Matthew 18:24
As he began the settlements, a debtor was brought to him owing ten thousand talents.
As he began the settlements
This phrase introduces the parable of the unforgiving servant, where a king is settling accounts with his servants. The Greek word for "settlements" is "sunairein," which implies a formal process of reckoning or accounting. In a spiritual context, this can be seen as a metaphor for God's judgment, where each person must give an account of their life. The process of settlement reflects the divine justice and mercy of God, who desires reconciliation and restoration.

a debtor was brought to him
The debtor in this parable represents humanity, burdened by sin and unable to repay the debt owed to God. The Greek term "opheiletes" for "debtor" emphasizes the moral and spiritual obligation that humanity has towards God. This imagery is powerful, illustrating the human condition of being spiritually bankrupt without divine intervention. The act of being "brought to him" signifies the inevitability of facing God's judgment, where every individual must confront their spiritual state.

owing ten thousand talents
The amount "ten thousand talents" is hyperbolic, representing an unpayable debt. In the historical context, a single talent was a significant sum, often equated to about 20 years of a laborer's wages. Therefore, ten thousand talents would be an astronomical amount, symbolizing the vastness of human sin and the impossibility of repaying it through human effort alone. This underscores the need for divine grace and forgiveness, as no one can settle their spiritual debt without God's mercy. The use of such a large number also highlights the boundless nature of God's forgiveness, which is available to all who seek it with a repentant heart.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The King
Represents God in the parable, who is settling accounts with his servants. This figure is central to understanding God's justice and mercy.

2. The Debtor
A servant who owes an enormous debt of ten thousand talents, symbolizing the insurmountable debt of sin that humanity owes to God.

3. The Settlement
The process of accounting and reckoning, illustrating the final judgment where all will give an account to God.

4. Ten Thousand Talents
A hyperbolic amount of money, emphasizing the vastness of the debt and the impossibility of repaying it, which underscores the gravity of sin.

5. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
The broader context of this verse, teaching about forgiveness and the kingdom of heaven.
Teaching Points
Understanding Our Debt
Recognize the magnitude of our sin and the impossibility of repaying it on our own. This awareness should lead to humility and repentance.

God's Mercy and Forgiveness
Just as the king forgave the servant's enormous debt, God offers us forgiveness through Christ. Accepting this grace should transform our hearts and lives.

Forgiving Others
As recipients of God's immense forgiveness, we are called to extend the same grace to others, forgiving their offenses against us.

The Consequences of Unforgiveness
The parable warns of the spiritual danger and bondage that come from harboring unforgiveness, urging us to release others from their debts.

Living in Light of Judgment
The settlement process reminds us of the future judgment. We should live with an eternal perspective, prioritizing spiritual debts over material concerns.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of owing a debt to God change your perspective on sin and forgiveness?

2. In what ways can you relate to the debtor in the parable, and how does this understanding impact your relationship with God?

3. How does the forgiveness you have received from God influence your willingness to forgive others?

4. What practical steps can you take to ensure you are living in a state of forgiveness towards others?

5. How do other scriptures, such as Romans 3:23 and Colossians 2:13-14, deepen your understanding of the themes presented in this parable?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Matthew 6:12
The Lord's Prayer, where Jesus teaches about forgiving debts as we have been forgiven, directly relates to the theme of forgiveness in this parable.

Romans 3:23
Highlights the universality of sin and the debt all owe to God, similar to the debtor's situation in the parable.

