Forgiveness

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.”                                     Matthew 18:21-22

The parable illustrates the power of forgiveness.  The parable deals with forgiveness between brothers.

When we start living in  humility and honesty, we  take some risks and expect some dangers. Unless humility and honesty result in forgiveness, relationships cannot be mended and strengthened.

Here in this passage, Peter recognizes the risks involved and asked Jesus how he should handle them in the future.  But Peter made some serious mistakes.

To begin with, he lacked humility himself. He was sure his brother would sin against him, but not he against his brother!

Peter’s Second mistake was in asking for limits and measures.

Where there is love, there can be no limits or dimensions. Peter thought he was showing great faith and love when he offered to forgive at least seven times. After all, the rabbis taught that three times was sufficient.

The Lord’s reply, “Until seventy times seven” (490 times) must have shook Peter. after all, could  he keep count for that many offenses? But that was exactly the point Jesus was making: Love “keeps no record of wrongs” (Corinthians 13:5 3,).

I love the Hawaiian  Pidgeon Translation: “Wen you get love an Aloha, you no going rememba all da bad kine stuff peopo wen do to you.“

When we forgive someone , we don’t keep track of how many times that person may have done us wrong.

Jesus told Peter to start off with 490 times! By the time we have forgiven a brother that many times, we are in the habit of forgiving.

The habit of forgiving.    The dictionary defines a habit as: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

I don’t know about you, but I have many habits I have acquired and I’m sad to say that they have become regularly followed….. to the point where they become second nature.  I just love to eat avocado with anything!   I always put brown sugar and banana on my oatmeal.  There are however some, why I would call bad habits I have. I have a habit of putting some things off;  my worst habit is I procrastinate.  It is a habit that I’ve asked the Lord to help me with., and if you would, keep me in prayer on that!

The forgiveness Jesus requires is on the basis of the instructions He gave in Matthew 18:15-20.    “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”

If a brother is guilty of a repeated sin, no doubt he would find strength and power to conquer that sin through the encouragement of his loving and forgiving brethren.  

If we condemn a brother, we bring out the worst in him. But if we create an atmosphere of love and forgiveness, we can help God bring out the best in him.

Forgiveness is paramount in our relationship with God, because He sent Jesus to die for the very privilege we have benefited from  that in Jesus is found forgiveness of our sins.  How can we not forgive others always when Jesus is always ready to forgive us?

When Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times” That is love!

‘As far as the East is from the West, He has cast our sins into the deepest oceans, never to be remembered by Him again’

Maybe today you know someone who you need to forgive, even though they have harmed you.  The best thing you can do with that wrong is forgive them.  Maybe give them a call, and let them know that as the Father has forgiven you, that you feel compelled to forgive them, and maybe win them over to Christ, because humility and honesty result in forgiveness.

 ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times?’  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.”            

Truly God is worthy to ask help today to forgive those in your life who have wronged you, celebrate with this video, the Lord bless you!