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"Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother
hath ought against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be
reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree quickly with thy
prosecutor while thou art in the way with him. . . . and thou be cast into prison. Verily
I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost
farthing."
Verses 22-26 of Matt. 5: must be considered together, the threefold punishment in
verse 22, Judges, Sanhedrin, and Gehenna of Fire being balanced by the Judge, the
Officer, and the Prison of verse 25. "The uttermost farthing" is parallel to the words of
the parable, "all that was due." These words are entirely out of place, nay, they are
absolutely untrue the moment they are taken out of their dispensational setting, and are
interpreted of the present time. Israel will pay to the uttermost farthing. They did not
forgive, and the word is being fulfilled--they are not being forgiven. A day will come,
however, when the prison shall be opened, when the Lord shall say that Israel has
received double for all her sins (Isa. 40: 2). There are many who repeat the words,
"forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," who do not believe that the Lord
intended to put this principle in operation. The parable of the unforgiving servant is also
the parable of the unforgiven servant. The forgiveness granted is cancelled, and payment
in full demanded. This is not evangelical doctrine, this is not the truth of the epistles of
Paul, it is on an entirely different platform and under an entirely different economy.
We have considered the outlying context of the parable rather than the parable itself;
its interpretation is simple if we see its connection with Israel and the kingdom. As we
consider the other parables of the series, further illustration will be given of the factors
which contributed to Israel's rejection. When the Lord Jesus was shamefully and cruelly
crucified, even then He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Forgiveness of "all that debt" was proclaimed in the Acts to the very people guilty of the
blood of Christ, but Israel did not enter into blessing, the keys that unlocked the doors of
the kingdom closed them again, the loosing was followed by binding, and Israel,
scattered and homeless, have been delivered unto the tormentors until the Lord's own
good time shall come.
Thanks be to God that the forgiveness granted under the dispensation of the grace of
God cannot be rescinded; we are not forgiven as we forgive others. The teaching is
reversed; we forgive others because, whether we forgive or not, God in Christ has
forgiven us (Eph. 4: 32). For the help of those who desire to take up the parable for
detailed study the following outline may be of service:--