Scripture: for teacher background: Matthew 18:23-35 and Luke 7:36-50
Do foot washing or play a game or do something that
introduces the idea of debt, so that the children understand what debt is.
Exploration:
This parable works very well as a play. Get the teachers or the
children to act it out. You could build it up as you narrate and tell the
actors what to do as you go through the story.
There was once a king who had an official who got into
terrible debt. Now in those days, if you got into debt, all your possessions
were taken, but if that didn’t cover it then they could make you and your wife
and your children become slaves. They sold you on the slave market and got
money for people!
You can imagine how this man felt.
He fell flat on his face
before the king and begged and begged him to be patient with him and he would
repay him the debt as soon as he could.
The reply was amazing. He let him off
the whole debt, just like that – cancelled everything. Imagine his joy and
relief!
You won’t believe what he did next. A junior colleague owed
him a few rand.
He got his hands around his throat and demanded this fellow pay
him.
He begged for mercy, but none came.
The big “debtor” had the little
“debtor thrown in jail!
Well, the king came to hear of this and was furious!
He said
he should have let the man off like he was let off all those millions!
He had
him thrown in jail to be tortured until he could pay his debt in full.
Jesus told this story to show us how God will treat us if we
don’t forgive people when He has forgiven us all our sins.
Jesus told the other parable about debtors at a
party.
This party was at Simon the Pharisee’s house. It was all very smart and
expensive.
All the customs are followed and servants scurry about washing
people’s feet.
All the guests are welcomed with a big hug, but not Jesus. Simon
waves the servant away and instead of the greeting, he is cold and aloof. Jesus
has been rebuffed.
Simon was trying to demean Jesus – insult Him.
At the meal, a woman
slipped in and started crying at Jesus' feet.
She then poured a whole bottle of perfume
over His feet and she dried His feet with her long hair. All the guests gasped in
disgust.
She was a fallen woman, a sinner. Jesus looked up and smiled at Simon
and the other proud guests.
He told this parable.
There were 2 people who got into debt – one owed 500 silver
coins and the other 50. Neither could pay this money and all the debt was
cancelled.
Jesus asked who would love more?
Simon replied, the one who had been
forgiven 500.
Jesus then went on to explain that Simon hadn’t given Jesus the
proper welcome and foot washing, but that this woman had showed a huge amount
of love because she wanted to show her huge gratitude at the big amount Jesus
had forgiven in her life.
The one, who is forgiven little, loves little, but the one
forgiven much, loves much.
Application
Are we truly grateful for what God has done for us?
This
will show in how much we love God and how we treat others.
If we truly feel
that God loves us and has forgiven all our sins, then we will be overjoyed to
thank Him and worship Him, and sing praise songs and coming to church and
reading His love letter (the Bible) to us.
It will all be built on gratitude
and love. Our attitude to others will also be gracious.
We should be as
forgiving to others as God has been to us. If people wrong us, we need to
forgive, because God forgave us.
This parable is really about how much God loves us and forgives
us and that we need to forgive, but it is also a reminder about not getting
into debt.
In our country, many people get into debt and it isn’t the Christian
thing to do. The Bible warns against it.
(Borrow money and you are the lender’s slave.” Proverbs 22:7)
It is far better not to have accounts, but to only buy what
you can pay for.
It is very important to forgive anyone that we hold a grudge
against.
If we don’t God cannot forgive us.
So pray and ask Jesus to help you
to forgive the person who has wronged you and if possible go to the person and
tell them you have forgiven them.
Our country also needs to forgive the past. We can’t go on
blaming other people. Let’s forgive and move forward. Grudges are like cancer –
they eat away at us!
Consolidation
The worksheet has the parable in picture form to be coloured
in.
“Forgive us the wrongs we have done as we forgive the wrongs
that others have done to us.” Matthew
6:12
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