The Mathematics Of Forgiveness
“Then Peter came to Him and said, “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
Jesus’ response to Peter’s question is truly astonishing. Peter may have been ready to write somebody off and be done with them, so he was trying to define forgiveness with a numerical value. We tend to keep mathematical accounts when people hurt us. You may remember that four years ago, at 3:00 in the afternoon, someone said something that hurt you. You may add up words and actions that hurt you and hold on to them for years. Most hurts in life will come from those closest to you whom you’ve loved the most. Maybe you are wondering the same question as Peter, “How many times do I have to forgive a person even if they continue to do me wrong?”
What if someone did the unthinkable? What if you were cheated on or abused? What about the people who keep making the same mistakes over and over, like a drug addict who keeps promising to quit and doesn’t? Peter thought seven times was pretty generous. But Jesus absolutely blew their minds when He said, “No, not seven times. Seventy times seven.” That is 490. Jesus wasn’t giving an exact number; He was giving us a new math formula. He was saying you can never stop forgiving others, regardless of how deeply and how often they’ve hurt you. This doesn’t mean you have to keep every person in your life, but you do have to forgive them with your whole heart.
Jesus set the standard by loving those who lied about Him and by praying for those who persecuted Him. Ephesians 3:17-18 says, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…” As you begin to grasp how much Jesus loves you, your heart will start to line up with His, and living by His formula of forgiveness will become easier and easier.
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