Fifth Forgiveness Saying
- The Fifth Forgiveness Saying
- Limitless Forgiveness
- Amos and the false limit of not forgiving persons more than three offenses
- The mitzvah of forgiving seventy-seven times symbolizes unlimited Forgiveness
The Fifth Forgiveness Saying:
Mattai 18:21-22
וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלָיו פֶּטְרוֹס וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ אֲדֹנִי כַּמַה פְּעָמִים יֶחֱטָא־לִי אָחִי וּמָחַלְתִּי לוֹ הַעַד שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים׃ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יֵשׁוּעַ לֹא־אֹמַר לְךָ עַד־שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים כִּי עַד־שִׁבְעִים וְשֶׁבַע׃
כיפא נגש ושאל אותו: אדוני, כמה פעמים יחטא לי אחי ואסלח לו? האם עד שבע פעמים? השיב לו ישוע: אינני אומר לך עד שבע פעמים אלא עד שבעים ושבע. פ
כֵּיפָא נִגַּשׁ וְשָׁאַל אוֹתוֹ: אֲדוֹנִי, כַּמָּה פְּעָמִים יֶחֱטָא לִי אָחִי וְאֶסְלַח לוֹ? הַאִם עַד שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים? הֵשִׁיב לוֹ יֵשׁוּעַ: אֵינֶנִּי אוֹמֵר לְךָ עַד שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים אֶלָּא עַד שִׁבְעִים וָשֶׁבַע. פ
Keifa approached him and said to him, “Master, if my brother sins against me, how many times should I pardon him—up to seven times?” [Rabbi] Yeshua – the Salvation of God said: “I will not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven.”
Lukas 17:3-4
הִשָּׁמְרוּ לְנַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם כִּי־יֶחֱטָא לְךָ אָחִיךָ הוֹכַח לוֹ וְאִם־יִנָּחֵם מְחֹל לוֹ׃ וְכִי־יֶחֱטָא לְךָ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים בַּיּוֹם וְשָׁב אֵלֶיךָ שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים בַּיּוֹם וְאָמַר נִחָמְתִּי וּמָחַלְתָּ לּוֹ׃
השמרו לכם. אם יחטא אחיך הוכח אותו, ואם יתחרט סלח לו. וגם אם שבע פעמים ביום יחטא לך ושבע פעמים יפנה אליך לאמר, ‘אני מתחרט’ – סלח לו. פ
הִשָּׁמְרוּ לָכֶם. אִם יֶחֱטָא אָחִיךָ הוֹכֵחַ אוֹתוֹ, וְאִם יִתְחָרֵט סְלַח לוֹ. וְגַם אִם שֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים בְּיוֹם יֶחֱטָא לְךָ וְשֶׁבַע פְּעָמִים יִפְנֶה אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר, ‘אֲנִי מִתְחָרֵט’ – סְלַח לוֹ. פ
“Guard yourselves! If your brother sins against you, rebuke him, and if he is remorseful, pardon him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day and repents to you seven times in a day and says, ‘I am remorseful’ pardon him.”
Limitless Forgiveness:
Then Keifa came and said to him, “Master, how often shall my brother sin against me and I pardon him? Up to seven times?” [Rabbi] Yeshua said to him, “I will not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy-seven.” [Therefore] “Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day and repents to you seven times in a day and says, ‘I am remorseful’ pardon him.”
Amos and the rabbinical limit of not forgiving more than three offenses:
How many times must I forgive a person before I can stop forgiving him or her?
By most rabbinical standards the suggestion by Keifa (Peter) that we forgive a person seven times was quite generous. The conventional belief is that a person need not be forgiven more than three times. This is so because in the opening chapters of the Book of Amos there is a series of condemnations on the various nations, “for three transgressions and for four” (1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6).
