Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:22
"God has forgiven me much, so I think it's my responsibility to forgive others."Gracie Burnham on being asked if she forgave her kidnappers whose actions resulted in the death of her husband Martin. The Burnhams were missionaries serving in the Philippines when they were kidnapped by Islamic terrorists in May of 2001. A rescue attempt in June 2002 resulted in the death of Martin while Gracie was freed.
“My brother’s burden which I must bear is…quite literally his sin. And the only way to bear that sin is by forgiving it in the power of the cross of Christ in which I now share…Forgiveness is the Christ-like suffering which is the Christian’s duty to bear.”Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cost of Discipleship
Jesus’ passionate message about taking care of His little ones continues (Matthew 18:6,10,14). Peter, after listening to Jesus’ instruction on restoring a sinning brother (Matthew 18:15-20), asks: “How often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” (v. 21)
It was rabbinic teaching of the day to extend forgiveness three times. But not after four. So Peter likely doubles the number and throws an additional measure of forgiveness. Once again, Jesus explodes our expectations and answers Peter’s question with, “seventy times seven” (v.22). And Jesus uses a parable (vv. 23-35) to explain his answer.
A slave begged forgiveness of a debt from a king he could not repay (v. 26). The text lists the debt as 10,000 talents (v.24), an amount that could be over a billion dollars in today’s money. The king assumes the debt and frees the slave. That slave then finds a fellow slave who owes him a paltry few days wages and imprisons him when he cannot repay (v.30). The king learns of what the forgiven slave did and immediately hands that slave over to the torturers (v.34).
There is deep theology here that cannot be missed. Sin is not just mere moral failure. If that was the case, then human correction would be all that is needed for our forgiveness. But sin is much, much more than mere moral failure. Sin is rebellion against Almighty, All-holy God; sin is a God-centered action. Sin cannot exist in the presence of absolute holiness without corrupting holiness. Therefore an impenetrable barrier exists between Holy God and sinful man. Yet God loves with an infinitely greater love known to man. For Almighty God assumed our death penalty Himself on the cross; Jesus paid for our sin. As the song says, “He paid a debt He did not owe; we owed a debt we could not pay.”
This realization that the Lord God Himself has paid our sin penalty changes hearts and makes them soft. The weight of our guilt, shame and sin has been lifted. As the beautiful Christmas hymn proclaims, “God and sinners reconciled.” The impenetrable barrier has now been breached through the cross of Jesus. Man has been forgiven the greatest debt ever in the universe and now has the offer of fellowship with Almighty God! What an awesome God we serve!
Forgiveness is difficult; forgiveness is suffering, as Timothy Keller reminds us in his great book, The Reason for God in the chapter “The (True) Story of the Cross.” When we forgive we forgo our opportunity to return affliction on our perpetrator. We assume ourselves the debt of the transgression against us. But this is exactly what the Lord God did for us on the cross. And if we claim His forgiveness without forgiving others while remaining petty, grudge-holding people, then we do not fully understand the cross and we retain upon ourselves the death penalty for our sins (v. 34).
Forgiveness can be a process and it may require a needed conscious choice to forgive over and over again (even more than 490 times if needed!). Some of us are victims of unspeakable crimes and the passage of time provides little healing to those wounds. In such cases, forgiveness can take years and require the help of professional counselors. But what path are you on? Are you on a path of forgiveness or on a path of a hardening heart? Those are the only two choices. Pursue forgiveness with all you have just as the Lord has pursed us. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
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