that loans were not strictly business transactions in the strictest sense of the word, in the first century. As we read in:
JewishEncyclopedia.com
In ancient Israel every loan was an act of charity.
Now, all this math can get confusing and, at the very least, mind-boggling, so let’s simplify it. An alternative reading of ten thousand talents, according to some translators, is “an amount too large to count.” And not only is it too large to count, but it’s too large to ever repay. I mean, the Torah speaks of only six thousand years appointed unto man, and we’re nearing the end of that period of time already; so any amount that would take 164 thousand years to repay can, I think, be considered pretty much unrepayable.
And while we’re talking about modern values, let’s take a look at how much the other servant owes to the main servant in this parable. We are told he owes him one hundred denarii, or the equivalent of 100 days wages. Now, certainly, that’s a significant amount – about $8,000 by modern standards – but certainly it is also a repayable amount. With some scrimping and saving, even allowing for ongoing expenses, an amount like that could be paid back within a matter of two to five years with a whole lot of room for comfort along the way. And a dedicated plan could possibly even pay off that amount in about a year. Most of us have to work at least that long just to pay our annual tax burden each year.
Now, let’s apply these insights so far to the Parable of the Great Debt. Our main servant has been forgiven by the king of an unrepayable debt, a debt that in modern terms put him billions of dollars in the red. Yet despite that, he chokes and jails a fellow servant who owes him a mere $8,000.
Let’s imagine that our main servant here still believes he might be able to someday repay his forgiven debt. Even if his fellow servant had the money available, would collecting $8,000 get him noticeably closer to paying off his $4.8 billion debt? Well, it’s approximately only two ten-thousandths of one percent of his overall debt. In other words, it’s a drop in the bucket. Not enough to make a dent, a down-payment, or even an interest-only payment.
So, can you now begin to get a sense of the injustice the first servant did to the second servant? A person forgiven an unrepayable debt refuses to forgive the debt of a man who owes virtually nothing, compared to him, and whose money would not even put him close to satisfying his own debt. Is it any wonder the other servants were disturbed? Does it now seem out of line for the king to be so outraged at the servant’s lack of forgiveness of his fellow servant? Proportionally, this is like beating up a guy who owes you a couple bucks when you’re trying to repay a million-dollar loan!
Another aspect of this parable is to realize the full extent of what the first servant did to the second by tossing him in jail. When we think of jail today, what do we think of? We think primarily of small cells where prisoners are mostly isolated, but where the biggest danger they face on a daily basis stems from each other. We imagine prison violence as being posed primarily by one prisoner attacking another.
Yet this was not the case in first-century prisons; there were no group lunch lines or time out of a cell in a prison yard or even group shower time to allow such things to occur. Instead, the biggest source of prison violence in the first century came from the jailers themselves. You see, the word for jailers used in this parable comes from the Greek word basanistes, which means, as we read in:
STRONG’S G0930 basanistes
• 1) one who elicits the truth by the use of the rack 1a) an inquisitor, torturer also used of a jailer doubtless because the business of torturing was also assigned to him.
So you see, jailers in the first century were not these guards that we think of in today’s prisons, but people who were actually assigned to torture those under their care. So, for the sake of a repayable debt that wouldn’t even touch the amount he owed, the first servant, by turning the second servant over to the jailers, is actually consigning him to be tortured. Does this even make sense? Can a person in prison and under torture perform daily work to pay off a debt? Of course not. So, in effect, he’s transformed a repayable debt into an unrepayable one, by tossing his fellow servant in jail.
Now that we understand what a great injustice this first servant did to the second servant, let’s step back for a moment and examine the motive behind his actions, and whether it was even necessary.
Let’s take a closer look at what I think is the key passage to understanding this parable. Because, you see, for many years whenever I read this parable, I couldn’t understand the actions of the main servant; I couldn’t understand why he’d be so unforgiving after being so recently forgiven himself. But as I’ve studied and re-studied the parable, the truth of the matter was revealed.