From these passages in Amos it was determined that God’s forgiveness extends to three offenses and then on the fourth offense He punishes the sinner. It was determined that it was not appropriate for persons to think themselves more generous than God; so it was deduced that forgiveness was limited to three times. However, this thinking that God’s forgiveness of people is the same as His forgiveness of nations is wrong. For nations are not people. For the truth is:
God’s forgiveness of the nations is limited but His forgiveness of people is unlimited!
The mitzvah of forgiving up to seventy-seven times symbolizes unlimited Forgiveness:
כִּ֥י שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקַּם־קָ֑יִן וְלֶ֖מֶךְ שִׁבְעִ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָֽה׃
“If Cain is avenged seven-fold, then Lamech seventy-seven-fold.”
The term seventy-seven (שבעים ושבע) has its source in Genesis 4:24, “If Cain is avenged seven-fold, then *Lamech (למך-lemek) seventy-seven-fold.” By recalling this number from the Torah Rabbi Yeshua is reminding us not to sit in God’s seat of Judgment. We are not allowed to pursue personal vengeance. For God has said:
*Lamech means “good for nothing.”
לִי נָקָם וְשִׁלֵּם
“Vengeance is Mine, and retribution!”
So if it is not in our human prerogative to pursue vengeance and retribution, “What is it that we can pursue?” In the previous passage of the Torah, Mr. Good for Nothing (Lamech) brags that he will make certain that he is avenged an *additional ten times more than Cain. In great contrast to Lamech’s declaration of vengeance Rabbi Yeshua makes a declaration of mercy:
*7 Cain + 70 Lamech = 77.
Rabbi Yeshua transforms Lamech’s declaration of limitless revenge into a declaration of unlimited forgiveness!
Lamech misinterpreted the action of God toward Cain as an act of vengeance. Rabbi Yeshua correctly interpreted God’s actions toward Cain as an act of compassion and mercy. For it is written:
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לֹ֣ו ה’ לָכֵן֙ כָּל־הֹרֵ֣ג קַ֔יִן שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקָּ֑ם וַיָּ֨שֶׂם ה’ לְקַ֙יִן֙ אֹ֔ות לְבִלְתִּ֥י הַכֹּות־אֹתֹ֖ו כָּל־מֹצְאֹֽו׃
So the LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him seven-fold.” And the LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one would kill him.”
Lamech and his followers represent those persons who pursue peace through demonically inspired acts of radical vengeance, violence and terror. Rabbi Yeshua and his followers represent those persons who pursue peace through the divinely inspired acts of God’s mercy, forgiveness, repentance, and reconciliation.
On the one side we have the Prince of Destruction, Mr. Good for Nothing, who makes war with God and His people. On the other side we have the Prince of Shalom, the *Salvation of God, who makes peace with God and His people. For it is written (Psalm 34:14):
*Yeshua means “salvation of God.”
סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה־טֹוב בַּקֵּשׁ שָׁלֹום וְרָדְפֵֽהוּ׃
“Depart from evil and do good; seek shalom and pursue it!”
So we are to pursue shalom (שלום) at home and everywhere else. This means there is yet one more requirement that the Messiah has put on us: we must add to our forgiveness of others his command that we are to be “vigilant” to help others to become remorseful for sin.
Rabbi Yeshua’s command to be vigilant, guard yourselves indicates that we are required to defend others from entering into or abiding in sin. This means Messiah expects his followers to always be actively in pursuit of forgiveness-reconciliation-and-shalom. Furthermore, we have no doubt that this radical call for a dedicated universal pursuit of shalom applies to—-everyone! Not just to Jews. Therefore, in addition to offering forgiveness “seventy-seven” times, a number indicating limitless forgiveness, Israel and the followers of Messiah are expected to remain vigilant in looking out for the interests of others.
Rabbi Yeshua’s command *to be on your guard indicates that his followers are required to defend all others from entering into or abiding in sin. This requires that substantive corrective action be taken. The offending person who sins is to be corrected and led into repentance. This necessarily means that true forgiveness although limitless must be preceded by correction, conviction and sincere repentance before it can be fully effected.
*Take care of your souls, take care of yourselves!