Forgiveness. Part II.
What is it to forgive from a generous heart and mind? Peter is a classic person in Scripture to ponder. Often given to being quick to act, Peter sometimes regrets actions. But also, Peter would have been wronged by others. Forgiving and being forgiven are a part of a healthy Christian life. Peter was one of the inner three disciples of Jesus, who had at the point of Matthew chapter eighteen heard much of Jesus' teaching. He has some interesting conversations with Jesus in general, but we encounter him asking Jesus on our topic, what is considered generous?
Have you ever sat at dinner and asked people if they could meet someone in Scripture, who would it be, and what would they ask? Talking to a relative over a meal, things of faith came up. She said she would love to sit down at dinner with Jesus. A few topics came to her mind that she would love to get solid answers.
Us too, wouldn’t you love to be able to sit down with the Lord Jesus for a few hours to chat? Peter did, often. In that, Peter was curious about Jesus, who he is learning is Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, High Priest, slowly but surely. As Jesus taught him now for a while, his clarity about God the Father's will expanded. It wasn't just Peter asking. So from that overflow of having received great insight, then after Peter generously suggests a level of generous beyond normal in the 1st century AD. Normal was about 3 times in Judaism. That was according to popular tradition. Offer forgiveness three times. So, seven stated by Peter in Matthew chapter 18, verses 21-22 is not a bad forward direction on mercy and generosity. Forgive a brother seven times.
Since God’s love is anew to us each day, despite our not being holy enough to be heard of God, nor righteous on our own to be saved, we can pour forth that love also. If the Lord sustains us by grace, we can in God’s love, show grace as a conduit.
But what did Jesus say? In Matthew 18, verse 22, Jesus goes further into who the Lord is, and how we reflect that about us. Also as Jesus does, be aware that, a brother means a close associate, close acquittance, or friend. It is not per se a question about random folks who you don't know much, as such. It implies at least a basic knowing someone or a basic relationship, on towards those you know well. It could be family or co-workers or old friends who you come across. So this is not someone random on the street who walks up and insults you, and because you’re a Christian you should stand there and let them do it another couple hundred times. Nor is it making acquaintance with someone who would do that. No, that is a less than accurate takeaway of this lesson of Jesus in Matthew eighteen. Peter does not have in mind here, nor think of as okay, an odd, abusive, or troublesome person as becoming an associate. Rather, he is talking about preserving decent relationships, between two imperfect people, long-term. Decades, years, or a lifetime, keeping up a friendship or relationship in general is in view.
What else? Jesus has the insight and full wisdom to see to sustain a friendship or a decent stay in contact over years relationship, longer periods of time, takes forgiving. Jesus says: Seventy-seven. In English, it is an okay translation. The better way to hear it is, is literal 70 and 7. In common talk then, it was a way of saying to multiply. To a person overhearing it, they'd assume multiplication. A total number is hearing the two words back-to-back. That told a regular man or woman then, to multiply them, to a Jew then. So, it is “Seventy times seven.” Since the numbers are two words in the original back-to-back, 7 and 70. As much as 7 times 70 times. A total then of 490 times. Wow. That would be generous indeed!
So then to do the forgiving, it also shows amazing, substantial, generous grace. But pausing to see, God forgives us each over years, way more than 490 times, we start to get it. Jesus then sounds reasonable to us, and we are won over as it were to his point. On why forgiving matters, mutual need of grace is a top reason. As Jesus saw reality perfectly, as divine Son of God, He holds a firm line on this. On this, Jesus held it pretty firmly, because Jesus threw forward His “no” to Peter’s suggestion. In the text, it is as a first word forward in the reply. The no first emphasizes definitely or certainly not, only just seven times.
Matthew eighteen yields some more spiritual fruit. As well, Jesus as King appeals to His own ‘I’ authority. This too shows Jesus is no mere good teacher or Rabbi, who pats people on the back and says good job, and just did his best. No. Jesus is not a merely human authority. Nor is Jesus just a local. With authority, He is Son of Man, Son of God, in official office holding. He can just say it, and it is true truth. All of this motivates our use of forgiveness. Who might the Lord be calling you to forgive, Christian?
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