Tuesday, 14 April 2026
So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Matthew 18:31
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“And having beheld, ‘co-servants, himself’, these having occurred, they grieved exceedingly, and having come, they expounded to ‘lord, themselves’ all the ‘having occurred’.” (CG)
In the previous verse, Jesus continued the parable of the unforgiving servant, noting that he had his co-servant thrown into prison until the debt was paid. He continues, saying, “And having beheld, ‘co-servants, himself’, these having occurred, they grieved exceedingly.”
It is apparent that they were closely attached to the servant who was cast into prison. Rather than being angry at what occurred, they were grieved. It may be that they also felt betrayed by the conduct of the unforgiving servant, knowing that if it were they who owed him money, they would now be in the same position as their co-servant.
Because of this unhappy situation, Jesus continues, saying, “and having come, they expounded to ‘lord, themselves’.”
The use of the reflexive pronoun, “the lord of themselves,” along with the previous reflexive pronoun, ‘co-servants, himself’, shows identity with both their lord and the affected co-servant.
The word demonstrates a confidence that their lord would handle the matter as if it were any of them who had been treated in this manner. As such, they went and told him, “all the ‘having occurred’.” What took place is carefully recounted to their lord for him to know and act on.
Life application: The issue at hand is that of an outstanding debt. Nothing has been said by either the unforgiving servant or the co-servant about asking forgiveness of the debt itself when they were presented with the need to pay it back. If the lord forgave the debt of his servant, it was of his own volition, not by some unspecified obligation.
To take the words of this parable, therefore, and to equate them to some type of moral offense against another and then say that Christians must forgive their brother of such an offense, especially without his repentance, is to take the entire parable out of its intended context.
But this is the attitude that almost all Christians have been led to believe is necessary, at all times and in all circumstances. That is entirely incorrect. When a monetary debt is owed, it is to be paid. If the one who is owed decides to forgive the debt, that is his choice, but the Bible does not mandate it.
In the instances where the forgiveness of debt is mandated, meaning the year of release noted in Deuteronomy 15, it is to be remembered that Deuteronomy is a part of the Law of Moses. It is a law that never applied to any other group of people than Israel, and it is a law that was replaced by the New Covenant for those who come to Christ.
As for other offenses, they must be handled in accordance with how forgiveness is laid out in the rest of Scripture. God does not “forgive” everybody unconditionally. Those who acknowledge their wrongs and come to Christ Jesus for forgiveness will be forgiven. Those who do not will not be forgiven.
God does not hold His people to a higher standard than Himself. Understand that the “Christians must forgive everybody for all offenses” teaching is untrue. It is often damaging to those who are told it applies to them.
Hold fast to sound doctrine. Forgive others in a manner that is biblical. Don’t be made to feel guilty if you hold resentment towards those who have offended you. When they come and acknowledge their wrongdoing, talk it over, forgive, and move on. But until they do, you are under no obligation to let them walk all over you.
Lord God, give us wisdom in how we handle ourselves around those who are offensive, rude, and who purposefully malign or otherwise degrade us. Through it all, though, help us to remember that we are Christians and we must do what is right to bring honor to Your name. Amen.