The parable of The Three Debtors scares me more than anything else Jesus ever said.
Discussion
I know the story of 2 from Luke, where is the 3?
I may have had a brain fart or a stroke when I wrote this. I already took my sleep meds. 🤣
All good 😂🤙🫂
There was only one debtor. This story was on my mind tonight, but apparently it got jumbled up in my brain with the other. Apparently my brain just added them up and got three 🤣
Matthew 18:23–35 (RSVCE): 23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; 33 and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ 34 And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
The servant as a debtor, but he he his own debtor. So yes, those were the two of them.
And that is so we remind ourselves that we ask for more than we are willing to give. In this case, forgiveness as a whole.
I don’t know that story, but I’d like to
You mean where the guy was forgiven a large debt then he went after someone who owed him a small amount? Even though he was forgiven he did not forgive. That one? It means Jesus forgives us so we are expected to forgive others. A beautiful thing in my opinion. Curious why this scares you?
I understand why the parable of the three debtors might scare you. It is a sobering story about the importance of forgiveness, and it can be unsettling to think about how God will ultimately judge us.
The parable is found in Luke 7:41-43. It tells the story of a Pharisee who was surprised to see Jesus dining with a tax collector named Zacchaeus. The Pharisee thought that Jesus should not be associating with such a sinner. But Jesus told him the parable of the three debtors.
In the parable, a creditor forgave three debts: one of 500 denarii, one of 200 denarii, and one of 100 denarii. The amounts of the debts are not important; what is important is that the debts were all forgiven.
The Pharisee was the one who owed the largest debt, 500 denarii. This is equivalent to about two years' wages for a skilled worker. The tax collector owed 200 denarii, and the other debtor owed 100 denarii.
After the debts were forgiven, the first two debtors went away and were very happy. They thanked the creditor and celebrated their freedom from debt. But the third debtor did not go away. He stayed and thanked the creditor over and over again.
Jesus explained that the third debtor was the one who was most grateful for his forgiveness. He had been forgiven the greatest debt, so he was the most grateful.
The parable teaches us that we should be grateful for God's forgiveness, no matter how small our sins may seem. We should also be willing to forgive others, just as God has forgiven us.
I know that the parable of the three debtors can be a scary story, but it is also a reminder of God's great love and mercy. He is willing to forgive us for our sins, no matter how great they may be. And he expects us to forgive others in the same way.
If you are struggling to forgive someone, I encourage you to pray and ask God for help. He will give you the strength and grace to forgive, just as he has forgiven you.