Remember what this servant said when he begged the king for mercy? The verse reads, ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ So, the servant has promised, in his own way of thinking, to repay his master. And this sounds like a good character quality, right? How many people promise to repay what they owe, even when they’re in way over their head? Yet it is at best a vain promise when made in light of repayment being an impossible task.
So here’s what the next verse says: “So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.”
Now, this is where I believe there is room for misunderstanding this parable, and it helps to explain the servant’s actions. In English, I believe that this verse has been robbed of its full meaning, implication and power. When we hear the phrase “let him go,” I think what commonly comes to mind is, “decided not to put him in jail … for now.” There’s a sort of immediate implication: OK, I won’t put you in jail today for this. But there’s little in this phrase that suggests, in English, a permanent release.
Likewise, the phrase “forgave the debt” also seems to imply a current but temporary forgiveness. But is this an accurate understanding?
Well, the word rendered as “released” or “let him go” in English is actually the Greek word apolou, as we read in:
STRONG’S G0630 apoluo
• 1) to set free 2) to let go, dismiss, (to detain no longer) 2a) a petitioner to whom liberty to depart is given by a decisive answer 3d) to release a debtor, i.e. not to press one’s claim against him, to remit his debt
And the word rendered as “forgave” the debt is actually the Greek word aphiemi, as we read from the:
STRONG’S G0863 aphiemi
• 1) to send away 1b) to send forth, yield up, to expire 1d) to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit 1e) to give up, keep no longer 3c) to depart from one and leave him to himself so that all mutual claims are abandoned 3e) to go away leaving something behind 3g) to leave on dying, leave behind one 3h) to leave so that what is left may remain, leave remaining 3i) abandon, leave destitute
So the king in this parable has given this servant his liberty by a decisive answer, and that answer is that this huge debt, this unpayable debt, has been completely abandoned. It’s not just temporarily forgiven, but completely forgiven.
In other words, the king looked past the vain and unreachable pledge of the servant to repay the unpayable debt, and went a step further; he released him from any current or future obligation to repay that debt. That is what is implied by the use of apoluo and aphiemi.
So, does this servant act like someone who understands that he is under no further obligation to repay what he owed? Certainly not. Why else would he almost immediately confront a fellow servant about a much smaller debt, choke him, and toss him in jail to be tortured? That’s certainly not the act of a person who has understood the forgiveness he has been offered.
It’s the act of someone still trying to repay his obligation. He’s fearful, desperate and anything but secure. He is the opposite of blessed – the Hebrew word ashrei, which means secure and content. That’s why he acts as he does! Because anyone who truly understood the extent of the debt that he’d been released from would certainly not go around tossing others in jail for far lesser offenses, right?
It has long been my conviction that this servant’s main problem was not understanding that he was indeed fully forgiven and no longer under obligation to his king; that’s why he acted as he did. And it appears by the words used here that this must be the case.
Understanding the nature of God’s forgiveness can be life-changing, if you truly grasp and appreciate it. We are commanded to forgive as God forgives, and yet if we don’t understand just how completely God forgives, can we reflect His forgiveness to others? No. We’ll reflect a forgiveness that is as temporary and fleeting as the kind we may have experienced at the hands of the world around us, a forgiveness that brings with it no peace of mind, no release, no rest.
Yeshua teaches us what God’s forgiveness looks like, though, in:
Matthew 6:12, 14-15
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors … For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Notice that here in Matthew 6, Yeshua describes forgiveness in the same way he describes it in the parable in Matthew 18. Is God’s forgiveness capricious? No; it is linked to our willingness to reflect the same kind of forgiveness we’ve received back to others, isn’t it? And this is a consistent message throughout the Torah and the New Covenant writings. Yeshua consistently lets us know that the forgiveness we receive will be in direct measure to the forgiveness we offer others.
Matthew 10:8B
Freely you have received, freely give.
