Humility, Not Pride

Read Matthew 18:21-35

In the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, a master had a servant who owed him 10,000 talents. The servant, unable to repay such a large amount, begged his master’s patience and vowed to pay it all back. Because of his helplessness, the master felt compassion for him and forgave him the entire debt.

This parable demonstrates our desperate need for the full measure of God’s forgiveness. Because of our sins, we are all indebted. Our debt, like the servant in the parable, is so large that we can never repay it. We may make promises to God about good deeds that would win His forgiveness, but the truth is that we are all bankrupt in the eyes of the Lord.

We can only receive God’s pardon if we admit we are spiritually poor before Him. Indeed, blessed are the poor in spirit, because theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:3). We are helpless because of our sins, and our own efforts will never be enough to save us. Humility, not pride, awakens our eyes to the reality that we are helpless because of our sins and that we need God’s love and mercy.