“I’ll take hard-to-obey commands of Jesus for $1,000, Alex.”

“Okay. And the answer is: On this one you’ll want to go with the ESV’s seventy-seven rather than the CSB’s seventy times seven. But in reality, you’re not gonna be crazy about going with either.”

“Hmm . . . Can I pick another hard-to-obey command?”

“Nope. Sorry.”

“Okay. (Sigh). What is the number of times a brother, or a sister, will sin against me and I will still forgive him or her?”

“Yessir. That is correct.”

—————————

Hovering over seventy-seven. Or, four-hundred-ninety, as the case may be. Chewing on what it would take to forgive the same person for harming me that many times.

If I’m honest with myself, far easier to relate to something I read in this psalms this morning than to think about multiples of seven.

But You, O LORD, be gracious to me,
       and raise me up, that I may repay them!

(Psalm 35:10 ESV)

Grace to repay. That seems to fit more easily than grace in order to grace in return. Especially when that grace in return is to be returned seventy-seven times. Unimaginably if it’s required seventy times seven times.

But that, according to Jesus, is what the fruit of abounding grace looks like. Grace which abounds in return. It’s what is to flow out when living waters are flowing within.

Jesus says so in a story he tells about the kingdom of heaven, comparing it to “a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants” (Matthew 18:23-35). Spoiler alert, the king chooses to settle accounts by forgiving accounts. When that debt is unpayable, he, effectively, chooses to pay it himself.

Unbelievably, he releases one particular servant who owes him so much that, practically, it’s almost beyond counting. An amount which would take multiple lifetimes to pay. An amount worthy of being thrown into a debtor’s prison and then, essentially, throwing away the key. And yet, the master determines to write, “Paid in Full” on his servant’s I.O.U. and sets him free.

But when it comes to this debt-free servant dealing with what a fellow servant man owes him, different story. His fellow servant owes him “only” a year’s wages. Not billions of dollars, yet still no small amount — kind of like seventy times seven, I think. And when his fellow servant can’t pay up right way, the debt-released servant has him thrown into prison until he comes ups with the dough.

“Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?'”

(Matthew 18:32-33 ESV)

Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?

Yup. Grace received should beget grace in return. Abundant grace gotten should manifest itself in unimaginable grace given — like in forgiving a brother, or a sister, seventy-seven times. Or maybe even seventy times seven.

“O’ Lord,” I think to myself, “not sure I can do that.”

To which Jesus, through the Spirit, whispers in return, “Yeah Pete. I know you can’t. But we can.” A reminder that I have been crucified with Christ and that it’s no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20).

Mine is to be willing. Willing because of the gospel.

His is to enable. Enabling through the gospel.

Seventy-seven times — or seventy times seven times — if need be.

Only by His grace. Only for His glory.