Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Jesus answers Peter's question about limiting forgiveness to seven times by requiring forgiveness seventy times seven, which sets no new number but calls for continual readiness to forgive without growing weary or ever refusing. The ground for this mercy is God's own free pardon of the immense debt of sin through Christ's death, not through any human payment or merit. As often as God forgives the repentant who seek Him with the whole heart, so His followers are to forgive one another from the heart. Receiving God's forgiveness depends on showing that same compassion, so that cherishing an unforgiving spirit, revenge, hatred or grudges leaves a person accountable and unforgiven. A brother who repents is therefore to be forgiven freely and fully whenever he asks, even when the offense is repeated again and again, and treated with tender compassion as if the wrong had never been done.
Setting and Plain Meaning
Matthew 18:22 belongs to instruction on how followers are to act toward one another and deal with erring members, setting principles for action in every case and circumstance for all who claim to be disciples. It is part of the teaching showing workers how the work is to be done in practical life, requiring stewards to keep self under the control of the great Teacher by studying with intense interest and practicing what is learned, so that less human wisdom and more divine wisdom is seen. The chapter calls believers to put away strife, selfishness, contention and the desire for supremacy, teaching that greatness in the kingdom is not position, outward splendor or authority but spiritual excellence shown in true conversion, and warning that a domineering spirit that lords it over others can close heaven's gates. Within that broader teaching on correcting faults, wrongdoers are to be corrected with care and a desire to save them from ruin, with brotherly love, tenderness, pity and courtesy rather than contention.
The verse answers a question about limiting forgiveness to a set number, for the rabbis allowed three offenses and Peter proposed seven. Peter thought seven times reached the limit of human patience and extended forgiveness to perfection, since seven signified perfection. But Jesus answered with seventy times seven, calling for forgiveness without such a limit. Those who share the divine spirit forgive without limit, following Christ's unlimited mercy as the pattern for dealings with one another, including within the church, where salvation depends on God's mercy and forbearance and not on human merit.
Seventy times seven does not set a new numerical limit but expresses continual readiness to forgive without growing weary, with never a right time to refuse forgiveness. It calls for forgiving a brother repeatedly when he sins, following God's mercy as the measure, since a person forgiven a great debt by God should heartily forgive the errors and sins of others in every relation of life, including church and business relations. It shows the spirit of tenderness and compassion people should show one another, as the servant who received mercy from his master should have shown mercy to his fellow servant, and Christ's forgiving love has no limit, requiring his followers to keep forgiving and to help rather than discourage someone struggling to recover from sin. Because people cannot read another's heart, they must not reject an apology by judging repentance insincere, and the chapter's instruction gives relief, courage and hope, encouraging taking one's case to Jesus in prayer, trusting that confession, repentance and humble obedience bring pardon.
God's Mercy as Pattern
The parable that follows shows the ground for this mercy, for the king's pardon represents God's free forgiveness of the immense debt of sin through Christ, who gave His life for sinners and freely offers pardon. That forgiveness is given without any payment or equivalent, and Christ's death, not any human merit, is the ground on which it is received, so forgiveness is not earned by forgiving. Those who have received such compassion must show compassion to fellow sinners from the heart and must not cherish an unforgiving spirit or revenge in thought or action. The call is to keep forgiving rather than growing weary, forgiving a repentant brother as often as Christ forgives, and those accepted through Christ willingly forgive their erring brothers.
God's limit of forbearance is far beyond that of humanity, for He is longsuffering and of tender pity, forgiving transgressions and sins instead of consuming sinners as men would deal with one another. He multiplies His pardons, and when sinners seek Him with the whole heart they find Him, and when they repent and confess He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness, because He is merciful and gracious and will abundantly pardon. Peter thought seven times reached the limit of human patience, but those who share the divine spirit forgive without limit, and Christ's unlimited mercy in forgiving sin is the pattern for dealings with one another, so that salvation depends on God's mercy and forbearance, not on human merit. His patient dealings with Israel show this mercy, for He patiently exposed their sins, waited for acknowledgment of wrong, and forgave upon repentance without taunting or resentment. His pardoning love is immeasurably and infinitely greater than human love and reaches the repentant heart, not because sin is great but because repentance is deep, and where much is forgiven the heart loves much.
