Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 18:31

"So when his fellow-servants saw what was done, they were exceeding sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done." — Matthew 18:31 (ASV)

They were very sorry — In the parable's inner meaning, the fellow servants are, of course, those who are members of the same spiritual community. Our Lord appeals, as if in anticipation, to the judgment that Christians in general—and perhaps even humanity at large—would pass on such conduct.

It is significant that He describes them not as angry or indignant, though such feelings would have been natural enough, but as exceedingly sorry. Sorrow, rather than anger, is the disposition of a true disciple of Christ when witnessing the sins against love that cause scandal in the Christian community. Righteous anger against evil, as seen in Matthew 18:32, belongs instead to the Lord and Judge.