Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Jesus told his disciples this story about forgiveness.
Before You ListenLet's Get Started
Theme: Doing What’s Right - Jesus Talks About God’s Kingdom.
- In Matthew 18:21, when Peter asked if he should forgive someone seven times, he thought he was being generous. Forgiving someone seven times seems like a lot! But Jesus wants his followers to forgive like God forgives. How often do you think God forgives you?
- Jesus told stories so listeners could relate to his message. In this case, he told a story about a person who owed a debt and had to take responsibility because he couldn’t repay it. As you listen, think about a time when you did something wrong and had to take responsibility.
After you listen
Memory Verse
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Quiz
Reflect
The first servant owed the king millions of dollars. That servant couldn't pay it back. What would the king do? The king could have sent the servant to jail, but he erased his whole debt instead! The servant is so happy and thankful! And then he does a strange thing. Why would the first servant demand the money owed to him by another servant, even after the king forgives all his debt? Perhaps he didn’t trust the king to keep his word and thought he would need to start collecting money to pay back his debt. If he had trusted the king, he would have followed his example. Jesus tells us that forgiving others is not optional for his followers. Jesus died for all of our sins, so when we ask for forgiveness from God, we get it every single time. When we trust that God has forgiven us, we can forgive others.
You can read the Bible story in Matthew 18:21-35. Want to dig deeper and learn more about forgiveness? Check out Luke 17:3-4, Micah 7:18-19 and Colossians 3:12-14.
Challenge
Fold a piece of paper in half. On one side, draw a picture of the king and the first servant. Cover that half of the paper in little stars (or some other shape) to show how much debt the king had forgiven. As you add stars, think of times when God has forgiven your sins. On the other side, draw a picture of the first and second servants. Add only one little star this time, and think of someone you need to forgive. When you remember how much God can forgive, it becomes easier to forgive someone else.