And again in:
II Chronicles 6:30B
Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men),
And again in:
Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
And also in:
Colossians 3:13
Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Is it becoming clear yet? As believers, as people who have experienced the salvation offered through Yeshua the Messiah, forgiveness is more than just a good idea, or a moral imperative. Forgiveness is expected, and in fact, the forgiveness we receive will be in direct proportion to the forgiveness we offer others! This is not Yeshua speaking carelessly just to drive home a point; I believe he’s speaking a Kingdom reality. Why else would he say, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart?” Does that sound like a “nice idea, easily ignored” type of teaching? Of course not!
Now, whenever forgiveness at this level comes up, there are two types of objections that typically arise. The first is, “Well, you don’t know some of the things I’ve done. I’ve done things that just can’t be forgiven.” And the other is, “Well, you don’t understand what I’ve gone through. I’ve suffered things that no one should expect me to ever forgive.”
The first objection brings to mind a call I received once while working in the Sar Shalom office. A man called asking to speak to the rabbi. Stan wasn’t in so I asked if I could take a message, and this guy poured out his heart to me before I could get another word in edgewise.
The core of what was disturbing him, it turns out, was that he felt as though some actions he’d done in the past had made him what he called, “super-corrupt” and “unforgivable.” This young man had been hospitalized for depression and a variety of issues, but they all seemed to stem back to his core belief that he was unlike anyone else who’d ever been born; he was too sinful for the L-RD to ever forgive. And this core belief had created chaos in his life, making him unable to hold down a job or have normal relationships… all because he believed he was unforgivable.
Well, here’s a word of hope for anyone who feels they are unforgivable: through Yeshua’s work on the cross, his grace is sufficient for you. It’s enough. There is no room for the concept of being so corrupt in your sin that you are unforgivable.
But there is a catch. You have to be willing to obey the words of Yeshua and, as he directed the woman caught in adultery, you have to be willing to “go and sin no more.” You have to be willing to walk away from your sin, to turn from it completely. That’s what repentance means! As we read in the:
JewishEncyclopedia.com
Forgiveness is one of the attributes ascribed to the L-RD … The condition essential to God’s forgiveness of iniquity is … repentance on the part of the sinner for the offense committed. A further essential condition is the intention to avoid repetition of the offense. The fulfillment of these conditions restores the sinner to his right relation toward the L-RD.
Now, this may go against what many of you have been taught forgiveness and grace are all about. The common believer’s understanding of grace tends to be, “Hey, Yeshua paid the price, I’m covered, so anything goes.” But that is not the message of Messiah Yeshua! It’s not the message of the Torah! While forgiveness is a work of God, if we are found absent of repentance, absent of even a willingness to change, something’s missing. Salvation is not dependant upon what we do, but if we have truly experienced salvation, we ought not be found absent of the fruit of that forgiveness.
As for the objection brought up by those victimized by others, be assured, the L-RD grieves and weeps with you. It is for this reason Yeshua has said, “Secure and content are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Those who are victimized by others are in mourning. Whether they are mourning for the loss of a loved one to violent crime, or mourning a loss of innocence as the result of a violent crime that did not take physical life, but robbed them of all the elements essential to an abundant life, such as peace of mind, please know that Yeshua does not promise lightly that you will be comforted. You are understood. He does weep with you.
However, I’ve met many people like this over the course of my life. I remember one person in particular I met in college. She had been the victim of sexual abuse by her father, and although she claimed to have forgiven him, the evidence that her forgiveness was not complete was apparent in many of her actions. Though she claimed to be a believer, she had a grumpy, suspicious disposition; she was frequently argumentative, easily took offense at the slightest comment, and made every effort to keep others at arm’s length. She never developed close, trusting relationships. Does that sound like the fruit of a person who has known the L-RD’s forgiveness in its fullness?
If that is the kind of place in which you find yourself … wounded by the sins of others, feeling victimized, then yes, the word of hope for you is that you will be comforted, but the word of caution for you is that the L-RD wants you – even you! – to reflect that forgiveness and comfort to others!
If we withhold forgiveness from others, what are we hanging onto? Pain. Betrayal. Bitterness. A boatload of emotions that have no place or benefit in the life of a believer who has experienced the true presence of the L-RD in their life.
