Our Lord is serious about forgiveness! - 15 November 2024

One cannot spend time with the Lord in your prayer room and when you exit, you still carry a grudge against your neighbour. Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:12 to pray daily to be forgiven, as we also forgive those who have sinned against us. And when Jesus concludes the teaching about prayer, he repeats today’s verses to reinforce importance of the principle of forgiveness.

Peter asked Jesus in Matthew 18:21: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Peter thought that he had set the bar very high. He expected that Jesus would praise him for this grand gesture. The Pharisees of the day taught that you were expected to forgive someone three times if they transgressed against you. By the fourth time, you could act and pay back in kind what was done to you. Peter had a faulty understanding of forgiveness. He thought that it was something that could be calculated and measured, and that the end of it could be reached.

Our Lord Jesus answered that we were expected to not only forgive seven times, but seventy times seven times. This is not a mathematical calculation with an answer of four hundred and ninety times. Jesus uses two perfect numbers, seven and ten, in prophetic terms. He multiplies them and then again multiplies it with seven. The meaning of this number is that our forgiveness should be perfect, without boundaries. Jesus did not give us a free pass to take revenge at transgression number 491. The Bible teaches us repeatedly that we have received perfect grace and unending forgiveness from God. We are to share this forgiveness with those who trespass against us.

I know it is difficult to forgive some things done to us. We still have to trust in the government that God has placed over us, to maintain law and order in society. Read Romans 13 about a Christian’s responsibility and rights under government.

We forgive, to be free ourselves. When we forgive and leave vengeance in God’s hands, we create a space for God to heal the world around us. A wonderful world is possible where we believe and live out Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.”

Prayer: Lord, you have shown me endless mercy by dying for me on the cross. You have forgiven me so many times when I have sinned against you and my fellow man. Thank you for endless grace and forgiveness given to me. Lord, I need your help to forgive those who have sinned against me. I need the power of your Spirit to change my heart and renew my mind. I want to obey your command; I want to grow spiritually and bear fruit that will honour you. Amen