Teach children about forgiveness by reading about the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew.
Parables are simple stories that teaches us something. In Matthew 18 we read the parable about the unforgiving servant. This parable teaches us that we have to forgive others who have done something to us, just as God forgives us all our sins.
We read the story of a servant who owed money to the king. When the king wants to collect the money, the servant begs him to give him more time. The king agrees. Later, the servant meets another servant who owes him money. His fellow servant begs him for more time, but the unforgiving servant does not want to give him more time. When the king hears about this, he is very angry and sends the servant to jail.
Memory verse
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
What do we learn?
Mercy is when we do not get the punishment we deserve. When someone shows us mercy, we have to show that same mercy to someone else. God shows us mercy by forgiving our sins. That means we have to show mercy to all other people by forgiving them.
Describe the following words in your own words:
- Parable
- Mercy
- Forgiveness
How many times should we forgive someone?
Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times’.
Matthew 18:21-22
Jesus does not want us to do maths here. It is not about the number, but about what we learn. Jesus asks us to not count the times that we forgive someone. The lesson is that we should not be keeping score. We must forgive others over and over again just like He does for us.
Ask God to help you forgive
Sometimes it is very hard for us to forgive someone else. Or you might forgive, but still remember what they did. God can help you! Pray that He will help you to forgive and forget.
True or false
Read Matthew 18:21-35 and then mark each of these sentences as true or false:
- We must forgive each other three times.
- The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a servant.
- The servant owed him ten thousand talents.
- The king did not forgive the servant at first.
- The heavenly Father will forgive everyone who forgives his brother.
Can you remember the memory verse at the top of the page?
Complete the missing words:
Be ____________ to one another, tenderhearted, __________________ one another, as ____________ in ______________ forgave you.
Answers
True or False: 1. False. 2. False. 3. True. 4. False. 5. True
