Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. Matthew 18:21-23 (NIV)
It is interesting that Peter asked about limiting forgiveness. Perhaps he just wanted to continue the conversation that Jesus had just finished about dealing with sin in the church. A natural progression would be dealing with someone who sins against you personally. Or perhaps, Peter was simply tired of having to forgive someone who kept doing wrong against him, and wanted to know how long he had to put up with it. We really don't know what prompted Peter to ask the question, but I'm quite sure we can relate to the latter suggestion. Each one of us has a limit, and when we reach it - we quite honestly don't want to have to forgive that person, again.
Nevertheless, Jesus tells us that we are to forgive seventy-seven times. Now Jesus isn't saying we should forgive only 490 times. Then on the 491st time, that's it! No forgiveness for you! He is making a point, which is this - we are to always forgive. We can then infer also that we are to forgive even those who have passed away – since we should always forgive. And really – what good is it to continue to be upset with someone who is no longer alive; they can’t see how flared our nostrils are; how twisted our lips are; or how cold our piercing eyes are? The bottom line is this – we free ourselves from anger and resentment - when we forgive those who wronged us, whether they are alive or dead.
Today let us remember how God freed us, when we asked for His forgiveness and how He was faithful and just to forgive us our sins. Now remain free and forgive others.
No comments:
Post a Comment