But the great lesson of the parable lies in the contrast between God's compassion and man's hardheartedness; in the fact that God's forgiving mercy is to be the measure of our own. "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?"

Men den største lærdom, vi kan drage af lignelsen, findes i modsætningen mellem Guds barmhjertighed og menneskets hårdhjertethed, i den kendsgerning, at Guds tilgivende nåde skal være målestokken for os. "Burde du så ikke også forbarme dig over din medtjener ligesom jeg havde forbarmet mig over dig!"