EXPLORE THE TEXT

Question of Forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-22)

Application Point:

We are not to put limits on our willingness to forgive.

21 Then Peter approached him and asked,
“Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother or sister
who sins against me? As many as seven times?”
22 “I tell you, not as many as seven,”
Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven.”

Ask:

• What do you think is a reasonable number of times to forgive someone who hurts you? (PSG, p. 47)

Recap:

Read this to provide more context for Peter’s question:

In verses 15-20,
Jesus spoke about the situation where one believer sins against another.
This raised a question in Peter’s mind.
He asked: “How many times must I forgive?”
He wondered, what’s the limit on forgiving and restoring my brother, a fellow believer? (PSG, p. 47)

Ask:

• What kind of response do you think Peter expected from Jesus?

Explain:

The rabbinical guidelines for forgiveness set the limit at three times.
In this case, Peter went beyond that standard and suggested seven.
He may have seen this as a number of completion,
or it may reflect the transformation God was working in his life.
Whatever the case, Peter likely saw this
as a generous and gracious expansion on conventional wisdom.
But Jesus’s response didn’t give Peter a new number to count.
It gave him a new theology to live out.

Pray:

Emphasize that knowing about forgiveness means nothing without practicing forgiveness.
Pray Matthew 18:22 back to God.