Saturday, January
28, 2023
PETER’S FORGIVENESS QUESTION
Matt 18:21-22
21 Then came
Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? till seven times?
22 Jesus saith
unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times
seven.
It was a maxim among
the Jews not to forgive more than three times. Peter, wishing
to demonstrate his great capacity to forgive suggests a number twice that plus
one. Jesus must have smiled at this for the fishermen disciples were brawlers, sometimes
referred to as “sons of thunder” (See Matthew 3:17).
Seventy times seven
is 490 times which seemed to Peter quite an unreasonable sum. Offenses come in
several varieties. There is the accidental, stepped on my
toe, variety which will likely not be repeated because it was not supposed to
happen in the first place. Then, there is what I call the “social” variety which offends anyone who is not part of my
favorite group. This we learn in the schoolyard and then perfect
in congress. Finally, I think, there is a pattern of
behavior which it seems only God is capable of forgiving. Jesus follows with a
parable of a king and a debtor. The idea seemed to be that, if you had been
forgiven, you should forgive.
Personally, I’m
with Peter. I agree that forgiveness is hard, nearly impossible in some cases. I,
and probably you, need a special kind of grace which comes only from God. First
Corinthians chapter 13 indicates that love keeps no record of wrong. In other
words, if you keep a tally of 490 offenses, then you haven’t forgiven at all. Forgiveness
is not a trait that is ever accomplished but is always struggling. At least
that is so for me.
Eph 4:31-32
31 Let all
bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away
from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind
one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you.
Dear Lord, I know my deeply rooted offenses and wonder how you could
possibly love and forgive me – but I am thankful that you did – and still do.
AMEN
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