The repeated forgiveness God gives is the measure for forgiving one another, for as often as God forgives, so are His followers to forgive. Seventy times seven expresses a continuing readiness to forgive that does not stop at a fixed number, extending the duty beyond seven times in keeping with how often God forgives. It means forgiving whenever a brother repents and seeks forgiveness, even when the offense is repeated again and again, even repeatedly in one day, and there is never a right time to refuse forgiveness.
Forgiving to Be Forgiven
Those who have received divine compassion for their own great debt must show that same compassion from the heart to fellow sinners. An unforgiving spirit is not to be cherished, nor revenge in thought or action, nor hatred and grudges. Refusing to forgive a fellow believer after being forgiven brings judgment, leaving the unforgiving one held accountable for his own trespasses.
A forgiving spirit is indispensable to receiving divine forgiveness, for people receive forgiveness as they forgive. Forgiving others is tied to receiving pardon and grace, and those who lack kindness, love and forgiveness will not receive it. Those accepted through Christ willingly forgive their erring brothers.
The instruction gives relief and courage and hope. It encourages a person to take his case to Jesus in prayer. Confession and repentance with humble obedience bring pardon.
How to Forgive Others
A brother who repents is to be forgiven whenever he repents and seeks forgiveness, with no set number placed upon the duty. The measure is not seven times but seventy times seven, so that even when the offense is repeated again and again it is still to be forgiven. Such readiness to forgive is to be shown even when the return happens repeatedly in one day, and this forgiving course encourages repentance and confession.
No apology is to be rejected on the ground that the repentance is judged insincere or not humble enough, since the heart cannot be read. When a brother repents and asks forgiveness he is to be forgiven, and when he does not ask he is still to be forgiven in the heart and that forgiveness shown in word and action. Forgiveness is not to be withheld until the offender proves reformed or sufficiently humble.
A brother who confesses a wrong is to be forgiven freely and fully and treated as if the wrong had never been done. The burden laid upon him is to be taken off, and his mind is to be comforted and helped with tender, thoughtful compassion and mercy. His case is not to be pressed too hard with severity, nor is he to be met with an overbearing spirit and continued censure where censure is not deserved.
Forgiveness expresses the patient and enduring love to be shown to one another in the spirit of tenderness and compassion. It calls for restraint toward those whose faults try others, without magnifying small grievances, without treating one person as the sole offender, and without answering with suspicion or evil speaking. This forgiving love is tender and must be constantly cultured, or it will wither and die.
Forgiveness requires praying not only for self but for those who have hurt and are continuing to hurt. The prayer is to be sincere, importunate and humble, earnestly desiring that souls that have trespassed be helped, and the one who so prays receives help himself. It also requires trying to lead the sinner to make right personal wrongs, and urging wrongdoers to be educated to overcome faulty character by pursuing a right course and becoming like Christ.
Forgiveness goes with loving one's neighbor and with helping rather than discouraging someone struggling to recover from sin. It refuses hatred, vengeance and grudges, and it faithfully corrects a neighbor so that sin is not left unaddressed.
Forgiveness in Church Life
In dealing with those at fault, churches and institutions are to extend forgiveness again and again without limiting it to seven offenses or any fixed number, correcting the wrongdoer with care and a desire to save from ruin rather than allowing dissension and alienation to remain. Christlike sympathy and love are to replace coldness, and harshness, severity and a dictatorial, self-superior spirit are forbidden, for grace can soften a hard heart and bring a heavenly atmosphere. Bearing long with others means continuing to offer correction and kindness, dealing with God's children with courtesy, kindness and mercy, and refusing to wound and bruise souls, especially in business meetings where severe words destroy confidence. Such dealing requires transformation of spirit and purging of a hard, cruel spirit in order to represent Christ and to love neighbor as self.
