Seventy times seven
Matthew 18:21-22 Jesus removes the limits to forgiveness
“Then Peter came and said to Him, “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 NASB1995
These verses played a big part in one of the Season 4 episodes of The Chosen that we recently watched at a local theater. The person Peter is asking Jesus about forgiving is Matthew, who had been a tax collector for the Romans and had made life quite difficult for Simon (later named Peter (Cephas) by Jesus) and his brother Andrew.
Matthew has already asked Peter to forgive him, but Peter is still quite angry with the man who had almost forced the brothers into total poverty and also angered most of the Jewish population of Capernaum.
At the time, rabbis suggested forgiving a repentant believer up to three times, so Peter’s offer to forgive up to seven times sounded really loving toward the repentant Matthew. Seven, of course, is considered the number of completeness and perfection in Scripture, being tied to the number of days in the Creation. As a result, Peter’s suggestion sounded very generous.
Peter was probably expecting Jesus to say “Well done!”, but he unexpectedly replied that we should forgive a repentant person seventy times seven (490 for those of you who might be bad at math…) times. Jesus doesn’t mean that we should forgive someone 490 times and then show a lack of forgiveness on offense #491; He is essentially telling Peter that he should forgive someone an unlimited number of times!
This numerical example of unlimited forgiveness has an opposite counterpart way back in Genesis 4:24, where Lamech promises to be vengeful towards others “seventy-sevenfold” (another way of saying seventy times seven) times — in other words, this great-great-great-grandson of Cain was never going to be forgiving to anyone. Lamech tells his wives that he killed a boy for striking him, showing just how full of hatred he is.
How about you? Have you forgiven someone for an offense once, then gone back to despising them for that very same thing? Jesus tells us to “let it go” and forgive forever.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Lord, I know that You, through your Grace, have forgiven me for the many offenses I have confessed. Teach me to be as forgiving as You, to forgive others as You forgive me. I thank You for these everlasting words of wisdom found in the Gospel of Matthew, and pray that they are always in my mind when someone sins against me. I pray this in the Holy Name of Jesus, AMEN.