Seventy times seven
“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.”Matthew 18:21-22
Reflection
Peter thought he was being generous. The tradition of the teachers of the time held that forgiving three times was already enough — after that, no one was obliged to forgive more. So when Peter suggested SEVEN times, he was more than doubling the standard, feeling quite magnanimous. But Jesus’ answer burst Peter’s calculation completely: "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven". That is, four hundred and ninety times — a number no one could count in practice. And that was exactly the point: Jesus was not setting a new, higher limit; He was saying that forgiveness has no limit.
Notice what Peter really wanted: a number, a ceiling, a point from which he would be "released" from forgiving. We do the same thing. We want to know how far we are obliged to forgive, so we can then hold a grudge with a clear conscience. "I have forgiven too much", "that was the last time", "now that is enough". But Jesus removes the ceiling. By saying "seventy times seven", He is not commanding us to literally count to 490 — He is saying that whoever keeps COUNTING the offenses has not yet understood what it is to forgive. True forgiveness does not keep a spreadsheet.
Right after this teaching, Jesus told the parable of the servant who owed an unpayable fortune to the king and was forgiven — but who, on going out, imprisoned a fellow servant who owed him a minimal amount. The lesson is direct: we, who were forgiven an infinite debt by God, have no basis for withholding forgiveness of the small debts of others. Every time we think someone "has already asked forgiveness too much", Jesus reminds us of how many times WE have been forgiven by God — and keep being, every day. The forgiveness we offer should flow from the limitless forgiveness we receive.
This does not mean forgiving is easy, nor that we should become doormats who accept abuse without limit — to forgive is not the same as allowing them to keep wounding us. To forgive is to give up the right to revenge, not to keep the offense in the heart, to hand God the settling of accounts instead of carrying it. And it is a process that, for deep wounds, often needs to be redone many times — perhaps that is also the meaning of the "seventy times seven": sometimes we need to forgive the SAME offense repeatedly, each time the hurt returns. If there is someone you feel you have "already forgiven too much", hear Jesus: do not count, do not set a ceiling. Forgive again, as many times as needed — because that is how God forgives you.
Prayer
Lord, like Peter, I want a limit for forgiveness, a number from which I can hold a grudge in peace. But You removed the ceiling: seventy times seven. Remind me of how many times I have been — and keep being — forgiven by You, of a debt I could never pay. Help me forgive without counting, as many times as needed, letting flow the forgiveness I myself receive. Amen.
Put it into practice
Think of someone you feel you have "already forgiven too much" and whose hurt keeps returning. Instead of setting a ceiling, forgive again today (releasing the right to revenge in prayer) — remembering the infinite debt God forgave in you. Repeat whenever the hurt returns.
To reflect on
Have you been "counting" the offenses of others, seeking a limit to forgive — when God forgives you "seventy times seven", without a spreadsheet?
Bible text: King James Version (public domain).