How many? You must be joking!

 

When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive, Christ replied, "not seven times but seventy times seven!"

Of course, Jesus was exaggerating to make a point. He did not mean we should add the times we forgive someone; He meant we forgive time and time again, as often as is needed.

Then He tells this parable:

A king wished to settle accounts with his slaves ... One who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." 

Out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 

That same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe." Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you." But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt.

When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. (Matthew 18:21-19:1)

Let's see what we can learn from this parable. Jesus makes several points which may have been understood by His listeners, but may have escaped us with the passage of time.

The first slave could not pay back 10,000 talents. That's a lot of money. The slave promised to pay the money back in time. His master does not extend the loan period, or reduce the debt, but he forgives the whole amount.

Can you imagine that? Would your bank do that to you if you can't repay a loan? 

Jesus makes the point that when we ask God for forgiveness, He forgives the whole sin. He does not hold it against us. He does not have a little black book in which He writes the time and date He forgave you a particular sin, and now, here you are, sinning the same sin again. Some people are incorrigible sinning the same sin again and again and expecting to be forgiven. And of course ... God does forgive. Provided we are genuinely repentant.

Note also the exaggeration regarding the second slave. He owed 100 denarii. Probably pennies or dimes. Yet his fellow slave would not forgive such a small amount.

Jesus here is saying that although God will forgive our many serious sins; He will not look kindly if we hold a grudge and do not forgive the most minor thing done to us.

"So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE: 

Do you still resent the fact that your husband did not take the trash bins out when you told him? 

Do you forgive your wife for forgetting to record the football game on TV?

Do you ... (add your own examples, real or not, yourself).