Our Weekly Thought – September 7 - 13, 2020

After hearing about the blessings of reconciliation (in last week’s lesson, Matthew 18:15-20), Peter wondered how often he should forgive someone: “As many as seven times?” he asks, hopefully. This was a nod to Jesus and a disregard of traditional wisdom, which – like ours – held basically to three strikes and you’re out. Jesus’ response to how often does one forgive? Was...a lot. A lot more than you think. A lot more than you can even hope or imagine. One set of manuscripts reads seventy times seven as Jesus’ answer: 490 times. Many modern translations have reduced that to a seemingly more manageable yet still incredible seventy-seven times. (Haver you ever counted that high before you blew your top? Me neither.) Now, if you are in the holds of an abuser or a narcissist, you can get into considerable trouble forgiving like that: all the time, for everything. The type of forgiveness Jesus recommends here makes more sense when we apply it to ourselves of God, who continually forgives us despite our being continually and resolutely, well,...ourselves. God’s love and forgiveness knows no bounds. Thanks be to God for that! This is not the way to rehabilitate abusers. Instead this forgiveness is a marvelous testimony to the abounding grace of a loving God. Bask in God’s forgiveness today, and do what you can to share it, where you are, with people in need of redemption, near and far.