21 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.”
Appropriately, Jesus builds on His teaching about confronting/rebuking a sinning brother and winning him back, with an exhortation to lavishly forgive. I say “appropriately” not because Jesus needs my endorsement, but that this sequence of teaching fits well the overall mission of Christ—sin must be dealt with but forgiveness is the goal. Where sin abounds grace abounds more (Romans 5:20). What is more gracious than forgiveness which follows rebuke?
If there is anything indisputable in the Christian faith, it is the teaching about forgiveness. Even non-Christians hold avowed followers of Christ to a high standard on this point. We know this truth intellectually, but instinctively limit it to what seems “appropriate.” In other words, “I can forgive many things, but you can’t expect me to forgive him/her for doing ___________!” (fill in the blank). Each of us comes to a point beyond which our human forgiveness cannot go.
The disciples’ concern did not have to do with the severity of an offense, but rather the frequency of offenses, which can turn any sin into a severe pattern of destructive or abusive behavior. They asked the question (“How often should I forgive a person who sins against me?) and immediately offered what they thought was a magnanimous answer (“Seven times”). To forgive once would be impressive, by today’s standards. But Jesus moves them to not just a higher plane, but a different dimension altogether. The memorable hyperbole of forgiving someone 70×7 times, which was Jesus’ standard, must have seemed an impossible yardstick. No one could even remotely come close to forgiving someone 490 times!
And that was Jesus’ point, it is impossible. This leads to a few inferences: 1) Jesus calls disciples to something utterly impossible to accomplish by human ability. 2) A disciple should simply get into the mode of forgiving people and not keep count. 3) There is really no limit to extending forgiveness to others. 4) Jesus wouldn’t call His disciples to something He Himself did not embrace. This last one encourages us, for His forgiveness has no limit and we can be assured that when we repent, God will always forgive us. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Lord, help me be a forgiving kind of person, rather than the sort who keeps score and rations out forgiveness as seems “appropriate” to me.
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