We begin this reading plan by reflecting on Jesus' parables.

Seventy Times Seven

What is the limit on forgiveness? It was a question Peter put to Jesus. Was forgiving seven times a reasonable expectation of Jesus’ disciples?

Jesus’ answer must have stunned Peter: Not seven, but seventy times seven.

Jesus narrates a parable in which a man owed a king 10,000 talents. A talent was worth twenty years of a day laborer’s wages. 10,000 talents will probably be worth more than ten million dollars today. The man pleads for mercy and receives pardon from the king who cancels all his debt. This is an extraordinarily generous gesture from the king when we consider the enormous size of the debt.

But this man then goes out from the presence of the king, and does not extend the same benevolence he received to a servant who owes him a hundred denarii (A denarius was worth a day’s wages). He imprisons the servant for defaulting on his repayment. When the king learns about this incident, he is furious and sentences the man to prison.

Jesus uses this parable to explain to His disciples the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven. No matter how heinous the crime committed against us, or how many times we have been wronged, it never adds up to the mountain of sins we have accumulated against God. However, Jesus canceled all our debt, no matter how big or small, through His death on the cross. We are recipients of radical mercy and generous grace. The awareness of our sinfulness and the vastness of God’s mercy should inspire us to extend forgiveness to others.

It may seem unreasonable to those who do not know Christ, but to God’s servants who have experienced His forgiveness, forgiving others is expected and demanded. Every single time.

Respond

• What steps will you take to remind yourself daily of God’s forgiveness and mercy?
• What is coming in your way of forgiving someone who has caused you pain?