Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
The children will participate in a skit that teaches them to give mercy to others because God has given mercy to us. (A skit for six to seven people: 2 Narrators, King, 3 Servants, and 1 Prison Guard)
by Leah Pittsinger
TOPICS:Character of God, Knowing God, Mercy MATERIALS:Crown (King) DURATION:Approximately 10 minutes |
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| (The King sits down on a chair as Servant 1 approaches. Servant 3 and the Prison Guard stand near the King.) | |
| Narrator 1 |
There once was a King who wanted his debts to be repaid. Therefore, a servant who owed him ten thousand bags of gold humbly approached him to beg for mercy because he couldn’t repay his debt. |
| King: | Where is my gold? |
| Servant 1 |
(Bowing at the King’s feet.) I cannot pay my debt. |
| King: | Then I order that you and your entire family be sold as slaves to repay me. |
| Servant 1 | Please be patient and have mercy on me! I will pay back everything I owe. |
| King: | (Rubbing his chin.) Very well. I will have pity on you and cancel your debt. You may go. |
| Narrator 2 | The servant left with excitement because his debt had been cancelled. |
| (The Prison Guard and Servant 3 follow Servant 1.) | |
| Narrator 1 | As the servant left the King’s presence, he met another servant who owed him money and suddenly became angry. |
| Servant 1 | (Shaking his fist at Servant 2.) You owe me 100 silver coins! Give them to me now! |
| Servant 2 | Please be patient and have mercy on me! I will pay back everything I owe. |
| Servant 1 | (Motioning to the Prison Guard.) I will not have mercy on you! Throw this man into prison until he repays his debt. |
| Prison Guard | Yes Sir. |
| (The Prison Guard takes Servant 2 by the arm and leads him away. Servant 3 is shocked at Servant 1's behaviour and speaks out.) | |
| Servant 3 | This isn’t right! I’m going to tell the King. |
| Narrator 2 | The other servants were angry when their friend was thrown into jail because the first servant was given mercy by the King but wouldn’t give mercy to someone else. |
| Servant 3 | (Arriving at the King's throne with Servant 1 and the Prison Guard following closely behind.) You gave this servant mercy and cancelled his debt, but now he has thrown someone into prison for the debt they owe him. |
| King | Is this true? |
| Servant 1 | Yes, it is true. |
| King | You wicked servant! You begged me for mercy, and I cancelled your debt. Now, I hear that you put someone else in prison for the very same reason? Why didn’t you have mercy on him like I did to you? Prison Guard, please take him away. |
| Prison Guard | Yes, sir. |
| Narrator 1 | So the servant was led away to be tortured because he had received so much mercy but would not give mercy to someone else. |
| Narrator 2 | The Bible says in Matthew 18 that God will also judge us if we will not give mercy to others. Because He has done so much for us, we should be quick to give mercy and forgive. |
Application:
Explain to the class that this skit is from a parable (an earthly story with a spiritual message) that Jesus told about mercy in Matthew 18:23-35. Practice reading the skit before acting out the parts and add input where needed. Then perform the skit and ask the following discussion questions:
1. Who does the King represent in this parable? (God.)
2. Who does Servant 1 represent? (Us.)
3. Who had the greater debt – Servant 1 or Servant 2? (Servant 1.)
4. So why should we give mercy to others? (Because God has given us even more mercy.)