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 comes in Matthew’s Gospel as Jesus is teaching his disciples about community life, humility, and the importance of not causing others to stumble. Peter asks about the limits of forgiveness, perhaps thinking he's being generous by suggesting seven times, a number often associated with completeness or perfection in Jewish tradition.
How do we balance the call to boundless forgiveness with the need for boundaries, safety, and justice for ourselves and others?