“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” - Matthew 18:21
Peter's suggestion of forgiving a person up to seven times was a significant increase over what was taught by Jewish rabbis at the time - which was that a person must forgive his brother up to three times - and was particularly significant since the number "7" was considered a mystical number in Jewish tradition that meant "perfection" or "completeness". Peter was, in effect, asking Jesus if there was a limit to forgiveness. Jesus removes all doubt with his response - "not seven times, but seventy-seven times" - in other words, an infinite number of times. There is no limit to our call to forgive. This can be very hard to swallow by those of us who were raised to stand up for ourselves, and a sign of weakness if it appears that we allow others to take advantage of us. Yet during this Jubilee of Mercy, we are reminded that our own failures and need for God's forgiveness is equally as great as those who sin against us. Are we willing to forgive others seventy-seven times? Are we willing to forgive ourselves?
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