Counter Culture: Forgive One Another — Thursday
Matthew 18:21-22
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.” (NIV)
I can picture the look on Peter’s face when Jesus responds to him with, in my mind, such an astronomical number! Seventy-seven times?! I assume Peter thought he was being rational, perhaps even charitable, when he suggested to Jesus that he could forgive someone seven times. If I’m being honest, it sounds more than reasonable to me. Forgive someone seven times? To some, that may even seem too much. However, Jesus gently rebukes and offers a number so large that it probably made Peter’s jaw drop to the floor. It’s safe to say Jesus probably wasn’t being literal in this moment by challenging Peter to forgive “seventy-seven” times. We can assume Jesus offered this number because, by all available measures, it sounds unattainable. It’s not like someone would forgive another person 77 times, and then just decide not to on the 78th time. The number is so high because Jesus expects our forgiveness of others to be unlimited.
I’ll be honest—when I read this passage, in my flesh, I want to say to Jesus, “Yeah, but Jesus, I didn’t tell you what they did,” as if it matters. I believe the Bible intentionally leaves out reasons to be forgiven. There isn’t a list of forgivable wrongs and another list of unforgivable ones. Jesus invites us to forgive our brothers and sisters regardless of what they’ve done. If you think Jesus is being unreasonable in asking us to forgive someone that many times, take a minute and think about how many times He has forgiven you. Personally, I’m incredibly thankful God doesn’t put a limit on the number of times He will forgive me.
Thursday’s Reflection
Put yourself in this scene by filling the shoes of Peter. How would you respond to Jesus? Would you push back, or would you humbly understand His command? I believe we have an opportunity to do this every day. I can’t promise that following Jesus’ commands will ever be easy, but I can promise that Jesus will never lead you down the wrong path.
