Matthew 18:21
“Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?””
What does Matthew 18:21 mean?
Peter asks Jesus a practical question that probably feels familiar to anyone who's been hurt repeatedly by the same person. He suggests forgiving seven times, which sounds generous in a Jewish context where three times was sometimes considered sufficient. But Peter is really asking: at what point can I stop forgiving? When do I get to be done? Jesus's answer, coming in the next verse, reveals that forgiveness isn't meant to be a limited resource we dispense carefully until it runs out. The point isn't a magic number, but rather a shift in how we relate to people who harm us. It's less about keeping score and more about recognizing that holding onto resentment poisons our own hearts, and that we ourselves desperately need the kind of limitless grace we're being asked to extend.
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