For this reason the kingdom of heaven was compared to a king who wanted his servants to give him an account.
With this parable, Jesus begins to explain in a vivid way the forgiveness to which he called in the previous verse. He presents the kingdom of God by comparing it to a king who sits down to settle accounts with his servants. The king symbolizes God as the sovereign Judge, and the servants symbolize people who are responsible for their deeds. The expression “to settle accounts” refers to the idea of judgment, in which every person will stand before God to give an account for what he has done in his life. This is the introduction to a parable of great and deep meaning, which explains how, by forgiving others, we relate to the forgiveness that God has shown to us.