When the servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, “Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you the entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?” 

Matthew 18:28-32

Today, we finish up the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Immediately after he is forgiven, the servant runs into a fellow servant who owes him a much smaller amount of money. However, rather than extending any grace, he has his fellow servant put in jail because he can’t pay his small debt immediately. When the king hears of this he calls the servant wicked and has him thrown in jail because he did not extend grace.

While it is easy for us to see the absurdity of the unforgiving servant’s actions, it is also just as easy to repeat them. We wait for people to measure up to our standards or make it up to us before we will forgive or extend grace. Jesus tells us this story to remind us that we are each in incredible need of grace and we can only receive it if we are willing to give it.

Thank God today that he has graciously forgiven you. Pray for the ability to extend grace to others.