We don’t forgive because it’s easy, or because the person who offended us has earned it, or because whatever happened wasn’t that big a deal. We forgive because the alternative is a burden that draws us away from the L-RD, rather than toward Him! The alternative is treating anyone we don’t trust like an enemy. Yet Yeshua commanded us directly to forgive and bless our enemies. If we only do that with our friends, He instructs us, then we are no better than the godless, the Torah-less masses! Even the rabbis who wrote the Oral Law, the Talmud, recognize this important aspect of forgiveness, as we read in:
Talmud, Avot of Rabbi Natan, 23
Who is strong? He who turns an enemy into a friend.
That is our charge as believers; that is what we are commanded to do. We are to forgive, and forgive completely, so that we can be forgiven by the same measure. Be cautious! Every time you’re tempted to say, “Well, I forgive that person, but I don’t have to like them,” or, “but I don’t want to be around them,” … the question you should ask is, “Do I want Yeshua to say the same thing about me, and my sin?”
I’ll leave you with these words from the book of:
Philippians 2:12-16A
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence–continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life.
Shabbat Shalom.
Sermon: The Parable of Great Debt
Sunday, January 3rd, 2010
Here’s the text of my most recent sermon. Or listen to it!
Shabbat Shalom.
When I was asked to give today’s sermon in Rabbi Stan’s absence, I once again turned to the parables of Yeshua. Last time I spoke, we took a closer look at the Parable of the Talents, but today I would like to take a look at an entirely different parable that Yeshua offered at a different point in his ministry, under different circumstances. Yet, like the Parable of the Talents, this parable contains several elements that are worthy of closer examination, and so I saw this as a great opportunity to study it more deeply.
This parable is often referred to as The Parable of the Debtor, or the Parable of Great Debt. And so, before we begin analyzing it, let’s read through this parable, so we all have a common frame of reference. The passage begins in:
Now, at first glance, there are a lot of apparent parallels between the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of Great Debt. Both involve a ruler settling accounts with his servants. Both concern themselves with the poor behavior of servants when they are outside of their master’s direct presence. And both parables resolve themselves with the punishment of a wicked or lazy servant.
Both the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of Great Debt are teachings of Yeshua on the kingdom of heaven, on what it will be like when he returns and settles accounts with all flesh, on that final Yom Kippur, on the Day of Judgment. Yet while the Parable of the Talents is a teaching of how we are to use our wealth in this world to help the needy and thereby spread the kingdom of heaven, the Parable of Great Debt is far less concerned with our worldly finances, and more concerned with our direct treatment of others.
What is the main concern or question that gives rise to this parable of Yeshua? We find the context immediately before the parable begins in:
Now, often, this passage is taught separately from the Parable of Great Debt that follows; yet the Parable of Great Debt is a greater elaboration on the theme Yeshua has just established in response to Peter’s question. Their message is both complimentary and congruent. The Parable of Great Debt is acknowledged almost universally to be about forgiveness.
Yet has this parable been heard, understood, and acted upon by most believers? Or have we lost some of the weight of its meaning to the passage of time and culture, so that while most people agree with its point, few actually live out what it teaches, dismissing it as merely “a nice, idealistic homily” on moral living.
To fully understand the meaning and significance of this parable, we first have to understand some of its less-familiar terminology.
First and foremost, lets take a look and what kind of debt we’re actually talking about here, both in the case of the first servant, as well as the servant who owed him a smaller amount. We are told that the servant who is the focus of this parable owed his master ten thousand talents. How much is that? Well, the word talent comes to us from the Greek word talanton, and as we read in:
Additionally, as David Stern tells us in his Jewish New Testament Commentary:
So, if this servant owes his master ten thousand talents, how much is that worth in modern terms? After all, to modern ears, at least, ten thousand of anything doesn’t always sound like much. Our first clue to its value comes from comparing the value of a talent to a denarius.
A denarius in the New Covenant Scriptures appears to be equal to roughly a day’s wages for the common working man or woman. To translate that into modern terms, let’s say that a day’s wages for the average laborer is calculated at an eight-hour work day and a wage of ten dollars an hour. That places the value of a denarius at around eighty dollars today.
