But since he had nothing to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
All Commentaries on Matthew 18:25 Go To Matthew 18
John Chrysostom
AD 407
“His lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children.” Why? Not out of cruelty or inhumanity, for the punishment concerned the steward—his wife was already trapped like a slave to his folly. Rather, this discipline occurred in order to effect his transformation. His purpose is to frighten him by this threat so that he may come to supplication, and not merely that they all be sold. For if the lord had done this with unmitigated punishment in mind, he would not have granted his request, nor would he have bestowed upon him a special favor. He did not dismiss the debt, and he called for an accounting. Why? His teaching purpose was to show him with all justice precisely how much debt he was going to free him from! In this way at least he might in due time become more gentle toward his fellow servant. Yet, even having learned of the weight of his debt and the greatness of the forgiveness, he continued to take his fellow servant by the throat. If the master had not disciplined him beforehand with such attempted medicines, how much worse might his cruelty have been than the shocking extent that it actually turned out to be? The Gospel of Matthew, Homily
