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Explanation for:
Matthew
18
:
28
But when that servant was gone out, he found one of his fellow servants that owed him an hundred pence: and laying hold of him, throttled him, saying: Pay what thou owest.
9
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{"arr":[{"author-name":"John Chrysostom","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88ea76859f9f8e2ffd3ee_John%20Chrysostom.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":4,"exegesis-text":"What could be more reprehensible than this? The words of mercy still resonated in his ears, yet he had quickly lost sight of his master’s compassion. Do you see how beneficial it is to recall one’s own transgressions? For even this debtor, had he kept his sins at the forefront of his mind, would not have acted so ruthlessly and insensitively. Hence, I continually assert, and will not stop reiterating, the importance and necessity of remembering our actions consistently. There is nothing that can cultivate the soul’s wisdom, humility, and gentleness like the persistent awareness of our sins. In this light, Paul also recalled his transgressions, not just after baptism, but prior to it as well, despite their complete forgiveness. If he could remember those sins from before his baptism, how much more should we reflect on the wrongs we have committed afterward? By contemplating them, we not only seek their forgiveness but also extend grace to others, serving God with more fervor, recognizing His immeasurable compassion through the remembrance of our own failings. This debtor, however, neglected to do so; forgetting the enormity of his own debt, he also forgot the grace shown to him. In his forgetfulness of generosity, he became cruel to his companion, and out of spite, he squandered all that he had received from God’s mercy. “Having seized him, he choked him, saying, 'Pay me back what you owe.'” He refrained from specifying the hundred denarii, perhaps due to shame over the triviality of the debt, instead insisting, “Pay me what you owe.”\\n\\nConsider the foolishness of this servant. After receiving such kindness and boundless grace, he ought to have extended compassion to others, yet he chose the exact opposite path. “Upon leaving,” it is stated, this very servant, to whom ten thousand talents had been forgiven... Please listen closely: the fate of this servant should penetrate deep within our hearts and compel us to cast out this distressing burden. “Upon going out, he encountered one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii.” Observe the stark contrast. Here is a man who owes a mere hundred denarii; there stands a lord who forgave a debt of ten thousand talents. Yet, when this servant witnessed his fellow begging for mercy, he has no compassion; he instead “took hold of him and choked him, saying, 'Pay me what you owe.'”"},{"author-name":"Cyrill of Alexandria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88a8ea5c988a4fc073480_Cyrill%20of%20Alexandria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":5,"exegesis-text":"Given that the Almighty, ruler over all, forgives us for our gravest sins, this is illustrated through various talents. However, if we fail to extend grace to others regarding small debts, represented by a hundred denarii or minor worldly offenses, the angels appointed to us—who share in our earthly burden—will rightfully call us before God. They do not do so out of ignorance, as the all-knowing God understands all circumstances; rather, they advocate for justice, urging that those who neglect the laws of brotherly love be corrected for their own good. Should we face consequences for this, our suffering may manifest in this life through trials and afflictions, much like being at the hands of tormentors (Matthew 18:34), or it may follow in the life to come. It is evident that God teaches the disobedient through discipline, leading them towards righteousness. Scripture provides numerous instances of such teachings, as illustrated in the wisdom of the proverb: For whom the Lord loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives (Proverbs 3:12), and again: If you endure chastening (Hebrews 12:7), among others."},{"author-name":"Euthymios Zigabenos","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":11,"exegesis-text":"Observe the humanity of the authority, and now reflect on the brutality of the subordinate. As soon as he emerged, his harshness became evident, revealing itself almost instantaneously."},{"author-name":"Theophylact of Bulgaria","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989296bafed9104677d7_Theophylact%20of%20Bulgaria.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":11,"exegesis-text":"The one who has experienced grace emerges and overcomes adversity. Those who dwell in God cannot lack compassion; it is only those who distance themselves from God who become estranged from Him."},{"author-name":"Nicephoros (Theotokis)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8958407451968d9c204fb_Nicephoros%20(Theotokis).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":18,"exegesis-text":"These statements reflect the attitude of a ruthless individual. The Scripture indicates that the servant is absent. Indeed, as long as a person embodies compassion and kindness, he remains in God, and God in him (1 John 4:16); yet when he hardens his heart and becomes unmerciful, he steps away from the grace of God. The question arises, ‘Will you find one among the servants?’ What type of servants are they? Each individual is a servant of the Most High God, which is why we are referred to as servants, bound to fulfill our duties to the one Lord God. Every day, we witness disobedient individuals complaining about their leaders, some demanding, ‘Return my honor;’ others insisting, ‘Pay me my money;’ and still others, ‘Restore my belongings;’ with some not only complaining but also mistreating and burdening them excessively. Noteworthy in this context is the reference to one hundred pennies. A hundred pennies, which the Gospel writer Matthew also identifies as a gold coin, is a sum of little significance (Matthew 22:17; Luke 20:24; Matthew 22:19). One hundred pennies do not equate to even two full chervonets, which is ten roubles. However, in His wisdom, God has set man’s debt to Him at thousands of talents, while the debt between individuals is represented as just a hundred pennies. This serves to illustrate that our obligation to God is infinitely greater than any debt we might hold against one another. No matter what someone owes you in terms of respect, service, or money, their debt cannot compare to what we owe to God, for there exists no parity between humanity and the Divine. The insignificance of a human debt is further illustrated in the phrase: ‘Pay me what you owe me.’ Here, the lender, mindful of the trivial sum, feels a sense of embarrassment to specifically mention the amount, hence he states instead: ‘Pay me what you owe me.’"},{"author-name":"Tichon of Zadonsk","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c8989ff6b5b4c943e70095_Tichon%20of%20Zadonsk.png","category":"Holy Fathers and Teachers","century":18,"exegesis-text":"This parable conveys a profound lesson: anyone who harbors anger towards a neighbor and fails to extend forgiveness for their wrongdoings will not only forfeit God’s mercy regarding their own sins but will also find that their previously forgiven transgressions are recalled. In this story, the compassionate king granted pardon to a servant, but due to the servant's lack of mercy towards his fellow servant, the debt was reinstated, and he was handed over to tormentors for the suffering of his obligation."},{"author-name":"Abbot Panteleimon about the Trinity","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c96d263b8c22d9c467bdab_no-pic-theosis.png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The Lord further instructs, \\"The servant, upon leaving his master's residence, was still acutely aware of the kindness shown to him. He soon encountered a fellow servant who owed him a small amount, one hundred denarii. St. Chrysostom notes that this illustrates the vast disparity between transgressions against God and those against humans, akin to the difference between ten thousand talents and a mere hundred denarii, and perhaps even greater. Before humans, we are often restrained and fearful of sinning, yet in the presence of God, despite His constant observation, we feel no shame; rather, we engage in actions and speech without hesitation. The servant is described as having exited, for in his lord's presence, such insolence would have been unthinkable. The scenario unfolds with him seizing his debtor, choking him, and demanding, \\"Pay me what you owe.\\" The debt was so trivial that the lender felt embarrassed to explicitly state the amount owed, opting instead to ask vaguely about his debt. This merciless lender exhibits harsher judgment than his master intended for him; he desires to be treated one way while judging his debtor in an entirely different manner. He seeks forgiveness for himself but refuses to extend that same grace to others. He fails to realize that receiving love requires him to extend love in return, that experiencing mercy necessitates setting aside his own claims, and that if he insists on applying the law of justice to his neighbors, he should expect nothing less than the same justice for himself, understanding fully that the measure he employs will be the measure used against him.\\""},{"author-name":"Michail (Lusin)","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c89550c567e172d15b3055_Michail%20(Lusin).png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"A hundred denarii: a Roman denarius was approximately equivalent to twenty of our kopecks, making a hundred denarii roughly equal to twenty of our roubles. This may illustrate how small the offenses we commit against one another are in comparison to the greater sins we commit against God. The phrase 'strangled, saying,' refers to the Roman legal practice that allowed a moneylender to inflict torture on a debtor until the debt was settled. This reflects the cruelty and malice of the servant, who showed no mercy, even when presented with a plea that could have inspired his master to show compassion. He offered no leniency to his fellow servant, despite the fact that he had asked his sovereign for forgiveness of ten thousand talents, while his fellow was merely seeking relief for a trivial hundred denarii. The latter was appealing to one of his equals, whereas he was addressing his superior. Even after receiving complete absolution himself, he was unwilling to grant even a temporary reprieve to another."},{"author-name":"Gladkow B.I.","author-image":"https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6864003fdf3714da6ff0b33a/68c88bf0ceef8c96e09a6521_Gladkow%20B.I..png","category":"Christian Authors","century":19,"exegesis-text":"The servant went out and encountered one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ What could be more disgraceful than this? While his lord’s words of kindness were still echoing in his ears, he had already lost sight of his master’s compassion! Reflect on the importance of acknowledging one’s own sins. Had this debtor kept his transgressions firmly in mind, he would not have acted so heartlessly and cruelly. There is nothing that can instill the spirit with such peace, humility, and gentleness as the continual remembrance of our own shortcomings. By recalling them, we not only seek to erase our faults but also become more gracious towards others."}]}
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