A talent, then, is said to be the equivalent of six thousand denarii. That means a single talent would be roughly equivalent to $480,000. It would also mean that 10,000 talents would be equal to $4.8 billion. How long would it take to pay back such an amount? Over 164 thousand years, as a common laborer!
Also, it is important to realize that loans were not strictly business transactions in the strictest sense of the word, in the first century. As we read in:
Now, all this math can get confusing and, at the very least, mind-boggling, so let’s simplify it. An alternative reading of ten thousand talents, according to some translators, is “an amount too large to count.” And not only is it too large to count, but it’s too large to ever repay. I mean, the Torah speaks of only six thousand years appointed unto man, and we’re nearing the end of that period of time already; so any amount that would take 164 thousand years to repay can, I think, be considered pretty much unrepayable.
And while we’re talking about modern values, let’s take a look at how much the other servant owes to the main servant in this parable. We are told he owes him one hundred denarii, or the equivalent of 100 days wages. Now, certainly, that’s a significant amount – about $8,000 by modern standards – but certainly it is also a repayable amount. With some scrimping and saving, even allowing for ongoing expenses, an amount like that could be paid back within a matter of two to five years with a whole lot of room for comfort along the way. And a dedicated plan could possibly even pay off that amount in about a year. Most of us have to work at least that long just to pay our annual tax burden each year.
Now, let’s apply these insights so far to the Parable of the Great Debt. Our main servant has been forgiven by the king of an unrepayable debt, a debt that in modern terms put him billions of dollars in the red. Yet despite that, he chokes and jails a fellow servant who owes him a mere $8,000.
Let’s imagine that our main servant here still believes he might be able to someday repay his forgiven debt. Even if his fellow servant had the money available, would collecting $8,000 get him noticeably closer to paying off his $4.8 billion debt? Well, it’s approximately only two ten-thousandths of one percent of his overall debt. In other words, it’s a drop in the bucket. Not enough to make a dent, a down-payment, or even an interest-only payment.
So, can you now begin to get a sense of the injustice the first servant did to the second servant? A person forgiven an unrepayable debt refuses to forgive the debt of a man who owes virtually nothing, compared to him, and whose money would not even put him close to satisfying his own debt. Is it any wonder the other servants were disturbed? Does it now seem out of line for the king to be so outraged at the servant’s lack of forgiveness of his fellow servant? Proportionally, this is like beating up a guy who owes you a couple bucks when you’re trying to repay a million-dollar loan!
Another aspect of this parable is to realize the full extent of what the first servant did to the second by tossing him in jail. When we think of jail today, what do we think of? We think primarily of small cells where prisoners are mostly isolated, but where the biggest danger they face on a daily basis stems from each other. We imagine prison violence as being posed primarily by one prisoner attacking another.
Yet this was not the case in first-century prisons; there were no group lunch lines or time out of a cell in a prison yard or even group shower time to allow such things to occur. Instead, the biggest source of prison violence in the first century came from the jailers themselves. You see, the word for jailers used in this parable comes from the Greek word basanistes, which means, as we read in:
So you see, jailers in the first century were not these guards that we think of in today’s prisons, but people who were actually assigned to torture those under their care. So, for the sake of a repayable debt that wouldn’t even touch the amount he owed, the first servant, by turning the second servant over to the jailers, is actually consigning him to be tortured. Does this even make sense? Can a person in prison and under torture perform daily work to pay off a debt? Of course not. So, in effect, he’s transformed a repayable debt into an unrepayable one, by tossing his fellow servant in jail.
Now that we understand what a great injustice this first servant did to the second servant, let’s step back for a moment and examine the motive behind his actions, and whether it was even necessary.
Let’s take a closer look at what I think is the key passage to understanding this parable. Because, you see, for many years whenever I read this parable, I couldn’t understand the actions of the main servant; I couldn’t understand why he’d be so unforgiving after being so recently forgiven himself. But as I’ve studied and re-studied the parable, the truth of the matter was revealed.
