The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [7] 01/14/2024 (Evening thought)

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.

Seven times forgiving the same person in a single day will obviously bring into question the offender’s sincerity, for no one likes to be taken for granted, or worse yet, abused for their kindness and long-suffering, especially if it seems as if the offender is doing it willfully, or just doing it for spite. Thus, in order to bring some clarity to the matter in question, Jesus spoke the following parable, which we will use as our springboard to better understand the nature of forgiveness, and issues pertaining to indebtedness. And hopefully, it would help us grasp, the extent to which God forgives us and by example, how we too  should also forgive others.

Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Matthew 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that you owe. 29 And his fellow servant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

Matthew 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

May God add His blessing to the study of His word. “Good night” and God bless!

The Cost of Forgiveness. Part [6] 01/13/2024 (Morning thought)

Luke 17: 3 Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he trespasses against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

There is a parable given by Christ, which deals with forgiveness specifically, as He responded to Peter’s questions of how often should he forgive. Peter at that time probably thought of himself as being quite generous to suggest seven times.

But to Peter’s surprise, Jesus significantly raised the threshold, by saying seventy times seven. Then, to drive home the point even further, Jesus gets even more specific, by saying that forgiveness might need to be administered to the same person seven times in a single day, which speaks to a forgiving attitude, not to a mere number of times to offer pardon.

And since seven is a number that is representative of perfection, it means that we should be ready and willing to forgive as much as is necessary. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, this kind of forgiveness would require an account, so that just like with God, forgiveness could be drawn upon as needed.

Matthew 6:14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

May The Lord add His blessing to the study of His word. God bless!