Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Matthew 18:21-22
Peter asked the Lord a question about mercy that caused the Lord to give a stunning answer. Peter asked the Lord one of those question we ask to impress others – to make them realize how insightful we are. As it often does to us, the question completely backfired and showed how little Peter knew about living the Christ-like life.
Peter’s question was straightforward. How many times am I obligated to forgive my brother’s sin when he doesn’t repent and keeps repeatedly sinning against me? He wants to know how merciful is enough in the area of forgiveness. This is important because this is the area where we are offended or hurt. He does not ask how merciful we need to be when giving food to the hungry or aiding a widow in need.
Peter’s question has some background. Some of the rabbis of that time taught that a Jew was obligated to forgive his brother three times. After that you had fulfilled your obligation to your brother and to God. If Peter had just asked his question he would not have looked nearly so clueless but he decides to tell the Lord his answer (possibly to look good in Jesus’ eyes). As a result Peter proposes a “more righteous” solution. After all if you’re going to follow Christ you need to be a little better than the world, right? So Peter proposes one should forgive his brother seven times. (That’s 250% better than the Pharisees!) Surely Peter will be commended for his largeness of heart.
What can we learn? Peter’s question demonstrates why man should never trust his own thinking. He had heard the Lord preach the Sermon on the Mount. He had heard the beatitudes and how they completely turned the practice of Judaism on its ear. He should have picked up that living for God was lived from the heart, it was not an outward conformance to numbers or procedures. Proposing that his solution was better than the Pharisees was just a little better on the legalism scale. The Sermon on the Mount should have sent a clear message that “God’s ways are not our ways” translated that means not your way of thinking or acting.
This is a critical lesson for us today. We cannot live this the Godly life in our own strength or our own wisdom. Christianity is not
about “doing a little better”, it is about being emptied completely of ourselves and allowing God to live through us. Think of the implications if Peter’s standard were to be implemented. We sin seven times against God and He is through with us. From that point on our sin would stand, unforgiven, between us and God. Even if we had been saved, our fellowship with God would be hindered and living with God’s power in our lives would be impossible.
The Lord’s standard The Lord corrects Peter. Living in our own strength is no better for a believer that it is for a Pharisee. The Lord makes clear God’s mercy has no limits as it pertains to us. Our mercy to others is the same – it is to be limitless. We can never exhaust the mercy, the goodness and compassion of God. That is the mercy we are to show others. Did Peter cry out, like we should, “I can’t do that!” If he did that takes him (and us) to the right answer – we need the strength of Christ to live His life.