⭐WEB · Matthew 18:31
What does Matthew 18:31 mean?
"So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done."
— Matthew 18:31 (World English Bible)
Surrounding context
“But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’
“So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’
He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.
So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told their lord all that was done.
Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.
Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’
His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.
Explanation
Matthew 18:31 falls within the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, a story Jesus tells in response to Peter's question about how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him. In the parable, a king forgives a servant an enormous debt he could never repay, but that same servant then turns around and violently demands repayment of a much smaller debt from a fellow servant, even having him thrown into prison. Verse 31 describes the reaction of the other servants who witnessed this cruelty: they were "exceedingly sorry" — deeply grieved and troubled — and they went and reported the whole incident to their master, the king.
To understand the context, remember that Matthew is writing his Gospel to a Jewish-Christian audience, presenting Jesus as the promised Messiah and teacher of a new way of life centered on the kingdom of heaven. Chapter 18 focuses heavily on community life among believers — humility, care for the vulnerable, church discipline, and forgiveness. Peter has just asked if forgiving someone seven times is enough, and Jesus responds with "seventy times seven," followed by this parable to illustrate why limitless forgiveness matters. The reaction of the fellow servants in verse 31 serves as a narrative hinge — their distress moves the story from the private cruelty of the unforgiving servant to the public consequences that follow, since their report leads the king to summon the servant back for judgment.
Theologically, this verse highlights an important truth: sin and hard-heartedness do not occur in isolation — they affect and grieve the
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