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story, supposed a large amount in order to make a very strong case. V. 25. Commanded him to. be sold. In some Oriental lands this custom still pre vails. The law of Moses permitted a man to be sold for debt (Lev. 25:39 ; 2 Kings 4:1), but such service o f an Israelite to one o f his own people should not be con ceived of as similar to the cruel slavery known among the Gentiles. This debtor’s property and household were to be sold and the proceeds used, as far as they would go, toward the payment of his debt. V. 26. The servant fell down and wor shiped. This was not such worship as is rendered unto God, but the prostration and honor that it was customary to give to a monarch. I will pay thee dll. The servant asked for indulgence. However, the whole setting of the story emphasizes the fact that it was absolutely beyond his power to make full restitution. V. 27. Moved with compassion. The king was not moved by expectation that the debt would ever be paid, but by pity and love for the helpless and hopeless offender. What a fine picture of divine love toward sinners! Released . . . forgave. It was not release from prison, for he was not yet imprisoned, but from arrest and from responsibility to pay. It is most interesting that the word “debt” here is more accurately rendered “loan.” In his. mercy and gentleness the king does not mention that it was an embezzlement. V. 28. One of. his fellow-servants. That is, another court official. From the size of the debt, we would think o f him as some sort o f petty officer. A hundred shil lings. The Roman denarius did not have a stable value. The Revised Version (margin) estimates the amount here to represent about seventeen dollars. The disparity between twelve million dollars and seventeen dollars is used to illustrate the difference between the sinner’s debt to God, which God is ready to freely for give, and the trifling debt of a man to his fellow man whom he has wronged. Took him by the throat. A free translation is, “went to choking him.” His -cruelty is contrasted with the compassion of the king. Pay what thou owest. More lit erally, “ Pay if thou owest anything.” The insignificance o f the debt was admitted, for it was a trifle; but a merciless, legal istic spirit demanded payment to the last farthing. It was not the money that was most wanted, but cruel satisfaction. Vs. 29-30. Besought him . . . he would not. The imperfect' tense o f the verbs indicates continuous and pitiful pleading, not for forgiveness but for time to pay the debt. In this case it may be assumed that the debtor could have paid if a respite had been given. Upon a sim ilar plea this cruel creditor had been free ly forgiven a debt which he could not possibly pay, but now his heart was steeled against a fellow servant whose ob ligation was hardly worth noticing. Cast him into prison. Imprisonment for debt in Eastern countries is often extended to years. V. 31. Fellow-servants saw. Other court officials were watching. What moved them to tell the king, is not men tioned. Presumably, it was a sense of justice, as well as a feeling of pity. The Greek word rendered “told” is interesting. It means the full rehearsing of the story in all its details. ' V. 32. His lord called him. Grieved and shocked, the king reopened the case
V. 26. What did the debtor do then? What promise did he make? Could he fulfill it? Can any sinner ever fulfill his obligation to God? V. 27. What was the king’s attitude toward his debtor? Does God have much compassion (cf. Ps. 86:15)? How did the king show his compassion? V. 28. What did the forgiven debtor do? How much was owed to him? How did that compare with the debt he had been forgiven? What lesson did Christ intend to teach by this? V. 29. How did the debtor act and. what did he say? V. 30. Could he possibly have paid his debt? Did his creditor observe the Golden Rule (Matt. 7 :12) ? How did he treat his fellow servant? V. 31. Who observed what had hap pened? What did they think of it? What did they do? V. 32. What did the king do? How did he address the servant? Was the ser vant’s debt and guilt greater now than it had been before? V. 33. How did the king show the ser vant how terrible his guilt was ? How did he feel toward his servant? V. .34. What sentence did he pass upon . him? How long was he to be tormented? Would there be any hope of his escape from torment? What lesson does this, teach ? V. 35. What application from the par able does Jesus draw? * * * P ractical P oints 1. If your brother has wronged you, do not retaliate, do not cherish hatred^ do not wait for him to come to you. Make loving, sincere, continued efforts to win him. Pity him and pray for him if he persists in a hostile attitude. 2. If tempted to resent wrongs and to hate your enemy, remember how much you have been forgiven. 3. The recovering of a sinner is of far greater importance than the gratification of an unholy desire to “get even.” 4. God’s love arid mercy are unlimited —higher than the heavens, as broad as the distance between the East and the 'Vyest, as deep as the love of a father fo r, his children (Ps, 103:11-14), 5. “Man’s inhumanity to man” is proverbial; yet God can transform the evil heart of a cruel man and fill him with divine love, 6. “ If ye forgive not”—in these words are found the crux o f the matter. A for giving spirit in our hearts proves that grace has transformed them, that the former things have passed away (Matt. 6:12;' 2 Cor. 5:17). 7. Every man must give an account of himself to God. 8. No sinner can pay his debt to God. “Jesus paid it all.” 9. God’s anger is always righteous. His judgments are expressions of His love. 10. Mercilessness deserves judgment without mercy. 11. A revengeful spirit hurts the one who cherishes it as much as, or more than, the one against whom it is aimed. * * * G olden T ext I llustration “If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matt. 6:14).
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o f his forgiven debtor. His love had caused him to show mercy, but his justice calls the man to account. He addresses the offender in a way that shows his feeling— “ Thou wicked servant.” He had not -acted as a forgiven man should. He reminds the man of his own experience —“I freely forgave thee all that debt.” He also referred to the ground for his forgiveness, not because there had been a promise to pay, but “because thou be- soughtest me.” V. 33. Shouldest not thou also have had mercy? Mercy that had been shown to him by the king was intended as a pat tern for his own conduct toward others. V. 34. His lord , was wroth. Offended love is more to be feared than pure jus tice. Delivered him to the tormentors. Not merely to the jailers, but to those who inflicted torture, suggesting the tor ments of Gehenna (cf. 8:29; Luke 16: 23, 28; Rev. 20:10). Till he should pay. An impossible task, which makes neces sary the inference that the punishment continues indefinitely. III. The Lesson o f the Parable. V. 35. My heavenly Father. Not your tormentor, but my and your Father, will execute justice. It is right for Him to be angry with those who spurn His love. He does not punish for revenge but in absolute justice. There can be no incon sistency between His love that offers sal vation, and His holiness that compels Him to deal in justice with those who will not accept His terms. I f ye forgive not . . . from your hearts. We are not saved because we have forgiving spirits, but one truly saved will o f necessity show a forgiving spirit. If resentment is cher ished, there is no true forgiveness. * * * L esson Q uestions V. 21. What, question did Peter ask? What was his standard of forgiveness? ' V. 22. What did the Lord Jesus an swer? What is the Christian’s standard of forgiveness (cf. Eph. 4:32; 5:1; Col. 3 :13) ? What did Jesus mean by the words “seventy times seven” ? V. 23. O f whom is the king in the parable a type? Who are typified by the servants ? V. 24. What did the king do with his servants? Does God reckon with us (cf. Matt. 25:19)? How much ,did the servant owe? What lesson did the Lord intend to teach by the mention of so great a debt? May it represent the sinner’s great debt to God ? Did the debtor come to the king of his own accord or was he brought there? What lesson from this? V. 25. Was the debtor able to pay? What did the king then command? Are we able to pay our debt to God? Then what do we deserve?
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