The Message, September 13, 2026: "Seventy-Seven Times," Matthew 18:21-35

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
September 30, 2026

 

“Seventy-Seven Times!”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Matthew 18:21-35

            Let me begin by acknowledging the return of those who sojourned in Ocean Park for the summer. Welcome back! We also welcome those Ocean Parkers who are remaining here in the great state of Maien before returning to their homes and churches. Welcome!

            I was grateful for the opportunity to offer the message at the Temple back in June, and I was glad that some of you joined us there in that beautiful and historic building.

            Now, as we begin, I also feel as though I need to bring both groups of worshippers together. The folks that have been in Ocean Park heard Reverend Steve Youd speak two weeks ago about how God cared for, and provided for, Elijah when he was hiding in the desert wilderness. You heard how God could transform desperate and desolate circumstances into blessings.

            Last Sunday, you heard Rev. Gina Jacobs-Strain talk about embracing Jesus. Her message reminded you that we are never alone no matter how difficult or dire or terrifying our circumstances may be.

            Those of you who worshipped with us here at First Parish Church were stuck listening to me. For the last couple of weeks, we have been focused upon living together in Christian community. Two weeks ago, we looked at Paul’s letter to the church in Rome, and his instructions to ‘hate evil, love what is good, and to leave as peaceably as possible with one another.’ He also instructed us that when someone harms us, we should not repay evil for evil but instead overcome evil with good. He said that treating those who harm us with kindness may bring about a change in the other’s heart that may lead to repentance.

            Then last Sunday, we focused upon the verses in Matthew’s Gospel that precede our passage for today. In that passage, Jesus also spoke about reconciliation and restoration of relationships. He told us that when someone sins against us, we are to seek them out and speak to them discreetly and directly and try to resolve our differences or conflict in that way. Then Jesus gave us additional steps just in case that initial one-on-one, face-to-face conversation did not work.

            Now that we are all caught up, let us turn to our passage for this morning. We continue in Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 18, verses twenty-one to thirty-five. You can follow along in your pew Bible if you wish. It is all about forgiveness.

            Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, if my brother or sister sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

            “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him,  and, as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions and payment to be made. So, the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him by the throat he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. So, my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

            After Jesus told his disciples that they should do everything possible to restore broken and damaged relationships, Peter steps forward to ask the question that we all want to ask. “Yeah … but how many times should we be expected to forgive, Jesus? Is there a number like … I don’t know … seven times?”

            FYI … the conventional practice among the ancient Hebrew people was THREE times. So, in Peter’s mind, his suggestion of forgiving seven times was extravagant. It doubled the “required” number and added a bonus forgiveness. “Look at us, Jesus, forgiving SEVEN times!”

            Now, don’t you just love Peter here? Peter is the one who is bold enough, or faithful enough, to ask Jesus the question “When is enough enough? We want to know that we can keep track … and then when we hit that number … that is it. No more forgiveness available.” And maybe Peter truly thought that Jesus would commend him for his generosity. “Well done, Peter! You have exceeded my expectations. Great will be your reward in heaven.”

            But, as we heard, that was not the reply that Jesus gave him. “Oh, my beloved Peter, you are on the right track. But not seven times, SEVENTY-SEVEN times.”

            Before you raise your objections … it is true that your translation of the Bible may say, “seventy times seven.” The Greek can actually be translated both ways. Many of the ancient translations of the New Testament say, “seventy times seven.” While Seventy-seven may be a reference to Genesis 4:24, in which Cain’s descendent, Lamech pledges vengeance seventy-seven fold against those who would dare to attack him. And the reality is that this is another occasion in which we do not need to get hung up on debating which translation is intended. The point that Jesus was making was that “if you are counting … you really are not forgiving.” Seventy-seven times or four hundred and ninety times does not matter. If we have a tally board or a score card, then we really are not practicing authentic forgiveness.

            Essentially, Jesus was talking about unlimited forgiveness. He was saying that forgiveness is the opposite of vengeance or retaliation. He was saying that those who follow him … follow his Way … must make every effort to renounce any human intention of, or desire to, get even with someone who sins against them, especially someone who repeatedly causes injury or harm.

            Peter must have looked dismayed, or confused or disappointed. After all, his suggestion more than doubled the number of times one should forgive according to the teaching of the other rabbis. So, Jesus said, “Peter … all of you … let me tell you a story. Let me explain what I mean by this.”

            The parable that Jesus told is familiar to us. We have heard it numerous times. Anyone who loves the musical Godspell recognizes this story. “There once was a king … yeah, yeah.” But I can assure you that this parable would have been shocking for the disciples.

