Seventy Times Seven Times

Our Scripture readings at Mass come from the New American Bible-Revised Edition.

There are other translations that are approved by the Church.

And the wording can vary, usually just slightly,

Today we heard Jesus say, Forgive not seven times but seventy-seven times.

In some versions, Jesus’ words are,

Forgive not seven times, but seventy times seven times.

A few weeks ago I saw a cartoon depicting this Gospel scene.

Jesus uses the seventy times seven language.  

And Peter’s standing there looking frustrated and thinking

All that forgiving will be hard enough—but on top of that, now he wants us to do math ?!

Of course, seven and seventy and seventy-seven are not meant literally.

In the Bible, the number seven symbolizes completeness, fullness, perfection.

And multiples and repetitions of seven just emphasize that point.

In a similar passage in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says,

If your brother sins against you seven times a day and repents seven times,

You must forgive him seven times.

In a week of seven days that would be forty-nine times.

Every week.

Our reading from Daniel today jumps right into the middle of a story.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego have been thrown into the fiery furnace.

And we pick it up with the prayer of Azariah (Abednego’s Hebrew name).

In the earlier part of the story the three Jews refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s idol.

He becomes irate at their refusal.

And has the furnace heated to seven times its usual limit.

The flames rise forty-nine cubits high.

Forty-nine, that’s seven times seven if you do the math.

Azariah’s prayer is a mix of praise and petition.

Centered on God’s abundant mercy and forgiveness.

The central theme for today is forgiveness.

God’s generous, abundant, repeated forgiveness for us.

And the forgiveness he expects us to extend to others in return.

Our duty to forgive—repeatedly.

So Peter was wrong in his expectation that forgiving seven times would be exorbitant.

And we see how often, throughout the Bible, the apostles get it wrong.

So we can forgive the cartoonist for having Peter get it wrong yet again.

Thinking Jesus wants us to do the math.

It’s quite the opposite.

Jesus is telling us, 
Don’t tally up the score—just do the forgiving.

3rd Tuesday of Lent

Mt 18:21-35     Read this Scripture @usccb.org