Colossians 2:13-14
Discusses how Christ has canceled the record of debt against us, paralleling the king's forgiveness of the servant's debt.
The Limits of MercyJ.A. Macdonald Matthew 18:21-35
The Unmerciful ServantMarcus Dods Matthew 18:21-35
A Wide View of Heavenly Good Lessens the Power of Earthly WrongsW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
Compassion God-LikeT. Adams.Matthew 18:23-35
Evil of SinBenjamin Keach.Matthew 18:23-35
ForgivenessH. L. Hastings.Matthew 18:23-35
Forgiveness -- One Law for Lord and ServantA. Macleod, D. D.Matthew 18:23-35
God's Mercy Reproduced in the Life of the ChristianA. Macleod, D. D.Matthew 18:23-35
Influence of ForgivenessMarcus Dods.Matthew 18:23-35
Man Freed from an Unforgiving Temper by the Gentle Influences of the Divine LoveW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
Man's Unavailing Effort to Pay His Sin DebtsW. M. Taylor, D. D.Matthew 18:23-35
Mercy Uncommunicated, not Truly ReceivedW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
Our Great CreditorFrom the Latin.Matthew 18:23-35
Sin as DebtBenjamin Keach.Matthew 18:23-35
Sinners Like DebtorsBenjamin Keach.Matthew 18:23-35
The Debt of ManFrom the Latin., Heubner.Matthew 18:23-35
The Forgiving Spirit Aided by PrayerW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
The Hard DebtorW.F. Adeney Matthew 18:23-35
The Just AccountFrom the Latin.Matthew 18:23-35
The Magnitude of Injury Determined by Our Temper Towards ItW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
The Parable of the King that Took Account of His ServantFrom the Latin.Matthew 18:23-35
The Sinner's DebtJ. Morison, D.D.Matthew 18:23-35
The TormentorsFrom the Latin.Matthew 18:23-35
The Unmerciful ServantW. M. Taylor, D. D.Matthew 18:23-35
The Unmerciful ServantExpository OutlinesMatthew 18:23-35
The Unmerciful ServantW. Arnot.Matthew 18:23-35
Twenty-Seceded Sunday After TrinityJ. A. Seiss, D. D.Matthew 18:23-35
Ways of Being DebtorsBenjamin Keach.Matthew 18:23-35
People
Jesus, Peter
Places
Capernaum
Topics
10000, Begun, Debt, Debtor, Myriad, Owed, Reckon, Reckoning, Reconcile, Settle, Settlement, Start, Talents, Ten, Thousand
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Matthew 18:21-35

     1620   beatitudes, the
     5260   coinage
     6021   sin, nature of

Matthew 18:23-25

     5233   borrowing
     5447   poverty, causes

Matthew 18:23-27

     5274   credit

Matthew 18:23-30

     5524   servants, bad

Matthew 18:23-35

     5438   parables
     6654   forgiveness, Christ's ministry
     8658   Lord's Prayer

Matthew 18:24-25

     5615   weights

Library
May 31. "Whosoever Therefore Shall Humble Himself as this Little Child" (Matt. xviii. 4).
"Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child" (Matt. xviii. 4). You will never get a humble heart until it is born from above, from the heart of Christ. For man has lost his own humanity and alas, too often has a demon heart. God wants us, as Christians, to be simple, human, approachable and childlike. The Christians that we know and love best, and that are nearest to the Lord, are the most simple. Whenever we grow stilted we are only fit for a picture gallery, and we are only good
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Lost Sheep and the Seeking Shepherd
If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth Into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray!--MATT. xviii. 12. We find this simple parable, or germ of a parable, in a somewhat more expanded form, as the first of the incomparable three in the fifteenth chapter of Luke's Gospel. Perhaps our Lord repeated the parable more than once. It is an unveiling of His inmost heart, and therein a revelation of the very heart of God.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Persistence of Thwarted Love
'If so be that he find it.'--MATT. xviii. 13. 'Until he find it.'--LUKE xv. 4. Like other teachers, Jesus seems to have had favourite points of view and utterances which came naturally to His lips. There are several instances in the gospels of His repeating the same sayings in entirely different connections and with different applications. One of these habitual points of view seems to have been the thought of men as wandering sheep, and of Himself as the Shepherd. The metaphor has become so familiar
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Forgiven and Unforgiving
'Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.' --MATT. xviii. 22. The disciples had been squabbling about pre-eminence in the kingdom which they thought was presently to appear. They had ventured to refer their selfish and ambitious dispute to Christ's arbitrament. He answered by telling them the qualifications of 'the greatest in the kingdom'--that they are to be humble like little children; that they are to be placable; that they are to use all means
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Law of Precedence in the Kingdom
'At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? 2. And Jesus called a little child unto Him, and set him in the midst of them, 3. And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5. And whoso shall receive one such little child in My name receiveth
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Six Sweeping Statements.
Jesus' own words make this very clear. There are two groups of teachings on prayer in those three and a half years as given by the gospel records. The first of these groups is in the Sermon on the Mount which Jesus preached about half-way through the second year of His ministry. The second group comes sheer at the end. All of it is in the last six months, and most of it in the last ten days, and much of that on the very eve of that last tragic day. It is after the sharp rupture with the leaders that
S. D. (Samuel Dickey) Gordon—Quiet Talks on Prayer

