Parable of the unforgiving servant
The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:23-35 EU) compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants, and treated the question of forgiveness.
Content
A king wanted to collect the debts of his debtor. One of his servants owed him the priceless large sum of 10,000 talents. Since he was not able to ever pay this sum, the king wanted to enslave him and his family. The servant therefore fell down before him, but asking him for mercy, till he should pay all that and then the king he issued his large debts. Outside met the servant of one of his fellow servants who owed him a small sum of 100 denarii. He grabbed him by the neck, choking him and ordered him to pay for everything. However, the fellow servant could not pay, he fell and asked for patience until he should pay all. The servant did not want to, walked away and let him put in jail until the debt was paid. The fellow servants, who had seen everything, were outraged and reported their Lord, what had happened. This summoned the servant and said, "You wicked servant! I have you adopted all your fault because you asked me to! Could not you adopt your fellow servant, as I forgave you? " The king was very angry and left the servant of the torturers. The parable ends with the words: " So also your Heavenly Father will do to you if you do not, every one his brother, forgive with all my heart. "
Construction
The parable is divided into three scenes. It is well composed and works by numerous repetitions of words closed.
Genus
The parable is a parable. It is a story that is told in the past that goes beyond the everyday and the clearly has an image and material half. There you will find no parallels in other Gospels, was so verschriftlicht of Matthew first. However, it contains echoes of rabbinic narrative traditions.
Interpretations
The king is a metaphor for God who forgives the man by grace her priceless debt. From man to whom is assigned, the imitation of the divine fact is expected. He should forgive his fellow man, just as God has forgiven him. The motif of the settlement reminiscent of the last judgment, in which God 's deeds depends: if they have passed the experienced remission of hearts or hard-hearted negotiated. Allegorical: In the Middle Ages, the first servant as the Jewish people, the second as the Gentiles, the torturers was interpreted as angels court or destroyer of Jerusalem allegorical.
Context
The parable tells of a pagan king and his servant. "King servant " is biblical and otherwise in the ancient Orient term for a high government official, minister or governor. The can be an incredibly large amount of money, probably not teach the tax benefit his province. According to Jewish law, there was but no personal liability, the sale of women into debt bondage was prohibited. The parable here uses the harsher laws of neighboring states. Both the required sum of money as well as the threatened punishment are hyperbolic Agents that enhance the testimony effect. The parable of the unforgiving servant ( = wicked servant ) at the end of the municipality of speech in which Jesus teaches his disciples how Christians should deal with each other in the church. The idea is that the one who wants to be great, to serve, to exhortation and forgiveness.