Remember what this servant said when he begged the king for mercy? The verse reads, ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ So, the servant has promised, in his own way of thinking, to repay his master. And this sounds like a good character quality, right? How many people promise to repay what they owe, even when they’re in way over their head? Yet it is at best a vain promise when made in light of repayment being an impossible task.
So here’s what the next verse says: “So out of pity for him, the master let him go and forgave the debt.”
Now, this is where I believe there is room for misunderstanding this parable, and it helps to explain the servant’s actions. In English, I believe that this verse has been robbed of its full meaning, implication and power. When we hear the phrase “let him go,” I think what commonly comes to mind is, “decided not to put him in jail … for now.” There’s a sort of immediate implication: OK, I won’t put you in jail today for this. But there’s little in this phrase that suggests, in English, a permanent release.
Likewise, the phrase “forgave the debt” also seems to imply a current but temporary forgiveness. But is this an accurate understanding?
Well, the word rendered as “released” or “let him go” in English is actually the Greek word apolou, as we read in:
And the word rendered as “forgave” the debt is actually the Greek word aphiemi, as we read from the:
So the king in this parable has given this servant his liberty by a decisive answer, and that answer is that this huge debt, this unpayable debt, has been completely abandoned. It’s not just temporarily forgiven, but completely forgiven.
In other words, the king looked past the vain and unreachable pledge of the servant to repay the unpayable debt, and went a step further; he released him from any current or future obligation to repay that debt. That is what is implied by the use of apoluo and aphiemi.
So, does this servant act like someone who understands that he is under no further obligation to repay what he owed? Certainly not. Why else would he almost immediately confront a fellow servant about a much smaller debt, choke him, and toss him in jail to be tortured? That’s certainly not the act of a person who has understood the forgiveness he has been offered.
It’s the act of someone still trying to repay his obligation. He’s fearful, desperate and anything but secure. He is the opposite of blessed – the Hebrew word ashrei, which means secure and content. That’s why he acts as he does! Because anyone who truly understood the extent of the debt that he’d been released from would certainly not go around tossing others in jail for far lesser offenses, right?
It has long been my conviction that this servant’s main problem was not understanding that he was indeed fully forgiven and no longer under obligation to his king; that’s why he acted as he did. And it appears by the words used here that this must be the case.
Understanding the nature of God’s forgiveness can be life-changing, if you truly grasp and appreciate it. We are commanded to forgive as God forgives, and yet if we don’t understand just how completely God forgives, can we reflect His forgiveness to others? No. We’ll reflect a forgiveness that is as temporary and fleeting as the kind we may have experienced at the hands of the world around us, a forgiveness that brings with it no peace of mind, no release, no rest.
Yeshua teaches us what God’s forgiveness looks like, though, in:
Notice that here in Matthew 6, Yeshua describes forgiveness in the same way he describes it in the parable in Matthew 18. Is God’s forgiveness capricious? No; it is linked to our willingness to reflect the same kind of forgiveness we’ve received back to others, isn’t it? And this is a consistent message throughout the Torah and the New Covenant writings. Yeshua consistently lets us know that the forgiveness we receive will be in direct measure to the forgiveness we offer others.
And again in:
And again in:
And also in:
Is it becoming clear yet? As believers, as people who have experienced the salvation offered through Yeshua the Messiah, forgiveness is more than just a good idea, or a moral imperative. Forgiveness is expected, and in fact, the forgiveness we receive will be in direct proportion to the forgiveness we offer others! This is not Yeshua speaking carelessly just to drive home a point; I believe he’s speaking a Kingdom reality. Why else would he say, “This is how my heavenly Father will treat you, unless you forgive your brother from your heart?” Does that sound like a “nice idea, easily ignored” type of teaching? Of course not!
Now, whenever forgiveness at this level comes up, there are two types of objections that typically arise. The first is, “Well, you don’t know some of the things I’ve done. I’ve done things that just can’t be forgiven.” And the other is, “Well, you don’t understand what I’ve gone through. I’ve suffered things that no one should expect me to ever forgive.”
