3 March | Youth
«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
Forgiving is not optional. Since there is no sin too great for God's grace, forgiveness is an obligation of those who have been forgiven.
Peter once asked Jesus how many times he should forgive. Up to seven times? The rabbis taught that the limit was three times. Peter expected to receive a pat on the back for having been more lenient than rabbinic justice. However, the Master said that the measure of a forgiving heart goes far beyond that. We must always forgive, and we cannot limit the number of times we are willing to do so.
On another occasion, Jesus said the following: “And if [someone] sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:4). Jesus told Peter that we must forgive 70 x 7. To make clear what he was saying, He told a parable about a servant who owed his master a lot of money. The debt was impossible to pay, but the servant begged, and the master forgave the debt. This story was told to make it clear that there are no limits to God's forgiveness.
Jesus continued, saying that, soon after, this servant found another who owed him some money and demanded payment. It was truly little money. The other servant begged for a little more time, but the first one did not forgive him. When the master heard this, he was incredibly angry because the servant received forgiveness, but did not want to share it.
Jesus was telling the parable to answer Peter's question. His concern was the number of times he should forgive. Jesus simply said: 70 x 7. Do the math. Do you know what 70 x 7 is? Seven is the number of perfection, and 490 is the product of infinite counting in the Jewish mentality. It represents unlimited grace. This is what God has offered us in Christ. This is what He expects us to do with our neighbors. Therefore, our need today is to have a forgiving heart like our Father has.