Scripture: 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.”
Devotion: All throughout this week, we have looked at how God gives us second chances (and third… and fourth…). No matter what we do or how we respond to the circumstances surrounding us, He loves us and gives us another chance to honor Him. He forgives us time and time again.
I am so incredibly thankful for that grace. To know that even though I fall short, Jesus took the penalty for my sin 1000 times over and I am forgiven, gives me a sense of overwhelming peace. And, in light of how our Heavenly Father forgives us, we are called to forgive others as well. And that’s the part that gets a little trickier.
In the Scripture reading from today, Peter asks Jesus how many times we should forgive people who sin against us. Maybe he even thought that he was being generous by proposing the number seven. But Jesus flips that on its head and says that we are to give seventy-seven times. In fact, rabbis at the time said that it was not necessary to forgive more than three times. They cited Amos 1:3-13 where God forgave Israel three times and then punished them. So, Peter was actually suggesting that we forgive more than double the amount of times that was being taught.
Little did he know that Jesus would challenge them, and all of us, to give the same unending grace that we have been given. As fallen and broken people, this can be extremely difficult. And this isn’t to say that we need to let others continue to abuse us or walk all over us. There is a time and a place for offering forgiveness and still drawing hard boundaries. It may seem impossible to forgive someone time and time again. But through the Spirit of God at work within us, He provides us with the strength, courage, and wisdom to forgive time and time again.
Just as God forgives us time and time again.
Reflect:
- Is there anyone in your life that you need to extend forgiveness to now? Do you find it difficult to do so?