Sunday 13 September 2026
- Bible Book:
- Matthew
Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times." (vs 21-22)
Background
In this chapter, Jesus had been teaching his disciples about relationships within the new community of his followers, and then he turned to the subject of forgiveness.
Peter probably thought that he was doing well when he answered his own question with ‘seven times’, as it was rabbinic teaching to forgive a person three times. He thought it would be enough to forgive someone seven times. Jesus’ response to Peter’s question (see above) was his way of saying that forgiveness is limitless – it can’t be counted.
To explain this further, he told a parable (a short story that has a valuable lesson). The king shows great mercy (compassion or sympathy) and forgives a slave (a servant) who owes him an enormous debt and clears the debt. But that same slave doesn’t in turn forgive another who has a smaller debt against him, just a fraction of what he owed to the king, which doesn’t seem fair, and for this he received condemnation from the other slaves.
The king had shown great mercy towards the first slave, but the first slave wasn’t able to see himself to be in the same position as the second slave, so he wasn’t able to show the same mercy towards him.
At first, the reader may think that if we don’t forgive those who upset us, that God will not forgive us. But the point of the story is that there is no way of measuring the unlimited, generous forgiveness of God. God’s people must be forgiven before they can forgive. Jesus taught his disciples how to ask for forgiveness in what we know today as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’ (Matthew 6:9-15).
To Ponder:
- To what extent are you open to receiving forgiveness from God, and from others? How does being forgiven make you feel?
- Are there ways in which you can surprise someone with kindness?
- How hard do you find it to say, "I’m sorry" or "I forgive you"?
Prayer
Lord, sometimes I feel unworthy of your forgiveness, or unable to forgive others. I ask you to surround me with your unconditional love and your peace. In the same way that you show me your mercy, help me to forgive others. Amen.
Bible Notes Author: The Revd Ann Fox
The Revd Fox is Superintendent Minister of Tadcaster Circuit and a member of the District Leadership Team (Yorkshire North & East). She is called to serve alongside others and enjoys care for older people, hearing people’s stories, and receiving inspiration from children and young people.