The instruction on forgiveness belongs to Christ's direction for how His followers are to act toward one another, binding in every case and circumstance on all who claim to be His disciples. It calls believers to put away strife, selfishness, contention and the desire for supremacy, and to overcome a hard, unforgiving spirit. Following Jesus requires thorough conversion and humility as a little child, turning attention away from self toward sympathy and love for others, with single-minded purpose and purity of motive and personal effort to help those outside Christ. Greatness in His kingdom is not position, outward splendor or authority, but spiritual excellence shown in true conversion, learned in meekness and lowliness of heart.
The whole chapter is a practical lesson essential to Christian experience, to be hung in memory, often read, pondered, obeyed and woven into life. Obeying it means obeying God's holy law by loving God with all heart and soul and mind and strength and loving neighbor as self, which are the only terms for securing eternal life. Practicing it requires each person to cultivate the garden of the soul under personal stewardship, removing every weed and tare sown there instead of being occupied with finding weeds in a neighbor's garden. It requires purifying thoughts by bringing them into captivity to Christ so that words are not scattered recklessly without careful consideration of where they lodge and what they produce.
It is a message from Christ calling those who bear His name and have had light upon the truth to be converted, obey the truth, and enter real, genuine union with Him in ministerial service. That union means cooperating with Him and with angels to help needy souls in the valley of decision, to bring men to repentance, to win souls, enlighten the ignorant, and relieve the oppressed. Remaining unconverted and disobedient makes men workers to annoy and perplex those weak in faith.
The word speaks directly to the individual to humble himself as a little child, learn meekness and lowliness, take Christ's yoke of submission instead of manufacturing a galling yoke of his own, and practice these lessons as a learner in Christ's school so as to be fit to preach the Word and to enter the kingdom of heaven. He is to stop withdrawing from brethren and criticizing and accusing them, to take himself in hand and chastise himself, and to overcome retained defects of childhood. There is severe danger if he offends one of Christ's little ones.
It stands as God's plain, decided rebuke of dissension, self-esteem, self-exaltation, strife to be highly esteemed by men, criticism and faultfinding, exposing that work as expressly the devil's work. That work began in the heavenly courts when Satan chafed at the law, suggested a change in God's government for the advantage of the heavenly family, spread his own thoughts by deception, gained sympathy and assent, sowed suspicion and distrust of God and distrust of one another, and commenced strife while covering his tracks. For the good of the loyal and true, God dealt decisively with the rebellion and expelled the disloyal with the instigator of evil from heaven. The word is to be read in plain, clear-cut words without softening to anyone who begins criticism and faultfinding.
All professed Christians are required to cleanse the soul temple from self-sufficiency, wounded dignity, faultfinding, and inward and open strife for supremacy and for being first. Workers who think their discernment, judgment and abilities are not appreciated must not stand back from duty, refuse to work, take satisfaction in the deficiencies of brethren, or allow their words to be used to hinder instead of building up the kingdom. Self must not stand between them and God, lest men become a curse retarding the work instead of a blessing advancing it, for Christ manifests His power and grace through faithful soldiers on duty for His sake.
God does not desire any man to draw apart from his brethren, and lack of love among believers is evidence that Christ is not dwelling in the heart. Plans devised to separate brethren, and the desire to hinder and repress one doing a good work, accusing one another, wanting a fellow worker removed from his position, and thinking and speaking evil, are the enemy's devices that must be met and condemned. Christian relations require a forgiving, humble spirit rather than disrespect, grievance, criticism, resentment and anger toward a fellow worker, which obstruct unity in the work and do not represent God's way or honor Him.
The call to forgive repeatedly applies in every relation of life, including church and business relations. Toward a brother in hardship it means showing mercy and freely releasing a debt he cannot repay, remembering the mercy God extends. Those who err, including young people under instruction, are not to be treated as hopeless but need patient, wise guidance and are to be freely forgiven when they acknowledge their fault. Parents must teach children this unwearied forgiveness as patience under injuries, forgiving others as they would be forgiven, for possessing Christ's Spirit keeps a person from ever tiring of forgiving.