            Let me tell you why.

            There once was a king … or perhaps a sultan … who wished to settle accounts with his servants. In the case of this parable, the servants were not ordinary household slaves, but rather subordinate officials that were responsible for the king’s finances.
Okay. Nothing shocking there.

            The king found that one of them owed him TEN THOUSAND talents. (Prepare to be shocked.) The talent was the largest monetary unit, the equivalent of about forty pounds of silver. A talent … one talent … was equal to the wages of manual laborer for FIFTEEN YEARS! Ten thousand talents was the largest possible number. Ten thousand talents would exceed the taxes for all of Syria, Phoenicia, Judah and Samaria COMBINED. It was an astronomical … unimaginable … amount of money. There was no way that anyone could possibly ever repay a debt that large. (We will not ask how the servant had managed to get that deeply in debt. That is not the point.)

            The king then indicated that he would punish that servant in the most protracted and humiliating way; he would sell him, and his wife, and his children, and all of his possessions. This would in no way cover the debt, but the king would receive his “pound of flesh.”
Of course, we know that the servant begged and pleaded with his master to forgive him and forgive his debt and much to the dismay of Jesus’ listeners, the king agreed. The king granted the servant forgiveness … mercy.

            Like any good teaching parable, the story turned. That same servant was owed one hundred denarii by another servant. That second servant also begged for mercy and forgiveness for his debt, but the just forgiven servant refused and had him thrown into debtor’s prison.

            The disciples … no doubt sitting on the edge of their seats … must have been as angry as the fellow servants in the parable. The second servant owed a pittance compared to the first. A denarii was the equivalent of a common laborer’s wage for one hundred days. The first servant had every right to send the second servant to debtor’s prison … but … was it right? After being forgiven himself, he refused to offer forgiveness?

            And that is the point. Jesus was offering a new covenant. He was creating a new community, a new way of life, a new way of being in relationship. Grace and forgiveness are manifestations of … expressions of … how we are to love. Jesus’ response to Peter’s question was, “Peter, are you still keeping ‘score’ of how many times you have been asked to forgive? Because, if so, you are missing the point of grace.”

            You may recall that in the preceding verses, Jesus addressed how we are to deal with behavior that threatens the health and the vitality and the peace of community. And as we just heard, Jesus’ response to Peter invites us to consider a completely different realm of human relationships.

            Now, let me pause for just a moment and point out that we must be careful not to confuse parable with allegory. In the parable, the king or sultan is a reference to God. But, we cannot … or should not … conclude that all of the actions of the king portray or represent God’s behavior. For example, God would never sell innocent women and children to repay a husband’s debt.

            The point of the parable is about the astonishing GENEROSITY of the king. And so it is with the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who desire to live in God’s beloved community must imitate the incalculable patience, and generosity and grace of its sovereign. The practice of forgiveness again … and again … and again … and again … is in keeping with our call to be imitators of God. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

            The necessity of having a forgiving spirit had a central place in the teaching of Jesus. It is enshrined in the prayer that we offer in his name every Sunday, when we say The Lord’s Prayer. In Aramaic, the word for “sin” is the same as the word for “debt.” Every week we pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” The meaning of those words is clear and unambiguous. We are to forgive as we have been forgiven.

            Forgiveness is not a legal matter. Forgiveness is not transactional. We do not earn points with God every time that we forgive. Forgiveness is what we do because we are God’s children. Forgiveness is about love and about grace.
In in letter to the Ephesians, Paul wrote: “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32, NIV)

            Love and forgiveness are bound together. Where there is a genuine response of love, and where there is be a forgiving spirit, there will be a still greater appreciation of God’s forgiving mercy. And then still greater love will be the result. Love and grace set up a chain reaction. The more love … the more forgiveness. The more forgiveness … the more love. The more love … the more forgiveness.

            To be sure, just like last week’s lesson about reconciliation and restoration, there will be times when forgiveness will not come easily. There will be times when the hurt is too deep. There will be times when the wounds will not heal.

            The reality is that a vast majority of the injuries that we experience, the hurts that we suffer are not that deep or significant. That is why Jesus made the relationship between the debts so dramatic. The debt of the second servant was one one-millionth the magnitude of the debt of the first.

            We are to hear the parable’s conclusion with its intended lesson. We are called to fervently pray for the strength to offer grace. We are called to fervently pray for the strength to resist the temptation of getting even with those who hurt us. We are called to fervently pray for the ability to reflect the amazing generosity of the heart of God.

            Consider the quote from Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. that I included in the bulletin. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.”

            We are called to walk gently and love generously.
            May it be so.
            Amen.

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