STORIES JESUS TOLD - THE PARABLES OF JESUS

THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT – A STORY ABOUT FORGIVENESS

READ MATTHEW 18.21-35

1. PETER’S SITUATION 18.21-22

Peter’s question:

• What was the issue in Peter’s mind and heart?  Do you understand ‘where he was coming from’?
• Why is forgiveness so hard?  What does it involve?
• How often would you forgive?

Peter’s suggestion:

• When Peter suggested ‘seven times’ what do you think was in his mind?  Is it a lot or a little?   (Luke 17.3-4)

Jesus’ stipulation

• How do you understand Jesus’ reply?
• How do you react to it?

2. JESUS’ ILLUSTRATION 18.23-34

VAST DEBT:

DAYS OF DEBT:  Here is a picture we in the 21st century can readily identify with.  All around countless numbers are running up huge debts they have little hope of repaying.  In the story the servants ‘debt’ is called (in the Greek of verse 27) a ‘daneiov’, “a loan”. Servants could own land and take out agricultural loans. The Greek word for ‘debt’ means ‘something that is owed to another’.

The story:

• How much does the servant owe his master?  What is the significance of the sum?

The message:

• In Matthew 6.12, Jesus uses the word ‘debt’ for our ‘sins’.  Sin is like a ‘debt’ to God for it is the non-payment of what we own him.
• What do we owe to God? List the things?
• How often over our life-time have we failed to pay?
• Where does that leave us?  How big do you think ‘the tally’ might be?
• Do we really realise how hopeless our situation is? – or are we like many today, seemingly unaware of the perils of the debt they live in?

DAY OF RECKONING:  For all the ‘debt’ there eventually comes a day of reckoning!

The story:

• Talk about the day the King settled his accounts.  Was this a reasonable thing to do?

The message:

• Is there a day of settling of accounts with God? When will God ‘open his books’ in a day of reckoning? What does the Bible say? Daniel 7.9-10  Revelation 20.11-15
• Hebrew 9.27-28 Matthew 12.36 Romans 2.5

AMAZING GRACE

The story:

• What was the servant’s response to being called upon to pay up?  What do you make of it?
• What was his master’s reaction?  Did he grant the servant what he asked?
• What make the master act as he did?

The message:

• How does all this wonderfully illustrate God’s dealings with us?

UNBELIEVABLE INGRATITUDE

The story:

• How do you imagine Jesus’ listeners reacted when they heard of the servant’s subsequent behaviour?
• What explanations can you offer for his actions? Any?

The message:

• What reasons do we often put forward for our unforgiveness of others?  Are they acceptable?
• Does the story succeed in powerfully getting home the fact that unforgiveness is scandalous?

3. JESUS’ CONCLUSION  18.31-35

The story:

• How do his fellow servants react to his merciless behaviour? Does this have anything to suggest to us about an unbelieving world’s response to a graceless Christian?
• What did the master think of his behaviour?

The message:

• Talk about the final very clear and stark message Jesus draws in concluding his story.
• How essential to our forgiveness of others is an understanding of our own deep sinfulness and indebtedness? And of God’s amazing forgiveness?

EXACTLY HOW BIG ARE GRACE AND FORGIVENESS IN YOUR LIFE?

(PRAY FOR THOSE SO HURT BY WRONGS THAT THEY STRUGGLE WITH FORGIVENESS)