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xviii. 15, "If Thy Brother Sin against Thee, Go, Shew Him his Fault Between Thee and Him Alone;" And
1. Our Lord warns us not to neglect one another's sins, not by searching out what to find fault with, but by looking out for what to amend. For He said that his eye is sharp to cast out a mote out of his brother's eye, who has not a beam in his own eye. Now what this means, I will briefly convey to you, Beloved. A mote in the eye is anger; a beam in the eye is hatred. When therefore one who has hatred finds fault with one who is angry, he wishes to take a mote out of his brother's eye, but is hindered
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, Matt. xviii. 7, Where we are Admonished to Beware of the Offences of the World.
1. The divine lessons, which we have just heard as they were being read, warn us to gather in a stock of virtues, to fortify a Christian heart, against the offences which were predicted to come, and this from the mercy of the Lord. "For what is man," saith Scripture, "saving that Thou art mindful of him?" [2694] "Woe unto the world because of offences," [2695] saith the Lord; the Truth says so; He alarmeth and warneth us, He would not have us to be off our guard; for surely He would not make us desperate.
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

The Forgiveness of Sins.
(Twenty-second Sunday after Trinity.) S. MATTHEW xviii. 28, "Pay me that thou owest." The Gospel shows us in a parable a picture of a king who called his servants to a reckoning. That King is the Lord God Almighty. We are His servants, and He calls us to account every day. All we possess we owe as a debt to God. Day by day He gives us our food, and supplies our wants by His good Providence. On every hour of our existence is written, Jehovah-Jireh--The Lord will provide. Day by day God takes
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

Fourth Day. Forgiveness of Injuries.
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."--Luke, xxiii. 34. Many a death-struggle has been made to save a friend. A dying Saviour gathers up His expiring breath to plead for His foes! At the climax of His own woe, and of human ingratitude--man-forsaken, and God-deserted--His faltering voice mingles with the shout of His murderers,--"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!" Had the faithless Peter been there, could he have wondered at the reply to a former
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

Lix. The Preacher and his Hearers.
22nd Sunday after Trinity. S. Matthew xviii. 23. "The kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants." INTRODUCTION.--I have been a good deal abroad, over the Continent of Europe, and whenever I am in a little country inn, I make a point of going into the room where the men are smoking and drinking wine or beer, and hearing their opinions on the politics of the day, and of their country. Now, my experience tells me that in country taverns in France, and
S. Baring-Gould—The Village Pulpit, Volume II. Trinity to Advent

The Wicked Servant
ST. MATTHEW xviii. 23. The kingdom of heaven is likened to a certain king, which would take account of his servants. This parable, which you heard in the Gospel for this day, you all know. And I doubt not that all you who know it, understand it well enough. It is so human and so humane; it is told with such simplicity, and yet with such force and brilliancy that--if one dare praise our Lord's words as we praise the words of men--all must see its meaning at once, though it speaks of a state of
Charles Kingsley—The Water of Life and Other Sermons

Meetings for Prayer.
Text.--"Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."--Matthew xviii. 19. HITHERTO, in treating of the subject of Prayer, I have confined my remarks to secret prayer. I am now to speak of social prayer, or prayer offered in company, where two or more are united in praying. Such meetings have been common from the time of Christ, and even hundreds of years before. And it is probable
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

The Necessity and Effect of Union.
Text.--Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.--Matthew xviii. 19. SOME weeks since, I used this text, in preaching on the subject of prayer meetings. At present I design to enter more into the spirit and meaning of the text. The evident design of our Lord in this text was to teach the importance and influence of union in prayer and effort to promote religion. He states the
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

