Shepherd Sayings

Then Peter came to Jesus and said, “Lord, how many times could my brother sin against me and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” “I tell you, not as many as seven”, Jesus said to him, “but 70 times 7” (Matthew 18:21-22).

It is possible that Peter posed his question, thinking that Jesus would praise him for his generous spirit. To forgive someone seven time was more than the Jewish law required. But Jesus was quick to point out that a person should be prepared to forgive others “seventy times seven” – or without limits.

To drive home this point, Jesus immediately told a parable in which he described the unlimited mercy of God toward man the sinner. The story told how one man was freely forgiven a debt of several million dollars. It seems that his good fortune would have caused him to teat other persons generously, but it did not.

The forgiven man immediately sought a person who owed him a few dollars and treated him cruelly in his effort to collect. When the man who had been so gracious in his forgiveness learned about this, he called his former debtor back and had him thrown into prison.

Peter was correct in his desire to forgive. He was wrong in wanting to limit forgiveness. God’s forgiveness in unlimited and we must strive to be forgiving in all our human relationships.

Holy Father, help us never to lose sight of the unlimited forgiveness you have extended to us and give us grace to pass it on. Amen