…Peter…said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? …Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
Matthew 18:21-22
Peter, who has confessed Jesus as the Son of the Living God, asks Jesus about forgiveness of those who commit multiple sins against him. The common Jewish belief was that forgiving someone of sin against them was to be given 3 times and, after that, no forgiveness need be given. It is difficult to know or understand such logic of that day but, it reflects the corruption that infiltrated the Jewish religion in that day. Keeping a scorecard of someone’s sins against you is never recommended and Jesus was very direct with Peter here about that. Peter may have thought himself to be generous in his “forgiving” someone who sins against him 7 times. But, it is still a scorecard circumstance that one must remember how many times someone sins against him. Jesus tells Peter to forgive that person so many times that Peter would not be able to keep up with the number without some system to record them. And, that is not Jesus’ point. Jesus wanted Peter to understand that forgiveness of one who sins against you is to be granted no matter how many times it occurs. The Christian life is one of humbleness of spirit and forgiving those who sin against you because, in their sin against you, they are, really, sinning against God. How many times has God forgiven you?! Innumerable times has God forgiven His children and yet, we sin again and again because we are all born as sinners and sinners sin! The least a Christian can do is to forgive those who sin against them in the same way God has forgiven His child. Remember Jesus, teaching the “Lord’s Prayer” to His Disciples, said “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” So, instead of keeping a scorecard, try forgiving those who sin against you so that God the Father will forgive your sins! God is our Avenger and we are not to take matters into our own hands when someone sins against us. Our forgiveness of someone sinning against us is expected of us by God. But, maintaining a relationship with the one who sins against you is not required. Someone, who sins against you, may hurt you deeply and you may not want to associate with that person anymore. Forgiving that person is commanded but, remaining friends, or associating, with that person is for the Christian to decide. Let all Christians strive to be like our Savior in this matter, remembering how much He has forgiven each Christian.
Source: S C Ball March 8, 2023
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