Dr. Rick Mandl - October 2, 2020
How Often Should I Forgive?
Devotional Manuscript: How Often Should I Forgive Others?
By Dr. Rick Mandl, October 2, 2020
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
Hey church family. I’ve got a question for you. And the question is “How Often Should I Forgive Others?” While you’re thinking about that, let me ask you . . . Did you hear about the man who was sitting in a coffee shop, across from a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper. One of the headlines of the paper she was reading blared: “12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed.” “12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed.” She looked at the headline. She sighed. And she shook her head at the sad news. Then, turning to the man, she quizzically asked, “How many is a Brazilian?” If you don’t get this joke, here’s a hint. Brazilian is not a number!
Her misunderstanding reminds me of another numerical misunderstanding in the Bible. In Matthew 18:21-22 (NLT). says, “Peter came to Jesus and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” Peter thought that suggesting the number seven was demonstrating a charitable attitude. It seemed like a more than reasonable number. It seemed like a generous reaction to being wronged. Peter knew that in Jewish law, you had to forgive a person three times, and after you’d forgiven them three times, that was it. You didn’t have to forgive them anymore.
So Peter was probably thinking… “The law says three times. How about if I double it, and add in one for good measure? Seven times? (Jesus will be really impressed with this!)” And Jesus says, “Wrong! Peter. You’re not even close! How about 70 times seven!” He’s saying you have to just keep on forgiving. You just keep on forgiving and forgiving and forgiving. You give up your right to get even. You choose to bless those who hurt you. You pray God’s blessings on their life — not because they deserve it. They probably don’t. But then, you and I don’t deserve God’s blessings either.
You may say, “I don’t feel like forgiving.” Who does? Nobody ever feels like forgiving. You do it because it’s the right thing to do, and you do it to get on with your life. Someone once said, “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.' This weekend we’ll be looking at what God’s Word says about forgiveness. We’ll also be coming to the Lord’s Table, and remembering that although forgiveness is free to you and me it was purchased at an incredibly high price. I hope you can join us.
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA.
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