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what did 'seven times' signify in peter's cultural context, and why did he suggest it?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I don’t tell you until seven times, but until seventy times seven.”

This exchange happens when Jesus is teaching his disciples about community, humility, and reconciliation. Peter asks Jesus a direct question about the limits of forgiveness, perhaps expecting a specific numerical answer, and Jesus's response challenges that expectation.

How might measuring forgiveness by number change our understanding of its nature and purpose?

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Read alongside it

  • Luke 17:3-4

    Jesus gives similar teaching on repeated forgiveness to his disciples.

  • Colossians 3:13

    Paul encourages believers to 'forgive each other, just as the Lord also forgave you.'

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