WAEC Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2023 Theory — Question 11

Model answer

Jesus responded to Peter that forgiveness should not be limited to seven times, but should be extended seventy times seven - meaning without any limit. He then illustrated this with the parable of the unforgiving servant: a king wished to settle accounts with his servants, and one servant was found to owe him ten thousand talents, an amount he could not repay. The king ordered that he, his wife, his children and all he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees and begged for patience, and the king, moved with pity, released him and forgave him the entire debt. However, that same servant then went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a mere hundred denarii; he seized him by the throat and demanded immediate payment. When his fellow servant begged for patience in the same way he himself had, the unforgiving servant refused and had him thrown into prison until the debt was paid. When the king heard of this, he was furious, summoned the wicked servant, and condemned him for failing to show the same mercy he had received, handing him over to be tortured until he should pay all that he owed. Jesus concluded that His heavenly Father would do the same to anyone who does not forgive his brother from the heart.