"Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? (22) Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (23) Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. (24) And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. (26) The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. (27) Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. (28) But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. (29) And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. (30) And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. (31) So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. (32) Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: (33) Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? (34) And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. (35) So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses."
It was blessed for the Church, that God the Holy Ghost put it into the mind of Peter, to ask this question, which gave rise to one of the most beautiful Parables of our Lord; and which, no child of God would have lost for a world. The parable itself, in its first plain and obvious sense, represents the boundless mercy of the Lord, in cancelling a most enormous debt, even ten thousand talents; which, counted by our English coin, would amount to no less a sum than fifty-four millions and upwards, of our money. A sum almost incredible! But what sum can represent the greatness of our mercies! What insolvency come up to the insolvency of sin! But I confess, I cannot explain in my view the parable of our Lord, in reference to this spiritual sense of it, unless with certain limitations.
The kingdom of heaven is well known to mean the Church of Christ in the present dispensation. The parable saith, that the Lord of this kingdom, that is, Christ, would take account of his servants: that is, his people, his Church, his chosen. Not the whole world: For though by creation the earth is the Lord's, and all that is therein; yet here the Lord is speaking of his redeemed. The one brought to him in debt is the representative of all. And his debt was so great, that the everlasting slavery of himself, and all the race to which he belonged, could never cancel the debt nor pay it. In this state, the Lord forgives him. Now the debt forgiven could never be recalled. His cruelty to his fellow-servant, horrible as it was, could never unsay what his Lord had said. Neither is the pardon of our sins suspended upon our pardon of others. But the sense of the Parable seems to be this: How truly undeserving must be all those who are made partakers of the rich, full, and free salvation of God, who in the view of their ten thousand talents forgiven, are unkind and unforgiving to their fellow creatures. And in this sense the tormentors, to whom the unforgiving servant was delivered, will be a source of disquietude to his mind, as long as the conscious sense of his ingratitude shall remain. But though this must be agreeably to the whole tenor of Scripture, the general sense of the Parable; yet we are not authorized to strain the sense of the Parable too far. The general scope of our Lord's meaning by it, is evidently this; to shew, that as we hope for mercy, we are supposed to shew mercy: and the consciousness of sins pardoned in Christ should prompt us, and will prompt the heart of grace to be merciful to everyone who bears the image of Christ, and to forgive from our heart, everyone his brother their trespasses.