The Unforgiving Servant
To think about the parable of the unforgiving servant
by Gordon and Ronni Lamont
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To think about the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18.23-35).
Preparation and materials
- Read through the story in advance.
Assembly
- Explain that today you're going to tell a story that Jesus told about 2,000 years ago. The children have two jobs: one is to join in with the story and the other is to listen carefully and think about it. Explain that the story is a parable - a story with a special meaning.
- Teach the responses. Whenever you say the word 'King', the children are to say, 'Great and powerful one', and to shape their hands as if putting a crown on their heads.
Whenever you say the word 'Servant', the children are to say, 'Your humble servant', and make a bowing action as they sit.
Whenever you say the word 'Money', the children are to say, 'Money, money, money', and the action is to count out coins in the hand.
Whenever you say the word 'Debt' (you might need to explain this word), the children are to say 'Oh dear' and wag their finger in time with the words.
Practise a few times and then tell the story. - Once there was a king
Great and powerful one
Who had a servant
Your humble servant
And this servant
Your humble servant
Owed the king
Great and powerful one
A lot of money
Money, money, money
A great, great deal of money
Money, money, money
Did the servant
Your humble servant
Owe the king
Great and powerful one
The trouble was that the servant
Your humble servant
Couldn't pay his debt
Oh dear
So, said the king
Great and powerful one
He must go to prison
The servant
Your humble servant
Was brought before the king
Great and powerful one
Please have mercy on me, he said
And he fell on his knees and begged the king
Great and powerful one
And the king
Great and powerful one
Felt sorry for the servant
Your humble servant
And forgave him and let him go
Now the servant
Your humble servant
Went straight out and met a fellow servant
Your humble servant
And this other servant
Your humble servant
Was in debt
Oh dear
To the first servant
Your humble servant
For just a few pounds
Not much money
Money, money, money
At all
It was a very small debt
Oh dear
Pay back the money
Money, money, money
That you owe me
Said the first servant
Your humble servant
The one who the king
Great and powerful one
Had forgiven
The other servant
Your humble servant
Begged to be forgiven his debt
Oh dear
But the first servant
Your humble servant
Would not forgive him and had him thrown in jail
The king
Great and powerful one
Got to hear about the other servant
Your humble servant
Who owed money
Money, money, money
Who was in debt
Oh dear
To the first servant
Your humble servant
Whose debt
Oh dear
The king
Great and powerful one
Had forgiven
He was angry
Very angry
Very, very, very angry
And he sent the first servant
Your humble servant
Straight to prison because that servant
Your humble servant
Had had his debt
Oh dear
Forgiven
But would not forgive a much smaller debt
Oh dear
Time for reflection
Dear God,
Jesus told his followers that they must learn to forgive from the heart.
Forgiveness is hard.
When people hurt us we want to hurt them back.
Help us to understand forgiveness,
help us to learn to forgive.
Help us to practise forgiveness whenever we can.
Amen.
Song/music
'Our Father' (Come and Praise, 51)
Publication date: June 2002 (Vol.4 No.6) Published by SPCK, London, UK.