Seventy times seven… keep on forgiving.

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

When I was a young lad… and phrases like “young lad” were not all that odd… I remember asking my mother about this particular passage.  Taking it quite literally I asked if I this was how many times I needed to forgive people. 

Her response was that it represented a number that could not be counted.  Odd, though… it actually equals 490.  I could do the math as easily then as I can now.  And it didn’t sit right.  But, being raised to respect my parents, I didn’t argue.

Eventually, I revisited this same question, but this time I asked the Lord what it meant.

His answer made a lot more sense…

A “time” in the bible can represent a year.  Keep that in mind as we take a look at the passage.

You see it says “till” and “until” in the verses above.  These words denote not a number but a moment.  Peter has a specific time in mind.

What time was that?  “Seven times” or… “seven years.”  So is it telling us to forgive people of a sin for seven years? 

Not actually.  What Peter was referring to the Sabbatical year… a year in which all things were returned, all land rested, and the people celebrated.

So Pete is asking Jesus if people’s sin against him fell under the law of the sabbatical year.

Jesus’ answer tells a different story. 

Why?  The reference to “seventy” is significant.  It signifies not only the reign of a king, but also a moment… for remember that Peter had been asking about a “moment”… and that moment makes all the difference.

“Until seventy times seven”… or “Until I (the King) am returned to you”

“Seventy times seven” is bible-speak for the return of Christ.  So until He comes again…

Keep on forgiving.

SDG