The immediate environment of the people, and their situation is the foundation of the why JESUS spoke each parable. In this parable of the creditor and the two debtors the backdrop of what Christ is encountering brings forth the story of who loves the most. The mystery of this parable is we all owe a debt we have no means to pay. If it were not for a merciful creditor we all would be held in debtors’ prison.
Jesus was the master of teaching in parables. His parables often have an unexpected twist or surprise ending that catches the reader’s attention. They are also cleverly designed to draw listeners into new ways of thinking, new attitudes and new ways of acting (Getty-Sullivan, pp. 2-4).
Each of Jesus’ parables teaches only one or two important lessons. It is a mistake to look for meaning in every sentence or detail of the story (Lockyer, Parable). If we get bogged down analyzing the details of the parable, we may miss the central point, as in the proverbial saying, “You can’t see the forest for the trees.”
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