Forgiving

Seventy Times Seven

We all know the story don’t we? “How many times should we forgive? Seven times?” “No – seventy times seven.” The conversation between Peter and Jesus must have been an eye opener for Peter. I mean to say, forgiving once is hard; forgiving twice is going some; forgiving seven times is definitely stretching the point; but forgiving and forgiving nearly five hundred times? That was definitely out of Peter’s range and It is usually out of ours too – until we consider it in the same perspective as God.

His perspective is way different to ours, isn’t it? God considers mercy far more important than being right. He considers being right somewhere below zero on the righteous scale. In God’s perspective, it is far more important to have unity than it is to be right. It is far more important to be reconciled than it is to be right. Actually, in God’s realm, being right is His prerogative, but being merciful and forgiving is His priority.

So how are we to forgive, and forgive again, and then to go on forgiving, almost times without number? At least, how are we supposed to treat a person who slips and keeps slipping? Do we shout at them? Do we gang up on them until they are practically forced to act as we want them to act? Well, trying not to be too hypocritical, we extend to them the same Grace as God has extended to us. I say, without being hypocritical, because we all have a tendency to forgive grudgingly. Yet Proverbs 25:15 (Message) says this “Patient persistence pierces through indifference; gentle speech breaks down rigid defences.” Perhaps Jesus was referring to ‘patient persistence and gentle speech’ when He told Peter to forgive ‘seventy times seven times’.

I guess I will have to try to be a little bit more forgiving in future. Not with a grudging forgiveness, but with Jesus’ open armed and welcoming hug of forgiveness. I guess we all are, because if we harbour any unforgiveness, how can we be forgiven? Also, we need not only to forgive but we must be completely reconciled too. That is the whole gist of Jesus teaching on forgiving.