The Mission of Little Children
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them." Matthew xviii.2. Everything has its mission. I speak not now of the office which each part of the great universe discharges. I speak not of the relation between these parts,--that beautiful ordinance by which the whole is linked together in one common life, by which the greatest is dependent upon the least, and the least shares in the benefactions of the greatest. In this sense, everything has, strictly, its mission.
E. H. Chapin—The Crown of Thorns

False Ambition Versus Childlikeness.
(Capernaum, Autumn, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XVIII. 1-14; ^B Mark IX. 33-50; ^C Luke IX. 46-50. ^c 46 And there arose a reasoning among them, which of them was the greatest. ^b 33 And he came to Capernaum: ^c 47 But when Jesus saw the reasoning of their heart, ^b and when he was in the house [probably Simon Peter's house] he asked them, What were ye reasoning on the way? 34 But they held their peace: for they had disputed one with another on the way, who was the greatest. [The Lord with his disciples was
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Sin and Forgiveness Between Brethren.
(Autumn, a.d. 29.) ^A Matt. XVIII. 15-35. ^a 15 And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. [Having warned against giving offense, Jesus now shows how to act when offense is received. The fault is to be pointed out to the offender, but for the purpose of gaining him--not from a desire to humiliate him. The offended is to seek the offender, and the offender is likewise to seek the offended (Matt. xv. 23, 24),
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Unmerciful Servant.
"Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

Jesus Christ, the Divine Teacher of Prayer
A friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him! He knocks again. "Friend! lend me three loaves?" He waits a while and then knocks again. "Friend! I must have three loaves!" "Trouble me not: the door is now shut; I cannot rise and give thee!" He stands still. He turns to go home. He comes back. He knocks again. "Friend!" he cries. He puts his ear to the door. There is a sound inside, and then the light of a candle shines through the hole of the door. The bars of
Edward M. Bounds—The Reality of Prayer

Fifteenth Lesson. If Two Agree
If two agree;' Or, The Power of United Prayer Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.--Matt. xviii. 19, 20. ONE of the first lessons of our Lord in His school of prayer was: Not to be seen of men. Enter thy inner chamber; be alone with the Father. When He has thus taught us that the
Andrew Murray—With Christ in the School of Prayer

The Third Wall.
The third wall falls of itself, as soon as the first two have fallen; for if the Pope acts contrary to the Scriptures, we are bound to stand by the Scriptures, to punish and to constrain him, according to Christ's commandment; "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

Found
Gerhard Ter Steegen Matt. xviii. 12 O God, through Christ the living way, My Father and my God, So near, and I so far astray, Brought nigh Thee by His Blood. Myself, and this, and that, I sought Behind, around, before-- And yet the nearest found I not, Until I sought no more. O Love, Thou deep eternal tide, How dear are men to Thee! The Father's heart is opened wide By Jesus' Blood to me. It was Thyself, O God, who sought, With tender yearnings deep, The loveless sould who sought Thee not, The
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

The School
Gerhard Ter Steegen Matt. xviii. 3 Where is the school for each and all, Where men become as children small, And little ones are great? Where love is all the task and rule, The fee our all, and all at school, Small, poor, of low estate? Where to unlearn all things I learn, From self and from all others turn, One Master hear and see? I learn and do one thing alone, And wholly give myself to One Who gives Himself to me. My task, possessing nought, to give; No life to have, yet ever live-- And ever
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

Commentary on Matthew. Introduction.
According to Eusebius (H. E. vi. 36) the Commentaries on the Gospel of Matthew were written about the same time as the Contra Celsum, when Origen was over sixty years of age, and may therefore be probably assigned to the period 246-248. This statement is confirmed by internal evidence. In the portion here translated, books x.-xiv., he passes by the verses Matt. xviii. 12, 13, and refers for the exposition of them to his Homilies on Luke (book xiii. 29). Elsewhere, he refers his readers for a fuller
Origen—Origen's Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew

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