Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18: 21, 22, NIV.
Dear LORD, we thank You for forgiving us again, and again. Please draw near to us as we gather around Your Word, and teach us how to do likewise. In the name of Jesus we ask these blessings. Amen.
When we look at our Scripture for today in its immediate context, we discover some really neat things. First: The disciples came asking Jesus, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (1)? Second: Jesus calls a child and presents the child as a role model for the citizens of the kingdom of heaven (2-5). In a few words, if you want to be truly great, you must become like a child. You may wonder what that has to do with the topic of forgiveness. I am not sure if when this discussion took place between Jesus and His disciples, the topic of forgiveness was even in mind; that is, in the disciples’ minds.
The following themes that Jesus discussed, do not show any visible evidence that He was about to talk to them on the subject of forgiveness either. Jesus counsels them about the manner in which children are to be treated, and then issues a warning to anyone who does otherwise (6). He warns them about creating situations that could cause others to stumble. He also counsels them against carrying around “baggage” that could cause them to stumble and lose their way. Strangely enough, He comes back to the subject of little children, with the additional warning that their angels represent them in the courts of heaven (10, 11)!
He then goes on to talk about the love of the shepherd for his sheep, and his diligence in searching for those who go astray (12, 13). Once gain, He makes mention of little children, in relation to their salvation (14). From this point forward, the overall theme becomes that of forgiveness. So what is the connection between what Jesus has said so far, and the question that was asked: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” I would begin by asking another question, “In the kingdom of heaven, are there some who are considered greater than others? If so, on what basis?” These questions could lead to endless theological discussions. Ours is simply an attempt to reconcile Jesus’ answer with our daily living, as Christians, in the Twenty-first century. Are there any apparent connections? One thing is immediately evident, Child-likeness, is of greatest value, in heaven’s eyes! With this in mind, please permit me to share a few possible avenues of connection:
1) The extraordinary ability of children to “forgive and forget.” Perhaps parents, more than any other group of people, can testify to this fact. Having raised four children of my own, I know that this is true. We do not see children keeping score on how many times in the day we had to keep them in check. Of course disciplinary action is usually not pleasant. Nevertheless, oftentimes, at the same time in which children are being disciplined, they are holding their arms out to give a hug, or in hope of us lifting them in our arms; in a gesture of total forgiveness! I have never gone to any of my children, after disciplining them, and had them run for a little book where they had written down my last disciplinary action, to remind me of it! Soon after it was over, it was over. Note however, that for us adults, Jesus had to give an entire lesson on the process of forgiveness (15-17)!
We will continue tomorrow.
NOTE: The equipment with which we prepare our daily devotionals have been in repairs for a couple of weeks. We are presently experiencing some technical difficulties, from time to time, with the equipment that we are now using. Please keep our website (yours and ours), in prayer. We regret the late publication of our devotional for today.
Mabel