The Unforgiving Debtor is based on Matthew 18: 23-34
What’s God’s Nation like? Imagine a man who traded in futures. He borrowed some money, from a loan company, to cover a loss. Then he lost more than he had (again!), so he borrowed more money, then more money…
One day, he was called in by the boss of the loan company, who’d been checking all her accounts. “It seems you owe me ten trillion pounds,” she said. “Since that exceeds the value of your house and everything in it, your lifetime earnings, your wife’s lifetime earnings, your children’s lifetime earnings and the lifetime earnings of your hypothetical grandchildren … can you give me any reason I shouldn’t have you thrown into prison for fraud?”
The man begged her not to. “Just be patient with me,” he said. “I’ll find a way to pay everything! I swear I will!”
The boss of the loan company felt sorry for him, so she cancelled the debt – all the debt – and let him start afresh.
But as the man went home, he spotted someone who owed him money – £5000. He grabbed her and began to shake her by the shoulders. “Pay up!” he screamed. “I want that money! If you don’t give it to me, I’ll see you in court!”
The woman begged him not to. “Just be patient with me,” she said. “I’ll find a way to pay everything! I swear I will!”
But the man refused. Instead, he went straight to court and put the woman’s earnings under an attachment of earnings order, until she could pay the debt.
The thing was, others had seen what happened and the court case got reported in the local press. In the end, someone went to the boss of the loan company.
She called the man in, looked him in the eye and said, “Y’know, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have forgiven that woman her debt, just as I forgave yours?”
Then she picked up the phone – and called the Serious Fraud Office.
Commentary on The Unforgiving Debtor
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