The first objection brings to mind a call I received once while working in the Sar Shalom office. A man called asking to speak to the rabbi. Stan wasn’t in so I asked if I could take a message, and this guy poured out his heart to me before I could get another word in edgewise.
The core of what was disturbing him, it turns out, was that he felt as though some actions he’d done in the past had made him what he called, “super-corrupt” and “unforgivable.” This young man had been hospitalized for depression and a variety of issues, but they all seemed to stem back to his core belief that he was unlike anyone else who’d ever been born; he was too sinful for the L-RD to ever forgive. And this core belief had created chaos in his life, making him unable to hold down a job or have normal relationships… all because he believed he was unforgivable.
Well, here’s a word of hope for anyone who feels they are unforgivable: through Yeshua’s work on the cross, his grace is sufficient for you. It’s enough. There is no room for the concept of being so corrupt in your sin that you are unforgivable.
But there is a catch. You have to be willing to obey the words of Yeshua and, as he directed the woman caught in adultery, you have to be willing to “go and sin no more.” You have to be willing to walk away from your sin, to turn from it completely. That’s what repentance means! As we read in the:
Now, this may go against what many of you have been taught forgiveness and grace are all about. The common believer’s understanding of grace tends to be, “Hey, Yeshua paid the price, I’m covered, so anything goes.” But that is not the message of Messiah Yeshua! It’s not the message of the Torah! While forgiveness is a work of God, if we are found absent of repentance, absent of even a willingness to change, something’s missing. Salvation is not dependant upon what we do, but if we have truly experienced salvation, we ought not be found absent of the fruit of that forgiveness.
As for the objection brought up by those victimized by others, be assured, the L-RD grieves and weeps with you. It is for this reason Yeshua has said, “Secure and content are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” Those who are victimized by others are in mourning. Whether they are mourning for the loss of a loved one to violent crime, or mourning a loss of innocence as the result of a violent crime that did not take physical life, but robbed them of all the elements essential to an abundant life, such as peace of mind, please know that Yeshua does not promise lightly that you will be comforted. You are understood. He does weep with you.
However, I’ve met many people like this over the course of my life. I remember one person in particular I met in college. She had been the victim of sexual abuse by her father, and although she claimed to have forgiven him, the evidence that her forgiveness was not complete was apparent in many of her actions. Though she claimed to be a believer, she had a grumpy, suspicious disposition; she was frequently argumentative, easily took offense at the slightest comment, and made every effort to keep others at arm’s length. She never developed close, trusting relationships. Does that sound like the fruit of a person who has known the L-RD’s forgiveness in its fullness?
If that is the kind of place in which you find yourself … wounded by the sins of others, feeling victimized, then yes, the word of hope for you is that you will be comforted, but the word of caution for you is that the L-RD wants you – even you! – to reflect that forgiveness and comfort to others!
If we withhold forgiveness from others, what are we hanging onto? Pain. Betrayal. Bitterness. A boatload of emotions that have no place or benefit in the life of a believer who has experienced the true presence of the L-RD in their life.
We don’t forgive because it’s easy, or because the person who offended us has earned it, or because whatever happened wasn’t that big a deal. We forgive because the alternative is a burden that draws us away from the L-RD, rather than toward Him! The alternative is treating anyone we don’t trust like an enemy. Yet Yeshua commanded us directly to forgive and bless our enemies. If we only do that with our friends, He instructs us, then we are no better than the godless, the Torah-less masses! Even the rabbis who wrote the Oral Law, the Talmud, recognize this important aspect of forgiveness, as we read in:
That is our charge as believers; that is what we are commanded to do. We are to forgive, and forgive completely, so that we can be forgiven by the same measure. Be cautious! Every time you’re tempted to say, “Well, I forgive that person, but I don’t have to like them,” or, “but I don’t want to be around them,” … the question you should ask is, “Do I want Yeshua to say the same thing about me, and my sin?”
I’ll leave you with these words from the book of:
Shabbat Shalom.
Tags: forgiveness, parable of great debt, Yeshua
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