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In the book of Matthew, toward the end of Chapter 18, Jesus tells the
parable of the unmerciful servant. A servant owed his master ten
thousand talents. When he was unable to pay, the master ultimately
forgave his debt. In turn the servant came across another fellow
servant who owed one hundred denarii. Not only did that servant fail to
forgive the debt, but also he wouldn't even grant time for his fellow
servant to come up with the money. Rather, he had his fellow servant
imprisoned until the debt was paid. When the master found out, he
restored the debt of the unmerciful servant, had him imprisoned and
tortured until he could pay the full amount.
The primary lessons are:
1. If God forgives us freely, then we should also forgive others
freely. To fail in this, jeopardizes our own forgiveness from God.
2. The trespasses (sins) of my brethren against me are insignificant
when held up against my trespasses (sins) against God.
However, as I look at the numbers (ten thousand talents and 100 denarii)
I don't believe that Jesus chose the numbers poorly or by accident.
First let's examine the number of 100 denarii. The Denarius was a unit
of currency. In Jesus day, a denarius was what a field laborer would
expect to receive for one day of labor. In order to show a modern
equivalent let's consider my son, Chris. He just started an entry-level
job at a fast food restaurant. In an 8-hour day he'll earn about fifty
dollars. So in modern equivalency, the debt from servant to servant is
about five thousand dollars. Five thousand dollars is no insignificant
number. Neither do the sins of brethren seem insignificant when they
occur. They truly only become insignificant when compared to the debt
that is owed the Master.
Now let's consider that debt, ten thousand talents. The talent was a
measurement of weight, roughly seventy-five pounds. So the servant owed
the Master seven hundred fifty thousand pounds of something, probably
silver or gold. If it were silver, the value today would be about sixty
million dollars, if gold, multiply by sixty. I don't know about others,
but I can't pay the interest on sixty million dollars. You could throw
me in prison, and torture me for eternity, and that debt would still
never be repaid. I believe that this is one underlying message that
Jesus conveys.
The problem is we often don't put our sin-debt in the proper perspective
when we view it. We all know that our sin causes us to fall short of
salvation (Rom 3: 23). But most of the time we'd like to think of our
debt as being around one hundred denarii, when in truth it's closer to
ten thousand talents. When we lose that perspective, it presents with
some problems of character that will result in our destruction if not
corrected. Among these problems is unforgiveness as stated clearly in
the parable.
Another problem with seeing my debt as a small one is that I might
become convinced that I can repay the debt (salvation by works). Many
of the world have fallen into that trap. They say, "I will do more good
than bad, and thus cancel my own debt." As such they are boasting, and
they nullify the grace of God by which all must be saved.
Still again, the wrong perspective can bring unthankfulness. Ask
yourself this question. If my Master forgave a sixty million dollar
debt, would I complain if he never gave me another penny for the rest of
my life? I hope that I would not complain, though I also perceive a
frailty in man that seems to cause us to complain regardless of what
we've received. How often do we complain that God hasn't given us that
perfect job, or healed our ailing marriage, or restored our wayward
children, or restored our good health? So what?! He's forgiven us a
debt that we could never repay! Isn't that enough? I'm not saying that
we shouldn't ask for some of these things. I'm just saying that if God
did nothing but forgive my sins, it leaves no room for complaining.
Rather, it should produce a lifetime of thanksgiving,
Philippians 4
(NIV)
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
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