Jesus answers Peter's question about limiting forgiveness to seven times by requiring forgiveness seventy times seven, which sets no new number but calls for continual readiness to forgive without growing weary or ever refusing. The ground for this mercy is God's own free pardon of the immense debt of sin through Christ's death, not through any human payment or merit. As often as God forgives the repentant who seek Him with the whole heart, so His followers are to forgive one another from the heart. Receiving God's forgiveness depends on showing that same compassion, so that cherishing an unforgiving spirit, revenge, hatred or grudges leaves a person accountable and unforgiven. A brother who repents is therefore to be forgiven freely and fully whenever he asks, even when the offense is repeated again and again, and treated with tender compassion as if the wrong had never been done.
Setting and Plain Meaning
Matthew 18:22 belongs to instruction on how followers are to act toward one another and deal with erring members, setting principles for action in every case and circumstance for all who claim to be disciples. It is part of the teaching showing workers how the work is to be done in practical life, requiring stewards to keep self under the control of the great Teacher by studying with intense interest and practicing what is learned, so that less human wisdom and more divine wisdom is seen. The chapter calls believers to put away strife, selfishness, contention and the desire for supremacy, teaching that greatness in the kingdom is not position, outward splendor or authority but spiritual excellence shown in true conversion, and warning that a domineering spirit that lords it over others can close heaven's gates. Within that broader teaching on correcting faults, wrongdoers are to be corrected with care and a desire to save them from ruin, with brotherly love, tenderness, pity and courtesy rather than contention.
The verse answers a question about limiting forgiveness to a set number, for the rabbis allowed three offenses and Peter proposed seven. Peter thought seven times reached the limit of human patience and extended forgiveness to perfection, since seven signified perfection. But Jesus answered with seventy times seven, calling for forgiveness without such a limit. Those who share the divine spirit forgive without limit, following Christ's unlimited mercy as the pattern for dealings with one another, including within the church, where salvation depends on God's mercy and forbearance and not on human merit.
Seventy times seven does not set a new numerical limit but expresses continual readiness to forgive without growing weary, with never a right time to refuse forgiveness. It calls for forgiving a brother repeatedly when he sins, following God's mercy as the measure, since a person forgiven a great debt by God should heartily forgive the errors and sins of others in every relation of life, including church and business relations. It shows the spirit of tenderness and compassion people should show one another, as the servant who received mercy from his master should have shown mercy to his fellow servant, and Christ's forgiving love has no limit, requiring his followers to keep forgiving and to help rather than discourage someone struggling to recover from sin. Because people cannot read another's heart, they must not reject an apology by judging repentance insincere, and the chapter's instruction gives relief, courage and hope, encouraging taking one's case to Jesus in prayer, trusting that confession, repentance and humble obedience bring pardon.
God's Mercy as Pattern
The parable that follows shows the ground for this mercy, for the king's pardon represents God's free forgiveness of the immense debt of sin through Christ, who gave His life for sinners and freely offers pardon. That forgiveness is given without any payment or equivalent, and Christ's death, not any human merit, is the ground on which it is received, so forgiveness is not earned by forgiving. Those who have received such compassion must show compassion to fellow sinners from the heart and must not cherish an unforgiving spirit or revenge in thought or action. The call is to keep forgiving rather than growing weary, forgiving a repentant brother as often as Christ forgives, and those accepted through Christ willingly forgive their erring brothers.
God's limit of forbearance is far beyond that of humanity, for He is longsuffering and of tender pity, forgiving transgressions and sins instead of consuming sinners as men would deal with one another. He multiplies His pardons, and when sinners seek Him with the whole heart they find Him, and when they repent and confess He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse from all unrighteousness, because He is merciful and gracious and will abundantly pardon. Peter thought seven times reached the limit of human patience, but those who share the divine spirit forgive without limit, and Christ's unlimited mercy in forgiving sin is the pattern for dealings with one another, so that salvation depends on God's mercy and forbearance, not on human merit. His patient dealings with Israel show this mercy, for He patiently exposed their sins, waited for acknowledgment of wrong, and forgave upon repentance without taunting or resentment. His pardoning love is immeasurably and infinitely greater than human love and reaches the repentant heart, not because sin is great but because repentance is deep, and where much is forgiven the heart loves much.
