Seventy Times Seven

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ ” – Matthew 18:21,22 Today, we continue examining forgiveness. Did you know that in Jesus’ day, Rabbis used to teach that you forgive your brother three times and that’s it. Although it sounds absolute, this is one of the reasons I like Jewish Rabbis — they are very clear — three times only, no more and no less. When Jesus came along, he began teaching that you forgive more than three times, which was quite a controversial thing!  Peter, Jesus’ disciple who is known for being exuberant and impetuous, was the first one we know of who specifically inquired of Jesus about the matter of forgiveness. Thinking of himself as being very generous,