Peter Brought a Number
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.””
— Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV)
Peter is not being stingy here. Seven is more than the going rate, and he probably expected to be commended. Jesus does not raise the number so that people can count higher. Seventy-seven is past the point where anyone keeps a tally. The instruction is to lose the ledger, not to lengthen it.
It happens that a person forgives someone and then keeps the receipt. The words get said and the count goes on quietly underneath. Jesus does not say the feeling has to arrive first. He says the counting has to stop.
Stop Counting With One Person
- 1Think of the person whose offences you could still list in order.
- 2Say to God, plainly, that you are letting the list go, and do one ordinary kind thing for them this week.
God, I keep a record of what one person has done to me. I can still recite it. I do not know how to stop feeling it, so I am starting with the list. Please help me put it down, and keep me from picking it up tomorrow.
I can stop counting before I stop hurting.
Was seven times a stingy offer?
No. It was more than the usual expectation. Peter probably thought he was being generous.
Does seventy-seven mean an exact limit?
No. It is past the point of practical counting, which is the point being made.
Does this require the feeling to change first?
The text does not say so. It addresses the counting, not the emotion.