The Number of Forgiveness

Matthew 18:23-24 “Then came Peter to him, and said Lord how oft shall my brother forgive sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus said unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times: but until seventy times seven.”
Peter who was one of the most outspoken of the twelve asked this question. How oft shall my brother forgive sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? There is no doubt we have all asked this question. It is a great question and one that deserves examination.
How many times did the Lord have to forgive Peter? How many times has the Lord forgiven us? How you answer these questions should tell you how many times we should forgive others. Jesus told Peter he had to forgive someone four hundred and ninety times. That is a number that is unthinkable to us. Jesus is not implying someone would sin against us that many times, but if he did then we should forgive him that many times. He is seeking to impress us forgiveness should become a real part of our lives.
Jesus then went on to share a parable to show just how that forgiveness should be done. He pictured a man who had come face to face with reality and had to face his master about a debt he owed and could not pay. His condition was taken from real life much like we would see today. This man was hopeless and helpless and was about to be sold along with his whole family into slavery. This man came to realize two things. First he owed ten thousand talents. Second this was an amount that was impossible for him to pay. This is a picture of a man in sin, and it is a very dark picture. It is a sad picture for not only did it affect this man it was about to affect his whole family. He realized he had to come to his master and ask for forgiveness. Was there any real hope for this man? Thankfully there was in the mercy extended by the master. He could have promised he would clean up his act and pay his debt, but his plight was hopeless. He could have talked about his service over the years serving his master, but that would not pay his debt. He could have made great promises about doing better in the future; still his debt would go unpaid. What did he have to do? He had to fall down at the feet of his master and ask to be forgiven. The master had compassion for the man and forgave him his debt.
Far too many people are seeking to be saved on the basis of what they are doing, or have done. They “turn over a new leaf” quite often; make some wonderful promises, but these things just don’t pay the sin debt. Jesus went to the cross to pay your sin debt. Our debt cost Jesus his life. His sacrifice paid our debt. It is only when you seek Him and ask Him to come into your heart and cleanse you of all unrighteousness can you be forgiven and set free.