Forgiven So Much: The Unforgiving Servant
Matthew 18:21-35; Genesis 4:24; Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 4:32 New Testament PrincipleForgiveness
Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive? Seven times?" Jesus said, "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times!" Then He told a story. A servant owed a king ten thousand talents, a debt so huge he could never pay it. He begged for more time, and the king had compassion and canceled the whole debt. But that servant found a man who owed him a hundred denarii, grabbed him and threw him in prison. The king was furious – "Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?" Forgiveness means letting go of what others owe us, because God has forgiven us so much more.
Forgiveness is canceling what someone owes us. God forgave us a debt of sin we could never pay, so we forgive others from our hearts, again and again.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Ephesians 4:32 BSB
Christ Connection · The gospel
The king in the story canceled a debt the servant could never pay. That's what God did for us through Jesus: "He took it away, nailing it to the cross!" Because "in Christ God forgave you," we forgive others.
Colossians 2:13-14; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13; Romans 5:8
The Big Story · Redemption
Sin put every person in debt to God, a debt no one could pay. Jesus paid it on the cross. Now God's forgiven people get to pass that same forgiveness on to others.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- Object lesson: The giant bill
- Dasch’s Dig Site (bible-times history): Coins of the kingdom
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Seventy-seven
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
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Preschool (ages 3–5)
God forgives me, so I forgive.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Big and little, Color the kind king
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with brothers and sisters, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive? Seven times?" Jesus said, "Seventy-seven times!" Then He told a story. A servant owed a king so much money he could never pay it back. The king felt sorry for him and forgave it all! But that servant would not forgive a man who owed him a little. He even had him thrown in prison. The king said, "I forgave you. You should have had mercy on him!" God has forgiven us so much, so we forgive others from our hearts.
Start here
Do "The giant bill" object lesson. Ask, "If someone forgave you a giant bill, would it be easy or hard to forgive somebody who owed you a little?" Say, "Let's hear a story Jesus told."
Bible story 6 min
One day Peter came to Jesus. He had a question. "Lord, how many times should I forgive? Seven times?"
Jesus said, "Not seven times. Forgive seventy-seven times!" Then Jesus told a story.
A king had many servants. One servant owed him ten thousand bags of silver. That was so much money! He could not pay it in his whole life.
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
The king and the servant 10 min
You’ll need: A sheet of paper, A paper crown
- Choose a narrator, Jesus, Peter, the king and two servants.
- Act out the skit. The king really rips up the bill.
- Switch parts so more kids get a turn.
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
3rd – 4th grade
When Peter asked if forgiving seven times was enough, Jesus said, "Not just seven times, but seventy-seven times!" Then He told of a king who forgave a servant ten thousand talents, a debt no one could ever pay. But that same servant grabbed a fellow servant who owed him a hundred denarii and threw him into prison. The king said, "Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had on you?" Forgiveness means canceling what others owe us, from the heart, because God has canceled our huge debt of sin through Jesus.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Two debts, Seventy-seven
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with friends, with brothers and sisters, at school
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
Peter thought forgiving seven times was generous. Jesus answered, "Seventy-seven times!" – reversing Lamech's ancient boast of seventy-sevenfold revenge. Then He told of a king who, moved by compassion, canceled a debt of ten thousand talents, an amount no one could ever repay. Yet the forgiven servant choked a fellow servant over a hundred denarii and jailed him, ignoring a plea that echoed his own. The king's verdict – "Shouldn't you have had mercy… just as I had on you?" – leads to Jesus' warning to forgive "from your heart." Forgiveness cancels what others owe us, because God canceled our unpayable debt at the cross.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Debts and the cross, Ripping up the bill
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: with friends, online and on screens, at home
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Forgiveness
The same principle in other Bible stories.
In the BeginningJoseph Forgives His BrothersGenesis 41:1-45:15; Genesis 50:15-21God turned the evil Joseph's brothers did into good, and Joseph forgave them, a picture of how Jesus forgives us.Old TestamentForgiveness
The Church BeginsStephen ForgivesActs 6:8-8:4; Luke 23:34, 46Stephen loved Jesus and told others about Him. When angry men hurt him, Stephen saw Jesus in heaven and prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them," forgiving them just as Jesus forgave.New TestamentForgiveness
Breakfast on the BeachJohn 21:1-19Peter had said three times that he didn't know Jesus. After Jesus rose, Peter went fishing and caught nothing all night. In the morning, Jesus filled their net with fish and made them breakfast on the beach. Then He asked Peter three times, "Do you love Me?" Jesus forgave Peter and gave him a new job. Jesus forgives us and gives us a fresh start.New TestamentForgiveness