Am taking a look at Matthew 18:21-35.
Peter asked, how many times should I forgive someone? 7 times?
Jesus said, 70 times 7 times.
Jesus then told a story of someone who owed a huge sum of money (I think in the original Greek the amount is 10,000 large pieces of precious metal) to the king. The king decreed to sell him, his wife and children to help pay the debt. The man begged the king saying that he would pay the debt. The king had pity on him and forgave his debt.
This guy then turned around and demanded payment from someone who owed him 100 days wages. A large sum but nothing compared to his own debt. He got this man thrown in jail. The king heard about this and threw him in jail.
Jesus concluded by saying, "That's what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters in your heart."
This is tough. When someone tramples on us, we seek payback.
I don't believe that Jesus is actually saying forgive somebody 490 times and that on the 491st time you don't forgive them. I think he is saying, don't keep score.
St. Paul in the famous passage on the meaning of love said, "Love keeps no record of when it has been wronged." (I Corinthians 13:5) I'm thinking that this is how to look at Jesus' teaching here. We don't play accountant games on the matter of forgiving people.
However, is there a limit to forgiveness?
What about the person who keeps stealing? Or someone who gets drunk and says and does hurtful things while drunk?
Do we keep forgiving them?
St. Paul said, "Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out." (I Corinthians 13:6)
I think that is where the "limit" is. We forgive but we also take action so they don't steal or get drunk again. Injustice must be stopped and truth must win to the extent we can fight for that victory. Jesus had previously talked about how seriously we need to address sin in Matthew 18:6-10. And so we need to take Jesus teaching in its fullness and not in isolation.
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