In Matthew 18, Jesus turns Lamech’s seventy-sevenfold vengeance into seventy-sevenfold forgiveness. The forgiven servant, however, remains trapped in a world of debts, using his freedom to build another prison. This parable asks what we will do with the mercy we receive. God’s forgiveness does not merely release us from the past; it gives us agency over what happens next.
21Peter came and said to [Jesus], “Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” 22Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. This question is important because Peter, the one with “the keys to the kingdom” (16:17-19) is representing the church (and us) and asking a very human question. Peter is asking for the limit. “What is the limit of our grace?” “When is enough, enough?” “When can we finally call someone a lost cause?” To many of us it’s a justifiable question. Surely there is a limit to our grace, right?
Micah Krey 