Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord,
how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many
as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.
I notice that some modern translations say seventy-seven times. But it doesn't matter. Seven sins you might easily consult your memory and tally up the offences. But whether Jesus said 77 or 490 times, if you're still keeping count, you're not actually forgiving. And to retaliate for the 78th or 491st offence is still to disobey Christ.
But the truly great thing about Jesus’ response is this: if our lives and our love truly reflect the life and love of God within us, we can be confident that our Spirit-given capacity for unrelenting forgiveness reflects God's own capacity for forgiveness towards us.
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