The Unforgiving Servant

AM Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-6(7-13) • PM Psalm 33
Isa. 65:17-25 • Rev. 22:14-21 • Matt. 18:21-35

In Matthew’s Gospel today, Jesus responds to Peter’s question about forgiveness with a parable that we might think is simple. The “Unforgiving Servant” should be so unburdened and grateful that the king forgave his debts that he goes into the world readily extending that mercy to others. God forgives us when we do not deserve it and yet we still miss the mark and do not forgive others as readily. Simple enough, right?

But today I was struck by the moment when the servant leaves the king and immediately chooses to harm the servant who owes him money. The desperation and anger he still feels even after witnessing the mercy of the king, is compelling.

If my livelihood (and that of my loved ones) was tied up in the whims of a ruler, I might be extremely suspicious of this out-of-character behavior as well. I can see myself doubtful and looking around for the hidden camera crew about to tell me it was all a game. It would be too difficult to trust that this forgiveness was real, with real implications for my life moving forward. I would not easily waltz out of that room on cloud nine, simply letting go of a lifetime of feeling like disposable labor with the crushing weight of unpayable debt hanging over me. I would still feel very, very afraid. So afraid, I might be pushed to go get that money back from my fellow slave just to feel some sense of control and security.

It feels easy to judge the servant in this story because he didn’t’ have an immediate change of heart. But I wonder if we understand how much harm a life filled with oppression and hopelessness can do to one’s soul. If you have never witnessed love, grace, or mercy amongst your fellow human beings, how difficult it must be to trust that that kind of love can even exist. How deep are those wounds and how hard is it for them to heal?

I hear in Jesus’ parable a call to trust that God’s love is real in unfathomable ways. And we must embody that love for our fellow servants perhaps in ways we can’t even imagine as real yet.

Written by Emma Mitchell

When not serving the youth and families of St. Paul’s, I can be found doing various craft projects, hanging out with my husband Dave, or entertaining our small menagerie of animals.