In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches the parable of the unforgiving servant, presenting a profound reflection on the nature of mercy and the consequences of withholding forgiveness. This parable, like many others spoken by Christ, brings into focus the kingdom of heaven and the standards by which God measures our hearts. In this parable, we are invited to contemplate the boundless mercy of God, the necessity of imitating that mercy, and the dire consequences of failing to do so.
The Infinite Mercy of God
The parable opens with a king settling accounts with his servants. One servant is brought before the king who owes him an enormous sum—ten thousand talents. To understand the weight of this debt, we must consider the historical value of a talent. One talent was equivalent to about twenty years' wages for a laborer, making ten thousand talents an impossible debt to repay. St. Jerome, in his Commentary on Matthew, highlights the significance of this figure, noting that Christ uses this immense sum to symbolize the incalculable nature of our debt to God due to sin.1 The king’s decision to forgive the entire debt when the servant pleads for mercy illustrates the infinite mercy of God, who, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms, "is rich in mercy" and always ready to forgive those who seek His pardon. [2]
St. Augustine reflects on this divine mercy in his Confessions, where he describes God as "more inward than my innermost self and higher than my highest self." [3] God knows our weaknesses and is compassionate toward those who seek His forgiveness with a contrite heart. Augustine emphasizes that when we repent, God does not measure out His mercy sparingly but rather pours it out in abundance, just as the king in the parable forgives the servant’s enormous debt.
The Expectation to Imitate Divine Mercy
After receiving such a great act of mercy, the servant in the parable immediately encounters a fellow servant who owes him a hundred denarii—a comparatively minuscule debt. Rather than extending the same mercy he received, the servant demands repayment and throws the fellow servant into prison. This act of ingratitude is the crux of the parable’s warning. Gregory the Great, in his Morals on the Book of Job, explains that the servant's inability to forgive stems from a hardened heart, unwilling to reflect the mercy that was shown to him.4 Gregory insists that to receive mercy from God, we must be merciful to others, for "mercy and judgment are mixed together in the world to come." [5]
The Church Fathers consistently emphasize this principle. St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, stresses that forgiveness is not optional for Christians. He writes, "Nothing makes us so like God as our readiness to forgive the wicked and the wrongdoers." [6] Just as God has forgiven us an immeasurable debt through the sacrifice of Christ, we are obligated to forgive others, regardless of the gravity of their offense.
The Consequences of Withholding Forgiveness
The parable reaches its climax when the king learns of the unforgiving servant’s actions. The king’s anger is kindled, and he hands the servant over to the torturers until he can repay the original debt—a debt that, by its magnitude, could never be repaid. This dramatic turn of events illustrates a key truth about the spiritual life: while God’s mercy is freely offered, it must be accepted and reflected in our actions. If we do not forgive others, we reject the mercy God has extended to us.
St. Leo the Great, in his Sermons, offers a sobering reflection on this point, stating that "nothing is more profitable for a Christian than mercy; for just as water extinguishes fire, so does mercy wipe out sin." [7] When we refuse to forgive, we cut ourselves off from the very grace that cleanses us of sin. The Catechism echoes this teaching, warning that refusing to forgive our neighbor "closes our hearts to the Father’s merciful love." [8]
St. Gregory of Nyssa adds depth to this teaching in his On the Beatitudes, where he argues that our inability to forgive reveals a deeper spiritual sickness—pride. "Pride," he writes, "is the worst enemy of forgiveness, for it keeps the soul bound in chains, unable to imitate the humility of Christ." [9] The unforgiving servant, by his refusal to show mercy, exhibits this pride, which ultimately leads to his downfall.
Forgiving From the Heart
Jesus concludes the parable with a solemn warning: "So also My heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts" (Matthew 18:35). This final statement makes clear that forgiveness must be more than a superficial act; it must come from the heart. St. Augustine, in his Letter to Proba, teaches that true forgiveness springs from charity, which is "the root of all the virtues." [10] Without charity, forgiveness becomes hollow, a mere outward gesture devoid of the inner transformation required by the Gospel.
