Week 36 Matthew 18
I found four longer & more complex parables in Matthew. They’re all at least 13-verses and tell stories that are a bit more detailed than the six short parables in chapter 13. But each one says something about the kingdom-of-heaven. This one starts:
The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants…” It’s the story about the servant who had his huge debt cancelled by the king. It’s a pretty interesting parable. The guy had dug himself into a debt-hole so deep that he’d never climb out of it. Situation: absolutely hopeless. But in an act of self-degradation – of fawningly hangdogishly begging-for-mercy – he was miraculously forgiven and given a clean-slate by the king.
So I’ve identified one feature of the kingdom-of-heaven. I personalize it this way: I owe the king of the kingdom a fortune that I can never ever repay. But if I come to him and admit my sorry state…then he might cut me some slack. Might clear my debt.
Being in the kingdom is being debt-free. The only think a debtor can do to get debt-free is admit how impossibly large his debt-load is and appeal to the king. That’s it. Plead for mercy. Hope the king writes-it-off.
Note: quote from Matthew 18:23 (ESV). The second-half of the parable – the sequel – is a disturbing reversal for the servant. It looks like an exoneree doesn’t necessarily become an exonerator.