FORGIVE THEM 490 TIMES
Matthew 18:22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. (490 times)
When the Southern Kingdom turned to worship idols, God sent many prophets to try and get them to repent of their sinfulness and return to him but they didn’t. After many years of doing this, God sent the Babylonians to conquer them and send them into exile. Jeremiah told them that it would last for 70 years, and at the end of the 70 years they would be able to return home. After the 70 years were up, King Cyrus said that anyone that wanted to return to Israel could do so. Sad to say once again the Jews refused to obey the Lord and stayed in exile. Only a few returned as the Lord had commanded. The rest had become comfortable in their new lands with their new way of life, so once again the Lord punished them. This time as it says in Leviticus it would be 70x7 or 490 years to bring finish their transgression. (Daniel 9:24-27) At that time God would put an end to their punishment and bring forgiveness and reconciliation even after 490 plus years.
For most people like Peter forgiving someone 7 times is a lot, but to forgive someone 490 times is unrealistic. We tend to see forgiveness as forgetting. Forgetting one thing can be hard enough, but to forget 490 times from one person seems impossible. But isn’t that what we hope from God in regards to our sins against him? Who likes the thought of having to stand before God with his eyes penetrating our very soul rehashing our every sin? I don’t think anyone would! In fact I don’t think that God actually forgets them, but rather will never bring them up again. And with this he treats us as though we had never sinned. I believe that this is what God is asking of us as well. It is not so much forgetting as reconciliation and love. The more you love someone the deeper the hurt when they sin against you, but also with love comes the greatest desire to be reconciled. If you were never close before the sin, there is little incentive to become close even after forgiveness, although with the right people a even closer one can develope. It doesn’t take work as much as determined commitment to never bring it up again or affect that relationship. It can be done if the people are willing and wanting it to be done. This is why God says do it for 490 times. Relationships are worth repairing and reconciling I don’t care how insignificant they may seem at the time. For God no relationship is too insignificant as no person is too insignificant. This is why Jesus gave the parable of the lost sheep where the shepherd was willing to leave the 99 to look for the 1 lost sheep. This is why Jesus came for the whosoever. He didn’t come to save just the good people, but everyone that wanted forgiveness.
Jesus gave another parable regarding forgiveness with the Unmerciful Servant. A man owed the king a good amount and the king demanded payment. When the man couldn’t pay the king back, the king was going to sell him and his family as slaves to repay the debt. When he man begged the king, the king canceled the debt. But later when that man went to settle a debt that someone owed him, he would not cancel that debt. When the king heard about this he threw the first man into prison. Then Jesus replied, this is how your heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.
Even in the Lord’s prayer it says to forgive us our sins as we forgive the sin of others. In other words every time we pray this prayer we are either putting a blessing on our self or a curse!
God doesn’t ask us to do anything that we are incapable of doing. Not bringing something up time and again allows for healing to take place. Satan and the powers of darkness will constantly remind us of how we were hurt, but they can't make us not to bring it up. They know the more we rehearse it and bring it up the more damage to the other person and to ourselves takes place.
In John 20:23 Jesus says, “If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Jesus has given us a great honor, and that is to be like him. It is that holy gracious act of forgiveness. As Jesus forgave us, we can forgive others and Jesus will not hold them accountable for that sin on judgment day. This is not to say we can forgive people their sins that were not transgressed against us. That will be between them, the other person and God. Think how wonderful it will be to be standing there on judgment day knowing that others will not be tormented in hell, because of something they did to you. At that moment I can’t help be think that Jesus will look to you and smile knowing that you willingly chose to be like him in his wonderful grace of forgiveness.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for forgiving us of our sins. You are such a wonderful Savior to show us so much wonderful grace. We love you Jesus. Please help us to forgive quickly as you do us. We ask this in your holy name.
