The parable of the unmerciful servant teaches us two things about sin. First, it is beyond
our capacity to repay, and second, it is greater than any offense we have suffered—or
could suffer—at the hands of others. Without really seeing ourselves as impoverished
sinners, we cannot appreciate God’s grace and cannot truly forgive others as we
should. If we have admitted, confessed, and repented of our sin, we have been
forgiven by God whether or not we feel like it. If we have experienced God’s
forgiveness, it will be shown in our forgiveness of others. In this parable, Jesus teaches
that forgiving others is part of our own forgiveness.