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Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

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124:"So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will repay you!' He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done. Then his lord called him in, and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. Shouldn't you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?' His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him. So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don't each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds." 132: 175:(Table III, Laws IV-X), there is a detailed set of laws on debtors that shows a great deal of similarity to the scenario in the parable. A debtor who does not pay can be taken to court and put in chains and forced into a number of arrangements whereby they work off the debt through servitude. Also it states that others can come and pay the debt on their behalf, thus releasing them from prison. A debt that cannot be paid resulted in slavery to the creditor or sale on the slave market. 162:) was the highest Greek numeral, and a talent the largest unit of currency, so that 10,000 talents was the largest easily described debt (for comparison, the combined annual tribute of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea around this time was only 600 talents, and one denarius was a day's wages, so that 10,000 talents would be about 200,000 years' wages). The setting is the court of some king in another country, where the "servants" could rank as highly as provincial governors. 1271: 91: 118:
couldn't pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!' The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.
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Jesus said to him, "I don't tell you until seven times, but, until seventy times seven. Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants. When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But because he
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There is no precedent in the scriptures of the Bible for a debtor paying debts from prison. However, there is a very relevant aspect of Roman law that may have been the cultural reference this parable is built around considering the Judeans of Jesus day were ruled by Rome. In the Roman Constitution
271: 121:"But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!' 229:
writes that outward forgiveness is useless, but instead it must come from the "heart", with the threat of being refused forgiveness by God if we do not forgive. Similarly
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says that in this case the tormentors are demons, who torment the souls of the damned in hell in a thousand ways, where the phrase
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it is important to forgive others as we are forgiven by God, as illustrated by the negative example of the unforgiving servant.
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Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"
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means that they must be tormented forever, because they could never pay the full debt of ten thousand talents.
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shows the initial forgiving of the debt, and the final punishment of the unforgiving servant.
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60,000,000 denarii divided by 6 days per week divided by 50 weeks = 200,000 years' wages.
158:, so that one debt is 600,000 times as large as the other. More significantly, 10,000 (a 144: 1274: 1214: 1073: 974: 834: 824: 819: 814: 253: 199: 95: 1604: 1365: 1033: 1018: 796: 774: 742: 567: 461: 266: 226: 1156: 1134: 1107: 979: 936: 575: 281: 90: 1140: 1001: 991: 725: 107: 103: 27:
Parable taught by Jesus of Nazareth according to the Christian Gospel of Matthew
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There have been numerous depictions of this parable in art, including:
238: 30: 198:, from Christian kindness, ended the punishment of scourging debtors. 1231: 1187: 804: 159: 1285: 1577: 536: 234: 89: 29: 98:(c. 1620) shows the unforgiving servant choking the other debtor. 303: 190:
reads that the Lord "burnt with anger". Lapide notes that under
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The Gospel According to Matthew: An introduction and commentary
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This depiction of the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant on a
139:(c. 1556) shows the moment when the king scolds the servant. 505: 186:
comments on the phrase "was wroth" or "was angry". The
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London. 112: 857:Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament 1301: 521: 8: 333:Was soll ich aus dir machen, Ephraim, BWV 89 1308: 1294: 1286: 852:New Testament places associated with Jesus 847:Historical background of the New Testament 528: 514: 506: 435:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher ( 422:The great commentary of Cornelius Ă  Lapide 1179:Jacob (paternal grandfather per Matthew) 130: 345: 233:writes, "For judgement will be without 428: 154:in this parable was worth about 6,000 386:A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew 379: 377: 375: 351: 349: 7: 237:to anyone who has shown no mercy" ( 223:unless you forgive from your hearts 1170:(traditional maternal grandfather) 1164:(traditional maternal grandmother) 322:Life of Jesus in the New Testament 272:Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 48:Parable of the Unforgiving Servant 25: 18:Parable of the Unmerciful Servant 1270: 1269: 66:but not to be confused with the 1176:(paternal grandfather per Luke) 880:Quest for the historical Jesus 491:Parable of the Tortured Debtor 470:. New York: Benziger Brothers. 218:give the same interpretation. 1: 277:MusĂ©e des Beaux-Arts de Tours 258:Parable of the Wicked Servant 467:An Exposition of the Gospels 1426:New Wine into Old Wineskins 225:at the end of the parable, 1632: 830:Five Discourses of Matthew 317:Five Discourses of Matthew 68:parable of the Two Debtors 1536:Wise and Foolish Builders 1436:Pharisee and the Publican 1265: 543: 502:- from The Salvation Army 1550:Non-canonical / disputed 1057:In comparative mythology 40:Scots' Church, Melbourne 1541:Workers in the Vineyard 1210:Interactions with women 221:Concerning the phrase, 1220:Mary, sister of Martha 840:Oral gospel traditions 300:The Unmerciful Servant 286:The Unmerciful Servant 262:Gemäldegalerie, Berlin 140: 129: 99: 43: 947:Life of Christ Museum 942:Life of Christ in art 493:- The Brick Testament 196:Constantine the Great 173:Laws of the 12 Tables 134: 93: 74:which appears in the 33: 1451:Rich man and Lazarus 763:Sayings on the cross 721:Entry into Jerusalem 462:MacEvilly, Rev. John 296:John Everett Millais 216:Theophylact of Ohrid 52:Unforgiving Creditor 36:stained glass window 1521:Unforgiving Servant 1496:Tree and its Fruits 1252:Race and appearance 1190:(traditional uncle) 1096:Jesus the Splendour 738:Agony in the Garden 653:Sermon on the Mount 212:Euthymius the Great 204:until he should pay 1411:Master and Servant 1346:Drawing in the Net 1237:Rejection of Jesus 914:Christ myth theory 731:Farewell Discourse 389:, Eerdmans, 1999, 361:, Eerdmans, 1985, 290:Wallace Collection 184:Cornelius a Lapide 166:Historical context 141: 135:This depiction by 100: 94:This depiction by 60:Unmerciful Servant 56:Ungrateful Servant 44: 1616:Gospel of Matthew 1611:Parables of Jesus 1598: 1597: 1531:Wicked Husbandmen 1416:Mote and the Beam 1341:Counting the cost 1324:Canonical Gospels 1317:Parables of Jesus 1283: 1282: 1205:Language of Jesus 1152:Brothers of Jesus 1024:Session of Christ 900:Mara bar Serapion 701:Great Commandment 596:Flight into Egypt 485:Parable Explained 417:Lapide, Cornelius 383:Craig S. Keener, 327:Ministry of Jesus 76:Gospel of Matthew 16:(Redirected from 1623: 1476:Talents or minas 1351:Faithful Servant 1336:Budding Fig Tree 1310: 1303: 1296: 1287: 1273: 1272: 1148:(alleged father) 1002:Person of Christ 875:Historical Jesus 706:Olivet Discourse 634:Great Commission 530: 523: 516: 507: 487:- BibleTools.org 472: 471: 458: 452: 447: 441: 440: 434: 426: 413: 407: 404: 398: 381: 370: 353: 137:Jan van Hemessen 127:Matthew 18:21–35 80:Matthew 18:21–35 78:. 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Index

Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

stained glass window
Scots' Church, Melbourne
parable of the Two Debtors
parable of Jesus
Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 18:21–35

Domenico Fetti
Peter
forgiveness

Jan van Hemessen
Luke 17:3–4
talent
denarii
myriad
Laws of the 12 Tables
Cornelius a Lapide
Syriac text
Roman civil law
Constantine the Great
Remigius
John Chrysostom
Euthymius the Great
Theophylact of Ohrid
John McEvilly
St. James
mercy

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