The repeated forgiveness God gives is the measure for forgiving one another, for as often as God forgives, so are His followers to forgive. Seventy times seven expresses a continuing readiness to forgive that does not stop at a fixed number, extending the duty beyond seven times in keeping with how often God forgives. It means forgiving whenever a brother repents and seeks forgiveness, even when the offense is repeated again and again, even repeatedly in one day, and there is never a right time to refuse forgiveness.
Forgiving to Be Forgiven
Those who have received divine compassion for their own great debt must show that same compassion from the heart to fellow sinners. An unforgiving spirit is not to be cherished, nor revenge in thought or action, nor hatred and grudges. Refusing to forgive a fellow believer after being forgiven brings judgment, leaving the unforgiving one held accountable for his own trespasses.
A forgiving spirit is indispensable to receiving divine forgiveness, for people receive forgiveness as they forgive. Forgiving others is tied to receiving pardon and grace, and those who lack kindness, love and forgiveness will not receive it. Those accepted through Christ willingly forgive their erring brothers.
The instruction gives relief and courage and hope. It encourages a person to take his case to Jesus in prayer. Confession and repentance with humble obedience bring pardon.
How to Forgive Others
A brother who repents is to be forgiven whenever he repents and seeks forgiveness, with no set number placed upon the duty. The measure is not seven times but seventy times seven, so that even when the offense is repeated again and again it is still to be forgiven. Such readiness to forgive is to be shown even when the return happens repeatedly in one day, and this forgiving course encourages repentance and confession.
No apology is to be rejected on the ground that the repentance is judged insincere or not humble enough, since the heart cannot be read. When a brother repents and asks forgiveness he is to be forgiven, and when he does not ask he is still to be forgiven in the heart and that forgiveness shown in word and action. Forgiveness is not to be withheld until the offender proves reformed or sufficiently humble.
A brother who confesses a wrong is to be forgiven freely and fully and treated as if the wrong had never been done. The burden laid upon him is to be taken off, and his mind is to be comforted and helped with tender, thoughtful compassion and mercy. His case is not to be pressed too hard with severity, nor is he to be met with an overbearing spirit and continued censure where censure is not deserved.
Forgiveness expresses the patient and enduring love to be shown to one another in the spirit of tenderness and compassion. It calls for restraint toward those whose faults try others, without magnifying small grievances, without treating one person as the sole offender, and without answering with suspicion or evil speaking. This forgiving love is tender and must be constantly cultured, or it will wither and die.
Forgiveness requires praying not only for self but for those who have hurt and are continuing to hurt. The prayer is to be sincere, importunate and humble, earnestly desiring that souls that have trespassed be helped, and the one who so prays receives help himself. It also requires trying to lead the sinner to make right personal wrongs, and urging wrongdoers to be educated to overcome faulty character by pursuing a right course and becoming like Christ.
Forgiveness goes with loving one's neighbor and with helping rather than discouraging someone struggling to recover from sin. It refuses hatred, vengeance and grudges, and it faithfully corrects a neighbor so that sin is not left unaddressed.
Forgiveness in Church Life
In dealing with those at fault, churches and institutions are to extend forgiveness again and again without limiting it to seven offenses or any fixed number, correcting the wrongdoer with care and a desire to save from ruin rather than allowing dissension and alienation to remain. Christlike sympathy and love are to replace coldness, and harshness, severity and a dictatorial, self-superior spirit are forbidden, for grace can soften a hard heart and bring a heavenly atmosphere. Bearing long with others means continuing to offer correction and kindness, dealing with God's children with courtesy, kindness and mercy, and refusing to wound and bruise souls, especially in business meetings where severe words destroy confidence. Such dealing requires transformation of spirit and purging of a hard, cruel spirit in order to represent Christ and to love neighbor as self.
