Mercy And Debt

Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ βασιλεῖ, ὃς ἠθέλησεν συνᾶραι λόγον μετὰ τῶν δούλων αὐτοῦ. Τίς ὁ Βασιλεύς; Ὁ Θεός. Τίς ὁ ὀφειλέτης τῶν μυρίων ταλάντων; Ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ ἐν πολλαῖς ἁμαρτίας τῆς τοῦ Θεου μακροθυμίας ἀπολαβών. Τίς ὁ τὰ ἑκατὸν δηνάρια; Ὁ ὑποχείριος τοῦ χρεωστοῦντος τὰ μυρία τάλαντα· καὶ αὐτος μὲν ἔτυχε μακροθυμίας, οὕτος δὲ ἐφάνη ὡμὸς καὶ σκληρὸς πρὸς τὸν ὁμόδουλον αὐτοῦ. Ψευδό Ἀθανάσιος, Φήσεις Καὶ Ἑρμηνείαι Παραβλῶν Του Ἅγιοῦ Ἐυαγγελιοῦ Source: Migne PG 28.712a

The kingdom of heaven is like a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. 1 Who is the king? God. Who is the one who is ten thousand talents in debt? A man who despite his many sins yet partakes of the mercy of God. Who is he who is one hundred talents in debt? He is under the power of the one who is ten thousand talents in debt, which one, though he received the mercy of God, yet is revealed as cruel and hard hearted to his fellow servant. Pseudo Athanasius, Saying And Interpretations of the Parables of the Holy Gospel 1 Mt 18.23