I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven

Christ the Good Shepherd c. 425 AD, Mosaic, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Ravenna

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."

- Matthew 18:21-35

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught His disciples, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.  For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.  What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?  And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.  Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he hears you, you have gained your brother.  But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.'  And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church.  But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.  Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Then Peter came to Him and said, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?  Up to seven times?"  Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven."  My study bible says this expression, seventy times seven, is symbolic of an unlimited amount.

"Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants.  And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made.  The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, 'Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, 'Pay me what you owe!'  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.'  And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt.  So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done.  Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant!  I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.  Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'  And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.  So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."  Ten thousand talents is described by my study bible as an impossible sum, more than a laborer could earn in several lifetimes.  A hundred denarii would be an important amount in a worldly perspective (about three months' wages, according to my study bible), but it's a tiny amount in comparison to the debt that was owed to the king.  In terms of our own "debts" as in the Lord's Prayer, God stays punishment and forgives the entire debt as well.  In turn, my study bible says, we are required to grant the gift of forgiveness to others.  Regarding the punishment first declared by the master ("his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made"), there is an additional spiritual interpretation found in patristic commentary.   In this perspective, the man represents the soul, the wife the body, and the children a person's works or deeds.  So therefore, in this punishment, the body and deeds are given over to slavery -- that is, to Satan -- so that the soul might possibly be saved (see 1 Corinthians 5:5).  This interpretation fits with the instructions that Christ gave in yesterday's reading for mutual correction in the Church, with separation from the Church as last resort -- a type of medicine to hopefully bring about reconsideration, repentance.

My study bible's mention of the spiritual interpretation of the punishment as initially given by the king is an interesting one, especially in light of the understanding from yesterday's reading -- that separation from the Church, as last resort for one who is unrepentant, is actually meant as corrective medicine.  In other words, such a state of separation, when all other means have failed, is thought to be the only experience that can bring about a reconsideration of one's acts, a change of mind (which is literally what the Greek word for repentance means).  In this case, we see that it immediately results in the repentance of the man who owed the king his huge sum, and he begs for forgiveness of the debt, and so immediately receives great mercy.  But his hardness of heart shows in his subsequent treatment of others, and so he eventually winds up with "torture" until all is paid, another symbolic representation of what it is to be cast out from the merciful life of the Kingdom and under the sway of the "ruler of this world."  Torture, after all, is what the devil does; the word for "evil" or "evil one" in the Greek (as used in the Lord's Prayer, when we pray "deliver us from evil") is πονηρός/poneros.  It literally means "pain" or "agony."  So what good could it possibly do, as in St. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 5:5, to "deliver one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh"?  In some sense, it reminds us of the "tough love" sometimes used in interventions for addiction as a last resort -- as when family members are asked to stop supporting a lifestyle that contributes to addiction.  The resulting difficulties will hopefully encourage the addicted person to recognize and come to terms with the dire nature of their circumstances and truly seek healing.  As we are in a season of giving thanks in some countries (in the United States, the Thanksgiving holiday is next week), and a time historically associated with harvest festivals and looking toward the celebration of the birth of Christ, it might be a perfect time to think about all the merciful things we receive through our faith that are so often easily overlooked.   Each of us has particular experiences of our faith, but if one looks back upon the loving nature of God experienced through Christ, then we may truly want to consider what it means to be inside of this loving embrace, as contrasted with living without it.  Through prayer, we may find that the hardness we experience in the world is ameliorated by the experience of love and even confidence we find in private time with our Lord.  Within the context of our faith, we find good guidance for our lives, medicines for dealing with setbacks and hardship, like, for example, the prescription of humility which has so many surprising benefits to our whole orientation in life.  Outside of such a gracious spiritual influence, we might find a seemingly enticing but entirely different experience of life where this mercy is missing.  It's easy to take for granted the love of God, but far less so when one has experienced life without it.   Like the Prodigal Son, our times of "torture" or pain when we're off the path God would set for us may come to be a good corrective influence.  Without benefit of the loving nature of the One who would set out to rescue the single straying sheep, we may come to know life only through the hardness of heart that seems at times to define the worldly.  The popular psychologist Dr. Phil describes a proper home as "a soft place to fall."  Everybody may not have this kind of worldly home, but within the loving embrace of God and God's extended family of the communion of saints, we all truly have such a home for our hearts, living and present and spiritually holding us.   Our own experience of life really depends on our awareness and potential for this realization.  So many must experience life without it in order to return and understand its true worth to them.  Let us be thankful for the grace of love which waits for us all, and informs us in turn of our own capacity to share that mercy with others.