The instruction on forgiveness belongs to Christ's direction for how His followers are to act toward one another, binding in every case and circumstance on all who claim to be His disciples. It calls believers to put away strife, selfishness, contention and the desire for supremacy, and to overcome a hard, unforgiving spirit. Following Jesus requires thorough conversion and humility as a little child, turning attention away from self toward sympathy and love for others, with single-minded purpose and purity of motive and personal effort to help those outside Christ. Greatness in His kingdom is not position, outward splendor or authority, but spiritual excellence shown in true conversion, learned in meekness and lowliness of heart.
The whole chapter is a practical lesson essential to Christian experience, to be hung in memory, often read, pondered, obeyed and woven into life. Obeying it means obeying God's holy law by loving God with all heart and soul and mind and strength and loving neighbor as self, which are the only terms for securing eternal life. Practicing it requires each person to cultivate the garden of the soul under personal stewardship, removing every weed and tare sown there instead of being occupied with finding weeds in a neighbor's garden. It requires purifying thoughts by bringing them into captivity to Christ so that words are not scattered recklessly without careful consideration of where they lodge and what they produce.
It is a message from Christ calling those who bear His name and have had light upon the truth to be converted, obey the truth, and enter real, genuine union with Him in ministerial service. That union means cooperating with Him and with angels to help needy souls in the valley of decision, to bring men to repentance, to win souls, enlighten the ignorant, and relieve the oppressed. Remaining unconverted and disobedient makes men workers to annoy and perplex those weak in faith.
The word speaks directly to the individual to humble himself as a little child, learn meekness and lowliness, take Christ's yoke of submission instead of manufacturing a galling yoke of his own, and practice these lessons as a learner in Christ's school so as to be fit to preach the Word and to enter the kingdom of heaven. He is to stop withdrawing from brethren and criticizing and accusing them, to take himself in hand and chastise himself, and to overcome retained defects of childhood. There is severe danger if he offends one of Christ's little ones.
It stands as God's plain, decided rebuke of dissension, self-esteem, self-exaltation, strife to be highly esteemed by men, criticism and faultfinding, exposing that work as expressly the devil's work. That work began in the heavenly courts when Satan chafed at the law, suggested a change in God's government for the advantage of the heavenly family, spread his own thoughts by deception, gained sympathy and assent, sowed suspicion and distrust of God and distrust of one another, and commenced strife while covering his tracks. For the good of the loyal and true, God dealt decisively with the rebellion and expelled the disloyal with the instigator of evil from heaven. The word is to be read in plain, clear-cut words without softening to anyone who begins criticism and faultfinding.
All professed Christians are required to cleanse the soul temple from self-sufficiency, wounded dignity, faultfinding, and inward and open strife for supremacy and for being first. Workers who think their discernment, judgment and abilities are not appreciated must not stand back from duty, refuse to work, take satisfaction in the deficiencies of brethren, or allow their words to be used to hinder instead of building up the kingdom. Self must not stand between them and God, lest men become a curse retarding the work instead of a blessing advancing it, for Christ manifests His power and grace through faithful soldiers on duty for His sake.
God does not desire any man to draw apart from his brethren, and lack of love among believers is evidence that Christ is not dwelling in the heart. Plans devised to separate brethren, and the desire to hinder and repress one doing a good work, accusing one another, wanting a fellow worker removed from his position, and thinking and speaking evil, are the enemy's devices that must be met and condemned. Christian relations require a forgiving, humble spirit rather than disrespect, grievance, criticism, resentment and anger toward a fellow worker, which obstruct unity in the work and do not represent God's way or honor Him.
The call to forgive repeatedly applies in every relation of life, including church and business relations. Toward a brother in hardship it means showing mercy and freely releasing a debt he cannot repay, remembering the mercy God extends. Those who err, including young people under instruction, are not to be treated as hopeless but need patient, wise guidance and are to be freely forgiven when they acknowledge their fault. Parents must teach children this unwearied forgiveness as patience under injuries, forgiving others as they would be forgiven, for possessing Christ's Spirit keeps a person from ever tiring of forgiving.