“Then Peter came to Him, and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Seven times?’ Jesus said unto him, ‘I say not unto thee, until seven times, but, until seventy times seven.'” Matthew 18:22
According to Jewish custom, a person was to forgive another three times. Peter thought he was really stretching beyond Jewish tradition by saying “seven times,” but Jesus surprised Peter with His answer–seventy times seven or seventy-seven times in some Bible translations.
In making this statement, Jesus was NOT saying that on the 491st time we do not have to forgive, or on the 78th time we are free to take revenge or hold a grudge.
Jesus is saying to “keep forgiving.” We must have a forgiving heart— always. When we forgive, we may not reach reconciliation with another, but we can certainly heal our own hearts.
In having a forgiving heart, we release the other person from making restitution. We never count. We forgive and move on.
Jesus always extended the law to reach the heart.
Have a blessed day!
In Christian love,
Diane