Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV)
Peter asked Jesus a question. How many times should I forgive someone before giving up on them? Symbolically, seven in ancient times represented when something was completed or finished. It was a reasonable number before it was “done”.
Matthew follows up this story with Jesus’ Parable of the Talents. A king (God) was due a great debt by a servant (us). The servant pleaded with the king, and the king showed great mercy and forgave the debt. The servant then goes out, runs into another (our connections) who owes him a small amount and demands immediate payment. When he could not instantly pay, the servant had the man thrown into prison until the debt was paid. When the king found out, he admonished the servant, had him thrown into prison until he paid the original debt in full. A side note is that the debt was so great that the servant would have needed to sell himself into slavery (Jewish Law would have set the slavery timeline of minimum 7 years) to pay the debt. Jesus was teaching about forgiveness – great or small.
God (King) forgives our (servant) great debts and expects us to forgive the small by comparison debts of others (other man). Forgiveness is expected to be eternal.
Jesus answered Peter with you should forgive your brother seventy times seven, representing a number that has no end, no give up point, no time when you should throw in the towel. God’s forgiveness is eternal, so should ours?
Jesus was not suggesting that we should remain in unhealthy, abusive, dangerous relationships. There are times when we have to just forgive another and walk away. It’s not about holding a grudge, feeling anger or remaining upset. I believe Jesus is saying that we should forgive the person and pray that God will touch their heart, while we let it go. Besides, it is likely the grudge we are holding on to is affecting us more than them.
Imagine if Jesus had told Peter that seven times was enough in God’s eye, time to throw in the towel. Imagine if God had a limit on His forgiveness for our sins. I’m pretty sure that I ask God at least once a day to forgive me for my shortcomings, mistakes, and daily sins. At 70, I’m pretty sure that I have long since passed the seventy times seven limit, in fact it has likely been many multiples of 70 X 70.
I thank God daily that He will never give up on me, even though there have been too many times when I might have given up on Him. Agape Love includes a large dose of forgiveness. Forgive me Lord for my shortcomings.
Questions for Reflection:
- Do you have a grudge that you just can’t seem to let go of?
- Do you wish you could just eliminate the burden?
- Is it time to just forgive, and turn the burden over to God? He is so much better at dealing with it than we are.
Prayer:
Dear gracious and forgiving God. You know my weaknesses and see my struggles. Help guide me through Your Word to learn how to just let go of the burdens I carry. Help me to find the peace that only Your Love can provide. If it be Your will. Amen.
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