All Aspects of ForgivenessНамуна

Day 5: The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant - Forgiveness Sets the Prisoner Free

Have you ever held onto unforgiveness, thinking you were punishing the other person—only to realize the only one suffering was you? Unforgiveness is like a prison, and often, the person locked inside is ourselves.

Jesus told a powerful parable in Matthew 18:23-35 about a servant who owed an impossible debt—ten thousand bags of gold! There was no way he could ever repay it. But the king moved with compassion and forgave him completely. Just like that—the debt was gone!

But instead of living in that freedom, the forgiven servant found someone who owed him just a few silver coins. Rather than showing the same mercy he had received, he grabbed the man, demanded repayment, and threw him into prison when he couldn’t pay.

When the king heard about this, he was furious. He called the servant back and said, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” Then he handed him over to the jailers until he could repay the debt.

Jesus ends the parable with a serious warning:
"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

Here’s the truth: Unforgiveness doesn’t just hurt others—it keeps us in bondage. The moment we refuse to forgive, we step into our prison. But forgiveness unlocks the door.

Maybe there’s someone in your life you need to forgive. Maybe that person is you. God isn’t asking you to say what happened was okay—but He is asking you to release it, just as He has released you from your debt.

When we forgive, we’re not saying the hurt didn’t matter—we’re saying it doesn’t get to control us anymore. We’re stepping into the freedom that Jesus won for us.