70 x 7

Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who did something against him. Seven times? Seems reasonable, doesn’t it? In fact, downright generous.

But Jesus went much further than that and told Peter we should forgive 70 TIMES 7. That’s a lot!

In the Bible when the number seven is mentioned, it is associated with perfection or completion. It makes sense then that Peter used the number seven in his question.

Why do you think Jesus replied the way He did? He then followed His reply with the parable about the unmerciful servant. The servant, after having a very large debt he owed forgiven by the king, turned around and had someone who owed him a small debt thrown into prison because he couldn’t repay it.

When the king found out what the servant did, he called the servant in and questioned his lack of mercy towards the man who owed him the small debt. The king was so angry that he then reinstated the servant’s debt and turned him over to the jailers to be tortured until he was able to repay his large debt.

As followers of Jesus, we have each been forgiven a large debt. Our sin comes with a price that we cannot pay ourselves, so Jesus came to pay that debt with His own life. We haven’t earned it, but it is free if we choose to accept it. When we ask Jesus to rule and reign in our lives, we walk knowing that we are forgiven simply because we received His gift. No matter how many times we sin, His forgiveness is available to us.

So what does that look like in our relationship with others? If you spend any time with people at all in your home or outside of it, you know that things can come up. People can do things that rub us the wrong way, offend us, or even hurt us deeply. Once that happens, we have a choice. We can choose to pick up that irritation, offense, or hurt and let it steal our peace and cause division, or we can choose to forgive them so that our hearts don’t become hard and bitter if the unforgiveness takes root, festers, and grows.

There is much more to be said on the subject of forgiveness that we aren’t going to touch on here. But the short and simple take-away is that we always have a choice on how we are going to respond to the things that take place in our lives. As we walk with Jesus, it’s our desire to be more like Him and that our minds are renewed to be like His, and this is one small step in that process.

So next time an issue comes up with another person, pause and choose to forgive them, even if you don’t feel like it, and then see what God does in your life and also in theirs.

Joy McLaughlin

As a co-founder of The Renewal Project, one of Joy's greatest passions is to help others walk in freedom, joy, and hope. When she is not ministering to others, she also enjoys writing, hiking, and spending time with her family and friends.