Moreover, forgiveness must be continual. As Christ instructed Peter earlier in this chapter, we must forgive "seventy times seven times" (Matthew 18:22), symbolizing the boundless nature of forgiveness. Augustine reiterates this in his Sermons on the New Testament, where he reflects on Christ’s teaching: "You forgive, not once, but repeatedly, because God forgives you always." [11]
Conclusion
The parable of the unforgiving servant is a powerful reminder of the mercy God extends to each of us and the necessity of imitating that mercy in our dealings with others. We are all indebted to God beyond what we could ever repay, yet He forgives us out of His boundless love. In turn, we are called to forgive those who sin against us, recognizing that to withhold forgiveness is to reject God’s mercy.
St. Jerome poignantly captures the essence of this parable when he writes that the unforgiving servant is "a mirror in which we see ourselves." [12] Each of us, in our moments of hardness of heart, mirrors the actions of this servant when we fail to forgive. But Christ invites us to a higher standard: to be merciful as our Father is merciful (Luke 6:36).
Through the example of Christ, who forgave even from the Cross, we learn that true forgiveness is not merely an obligation but a participation in the very life of God. As St. Leo the Great exhorts, "Let the Christian heart prepare itself always for mercy, for in this is its likeness to God." [13]
The meditation on the parable of the unforgiving servant concludes with a profound exhortation: to follow Christ's example of mercy, forgive those who have wronged us, and reflect the forgiveness we have received from God in our lives. In this parable, Jesus sets forth a divine standard that challenges us not only to forgive once but to live a life marked by continual forgiveness. Our lives must mirror the abundant mercy of God, and in doing so, we participate in the very life of grace.
This reflection helps us realize that the call to forgiveness is not simply about interpersonal harmony or emotional release, but rather about our relationship with God. As the Church Fathers teach, forgiveness is a theological act, rooted in the love of Christ who forgave us from the Cross. When we forgive, we draw closer to Christ, who embodies perfect love and mercy.
Final Exhortation
In his homilies, St. John Chrysostom urges believers to forgive their enemies, noting that to forgive is to "imitate the angels and all the heavenly powers." [14] By forgiving, we become more like God, whose mercy knows no bounds. This imitation of divine mercy is central to the Christian life. As Leo the Great famously said, "Nothing is more God-like than mercy." [15] Mercy opens our hearts to the grace of God, and as the parable warns, without it, we cut ourselves off from His mercy.
In the spiritual life, the practice of forgiveness transforms us, making us more capable of loving God and neighbor. It draws us deeper into the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice, where mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13). Let us take to heart the teaching of this parable and strive to forgive others as God has forgiven us. In doing so, we fulfill the command of Christ and open ourselves to His everlasting mercy and love.
Footnotes
1. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, trans. Thomas P. Scheck (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2008), 3.18.23.
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd ed. (Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1997), 2840.
3. Augustine, Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008), 10.23.
4. Gregory the Great, Morals on the Book of Job, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume II, eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1950), 16.11.
5. Ibid., 16.12.
6. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Volume X, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 61.4.
7. Leo the Great, Sermons, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume XII, eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1953), Sermon 49.
8. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2844.
9. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Beatitudes, in Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Beatitudes, trans. Stuart George Hall (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), 5.6.
10. Augustine, Letters, Volume II (83–130), trans. Wilfrid Parsons (New York: Fathers of the Church, Inc., 1953), 130.12.
11. Augustine, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Volume VI, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956), Sermon 37 on the Gospels.
12. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, 3.18.23.
13. Leo the Great, Sermon 49.
14. John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Volume X, ed. Philip Schaff (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 61.4.
15. Leo the Great, Sermons, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Volume XII, eds. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1953), Sermon 49.
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