Matthew 18:32
Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Matthew 18:32
“Then, having summoned him, his lord, he says to him, ‘Evil servant!’ All the indebtedness that I forgave you thereupon you implored me.” (CG)
In the previous verse, the co-servants were grieved over what they saw in the unforgiving servant and reported it to their lord. Jesus next says, “Then, having summoned him, his lord.”
Nothing is said of how this occurred or what returning to the lord’s house was like, but after seeing this servant’s attitude, one could imagine him walking to the lord’s house smugly thinking, “Man, life is good. He must want to promote me or something.”
We are dealing with a person whose screws are certainly loose for him to have acted the way he did. Whatever he was thinking, the narrative continues, saying, “he says to him, ‘Evil servant!’”
Well, whatever Servant Sam was thinking, good or ill, he now knows things are not going to go well. With his lack of properly firing synapses, he may still not know what he has done wrong. Reaching into his memory, he may be pulling up nothing but how great he is. However, as the master continues, things will fall into clarity. And so, the master continues, “All the indebtedness that I forgave you.”
A new word is seen here, opheilé, indebtedness. It signifies a sum owed. It is, as HELPS Word Studies says, an “applied obligation.” He had stood before the master, imploring him to be patient, and he would pay back the entire sum. The master instead released him and forgave the debt. The reason for this is “thereupon you implored me.”
A second new word is seen, epei, thereupon. It is derived from epi, upon, and ei, a conditional particle meaning if, whether, that, etc. Thereupon signifies “immediately,” or “shortly after that.” The words since or because are close in thought, but the servant had not asked for forgiveness of the debt, only for patience and time for him to do so.
Instead of that, the master magnanimously forgave the entire debt thereupon, or at that time. By this point, the servant may be waking up to the plight he is in. His feelings of grandeur and “being in tight” with the boss have probably begun to fade. By the time the master is through, he will find himself in a terrible plight.
Life application: Think about what is happening here as we continue through the rest of the parable. A person owes an immensely whopping debt. He cannot pay it, begs for time and patience, and yet, the master forgives the whole debt. If the debt is forgiven, it is forgiven. But Jesus says that this lesson is to be likened unto the kingdom of the heavens.
How can the kingdom of the heavens provide forgiveness of something and then demand more? That sounds like the horrifying doctrine of the Roman Catholic church. They say that Jesus is the Savior, but they then go on to say for those who believe, “that justifying faith is nothing else but confidence in the divine mercy which remits sins for Christ’s sake; or, that this confidence alone is that whereby we are justified; let him be anathema.”
In other words, Jesus saves, but we need to keep saving ourselves after being saved. That is not what the Bible teaches. But that is how this parable is taken by most commentators, even if they deny they do so. Is that the kingdom of the heavens? Think about what is going on.
Is what Jesus did fully sufficient to save and keep on saving? Are believers justified by faith alone? Are the sanctified and glorified from the moment of belief, as Paul says, or is what he says incorrect? Think through the audience, contemplate what they are being told, and then consider it in light of the epistles.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Romans 8:28-30
Lord God, may we boast in nothing but the precious blood of Jesus for our justification. May we irradiate with the thought of His internment with our sin. And may we rejoice and revel in the resurrection that assures us of the surety of His mighty deeds, done on our behalf. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
