The Tormentors — What Jesus Really Meant
The Tormentors — What Jesus Really Meant
Matthew 18:32–35
Short Description: A clear look at Jesus’ parable in Matthew 18 and what the “tormentors” truly represent — not demons, not people, but the inner prison created by unforgiveness.
Introduction — A Parable With a Warning for the Heart
In Matthew 18, Jesus tells a story about a servant forgiven of an impossible debt who then refuses to forgive a much smaller one. When the master hears of it, he becomes angry and “delivers him to the tormentors” until the debt is paid.
For many believers, this phrase raises fear and confusion. Who are these tormentors? Is God sending people into torture? Is this punishment?
But Jesus is not describing God as cruel. He is describing what unforgiveness does to the human soul.
The Text Itself
Jesus ends the parable with these words:
“And his lord being angry delivered him to the tormentors till he paid all that was owing to him.”
The Greek word for “tormentors” is basanistais — a word used for jailers who pressured debtors, not executioners. It is parable language, not a description of heavenly beings.
Jesus is painting a picture, not describing literal spiritual creatures.
What the Tormentors Are Not
1. Not demons
Jesus never says the man was handed to evil spirits.
The parable is about forgiveness, not spiritual warfare.
2. Not other people who refuse to forgive us
Humans are never God’s instruments of torment.
3. Not God inflicting pain
The Father in this parable is not acting out of cruelty.
He is showing the natural consequence of a hardened heart.
So What Are the Tormentors?
They are the inner consequences of unforgiveness.
When we refuse to forgive, we hand ourselves over to:
- bitterness
- resentment
- fear
- shame
- replaying old wounds
- loss of peace
- emotional heaviness
- spiritual dryness
- a sense of distance from God
These are the tormentors.
Not because God sends them, but because unforgiveness creates them.
Unforgiveness is its own prison. It locks the door from the inside.
Why Jesus Uses Such Strong Imagery
Jesus is not threatening us. He is warning us.
Unforgiveness:
- poisons the heart
- distorts our view of God
- blocks healing
- traps us in the past
- destroys joy
- keeps us from loving as He loves
Jesus uses the strongest possible picture to say:
“If you refuse mercy, you will live in torment until you release it.”
Not because God wants you to suffer, but because unforgiveness is suffering.
The Heart of the Parable — Restoration, Not Punishment
The master’s anger is not vindictive. It is the grief of a Father whose child refuses to live in mercy.
The tormentors are not God’s wrath. They are the natural consequences of a heart that will not forgive.
And the moment forgiveness is released, the torment ends.
This is why Jesus finishes with:
“So will my heavenly Father do to you, if you do not forgive from your heart.”
He is not threatening eternal punishment. He is inviting us into freedom.
Conclusion — The Way Out of the Prison
Forgiveness is not easy. But it is the doorway out of torment.
When we forgive:
- peace returns
- the heart softens
- the past loses its power
- the Father’s presence feels near again
- the prison doors open
The tormentors disappear because they were never God’s agents. They were the shadows cast by a wounded heart.
And Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted.
