A REASONABLE DECISION

Reference text: Matthew 18:21-35

We read about two servants making a plea using the same words: “Have patience with me and I will pay all”. One, however, ends up free and forgiven of their debt, while the other ends up in prison. What is interesting is that for the servant who was forgiven, the very same words he spoke to the king to receive pardon, did not prick his heart, to even talk about leaving a dent, and that is telling.

I have a number of questions regarding how both events described in today’s parable would have resulted, especially ‘how a servant managed to borrow the sum of money he was accounting for’. Nonetheless, after being forgiven of a 100 million days worth of labour, it would not have been out of the ordinary to extend the same to his colleague who owed him a hundred days worth of labour. But no, he threw him in prison.

Reading today’s parable, therefore, we begin to understand why in second Thessalonians 3:2, Paul asked the church to pray for them ‘that they may be delivered from wicked and unreasonable men’. Reasonability in this context goes beyond men who put road blocks, in our text, being reasonable is highlighted in forgiveness:

“you who have been forgiven a debt you could not pay, is it reasonable to hold your fellow man to ransom with unforgiveness?

#sly