Matthew 18:21-35 You must forgive not seven, but seventy-seven times

Forgive Thy Brother, Painting by Scott Erickson, Oil on canvas, 2017 © Scott Erickson artist

Gospel Reading

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

Reflection on the painting

The beauty of our Christian faith is that we know that God doesn't just forgive us only once or twice. Rather, he forgives us every time we go to him with purity of heart asking for forgiveness. It isn't as if each of us has been given a quota for a maximum number of times we can ask for forgiveness. So, if this is true of our relationship with God, it has to be true also of our relationships with others. We have to forgive our friends, took, and never refuse an offer of reconciliation. Forgiveness is not just reserved for our relationship with God but is also applicable in our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Our painting by Scott Erickson is pretty self-explanatory and very powerful. A clear and poignant composition. In the distance we see the family house. The brother on the left is holding a bow: he is the one who had shot the arrows into the back of his brother. Yet is exactly that hurt brother who seeks a loving embrace... and he forgives. When discussing the topic of forgiveness with friends, we often hear people say, 'I can forgive, yes, but I can't forget!' Forgiveness is a choice we make. It is not a feeling or an emotion. Forgiveness does not mean we simply forget about what happened or what someone did to us. Forgiveness means that we choose to try not to remember it. But of course it would be hard not to remember some things; dwelling on it, however, is another thing entirely. And therein lies forgiveness… not to dwell on the hurt caused by the other person, but simply to try to move on, making out best effort to love the person who hurt us. Very often, forgiveness will remain an ideal towards which we strive; it often comes slowly, perhaps even a lifelong project. Yet, the more aware we become of ourselves as being graced by God’s boundless mercy, the freer we will become to forgive those who sin against us.