You asked

what was the cultural expectation for forgiveness in peter's time, and how did jesus challenge 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 passage is part of Jesus' teaching on community and forgiveness, found in the Gospel of Matthew. Peter asks Jesus a direct question about the limits of forgiveness, and Jesus responds with an astonishingly high number, challenging conventional wisdom.

What does unlimited forgiveness ask of us when facing repeated harm?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Luke 17:3-4
Jesus also teaches about forgiving a repentant brother seven times in a day, echoing the theme of abundant forgiveness.
Matthew 6:14-15
Jesus links God's forgiveness of us to our willingness to forgive others, emphasizing its importance.

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