Parable of the Unmerciful Servant. Follow Up

Q

In your recent Parable of the Unmerciful Servant post I was wondering what the jail symbolized in the parable? You mentioned that you believe the jailer is Satan.

 

A

In the parable, the servant was sent to a debtor’s prison where his freedom was curtailed until he paid the debt he owed.

The prison represents the curtailment of freedom in our relationship with God we suffer for refusing to forgive someone who has sinned against us.

This can take the form of a strain in our communications with Him, the loss of blessings we might have otherwise received, or even a partial loss of protection from the enemy, represented in the parable by the jailer.

Once we forgive the other person the debt is cleared and God forgives us.  The curtailment is lifted and it’s like it never happened.