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Forgive even seven times seventy

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[Matthew 18:35]

"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you

unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

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Jesus' disciple, Peter, asked a question to Jesus.

"How many times should I forgive my brother if he sinned against me?

Can I do it up to seven times? "

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The rabbis, the teachers of the Jews, forgave them up to three times,

and the fourth taught that they should never forgive. Peter would have expected Jesus to be praised because he spoke seven times more than the teachings of the rabbis of that time.

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Then when he heard Peter say, Jesus said,

"You must forgive not seven times, but seven times, seventy."

This word was forgive, not limit.

After saying this, he told us a story about why we should forgive others.

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There was a king in any country. A servant was brought before the king.

This servant owed a ten thousand talents. This is as easy to understand as how much money this money is. Assuming that one person works 300 days a year,

it is money that can pay back 200,000 years.

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The king saw a servant who could not repay his money,

and he bickered and ordered it.

"You have not kept your promise, so you must sell everything you have with your wife and children, so that you can pay off your debts."

The servant bowed to the king and prayed earnestly.

"If you give me more time, I will repay you all."

The king felt sorry for the servant who was so sadly asking forgiveness.

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The king gave his servant great grace. He forgave and let loose 10,000 talents he owed to him. This servant was thrilled and thankful for the grace of the king.

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The servant who was forgiven for everything walked pleasantly and met a friend.

This friend owed him 100 denarii. A 100 denarii is an incomparably small amount,

equivalent to One in 600,000 of the money that he has just forgone.

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But as soon as the servant saw his friend owed him,

he went up and grabbed his throat.

"Pay back the money I borrowed!"

The man leaned down his knees and begged him.

"Please wait a moment. I will pay for everything."

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But this servant did not listen to a friend's request.

He dragged his friend into prison.

And he kept him in prison until he paid off his money.

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Other friends who saw the actions of the servants who had been forgiven

by the king were so stunned that their friends in prison were so strict

that they told the king what he was doing.

The king immediately told them to bring this servant back.

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The king said to the servant who was taken back,

"This evil servant! Because you asked me, I did not have all your debts.

It was right for you to have mercy on your friend, just as I had mercy on you."

The king took the mercy of this servant and kept him in prison until he had repaid his debt.

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Jesus who said the story said: "Likewise, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart, so will my Father in heaven also do to you."

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Like the man who owed a ten thousand talents, we are never able to solve the debt of sin by our own strength. Without God's forgiveness, we are in a position

where we must never receive salvation and receive eternal punishment.

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But in order to pay the debt of our sins, God took all our sins on Jesus and paid them back on the cross. We have forgiven the debt of this sin because of Jesus.

That is why Jesus told us that it is best for us to forgive the small mistakes

that people around me have made in our lives.

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That we do not forgive the little things that I do to the people around me is an act of evil, just as a man with a ten thousand talent forbids a hundred denarii-owning friend in jail.

Therefore, we must remember the grace and love of salvation that we have received concerning the bad deeds of our neighbors who are doing to us,

so that they can be faithful people who can forgive us any amount of time.

(This is the sample conclusion provided by CTM. Please feel free to change the conclusion to best suit the listeners of your sermon.)