Criminals “repay their debt to society” with prison, community service, monetary compensation, or in severe cases, death. The judge attempts to give a sentence that will adequately recompense the victims of the crime. But it is not unusual for either the criminal or the victim to deem the sentence unjust, depending on how they view the weight of the offense.


Jesus’ parable today depicts a servant whose debt was not to society, but to a king. The king was also the judge, so it was his choice alone to sentence payment in full or to forgive the debt. He chose the latter because the servant cried out for mercy. The first step in being forgiven a debt is to confess that it exists. The second step is to ask for grace. The third step is to admit you are unable to repay it – ever. We see that the servant did not understand forgiveness. He was forgiven so much by the king, yet later refused to forgive a fellow man even a small amount. Consequently, he was given a full sentence.


To be forgiven means the King of kings calls us to forgive!