“Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22
We like to keep lists as human beings. And most of us, whether we would admit to it or not, have a running list of all the people who have wronged us in the past. We’ll tuck it away because we may need to pull it back out to remind someone of what they’ve done. Why do we do that? Because we think that if we tally up enough of another’s wrong doings that, at some point, we won’t have to forgive them anymore. Here’s Jesus’ pointthrow away the list! In this passage, Jesus reminds us there should be no limit to the forgiveness we extend to others. As Jesus followers, we’ve been eternally and completely forgiven of all our sinpast, present and future. Therefore, should not the same limitless forgiveness be given to those who have wronged us?
Have you withheld forgiveness from someone who has sought it from you?
