Seventy-Seven Times

Day 28: Matthew 18:21-35, 19:1-12

“Then Peter came up and said to him, ‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” - ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:21-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

There is a toxic saying that has been going around for some time. It goes like this: “People never change.” These words communicate that people aren’t worth forgiving.

Let’s ask ourselves this question today: “Have you changed as a result of Jesus coming into your life?”

Our ability to forgive others is found somewhere in these kinds of questions. Jesus believes that people deserve to be given a second, third, fourth... yes, a lot of chances.

Why would He say something like that? The heart of God is not that anyone should perish, but that ALL come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). God’s forgiveness (and our own) is a statement that people should be given another shot.

Now, our limitless forgiveness is not to negate the need for protective boundaries with people (this is also a form of love). But it does teach us that no one wins when we hang on to bitterness and hate.

Who do you need to forgive today? We may need to drop to our knees right now and say something like this to God: “Father, you know what this person has done to me, but in light of your forgiveness to me, I am right now forgiving them. I refuse to drink the poisonous brew with which they’ve hurt me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.”

R.T. France gives us an even greater picture of what Jesus was alluding to with his answer to Peter's question: "The Rabbis discussed the question, and recommended not more than three times. Peter’s seven times is therefore generous, but Jesus’ reply does away with all limits and calculations. His allusion to Genesis 4:24 neatly contrasts Lamech’s unlimited vindictiveness with the unlimited forgiveness of the disciple. The Hebrew of Genesis 4:24 clearly means seventy-seven times (as RSV mg.), and this is also the most natural rendering of the Greek (Gundry, UOT, p. 140); but to be concerned as to whether the figure is 77 or 490 is to return to the pedantic calculation which Jesus rejects!" - France, R. T. (1985). Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 1, p. 280)