Hello my friends,

Today I want to look at a parable from Jesus that has been on my minds a lot lately, as well as that famous phrase of his about forgiving "seventy times seven." There are a few things I want to reflect on today as well as ponder how this reflects our world today.

Before we dive in, here are some resources I’d recommend:

​-Wellness 2.0: When It's All Too Much by Hidden Brain. I found this episode to be incredibly insightful and helpful. It deals with our emotional and mental posture towards seemingly unsolvable problems in our world that can easily cause us to spiral and lose both our hope and will to carry on. This episode really helped me to reorient my goal regarding the huge issues we are facing and gave me some needed perspective. I recommend listening all the way to the end where a writer talks about his time in a Christian monastery. I hope you find it as helpful as I did.

​-How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith By Mariann Edgar Budde I have finally been able to read through this book and it is refreshing, personal, and encouraging. Encourage you to read it if you haven't already.

​-Challenging Narratives with a Grassroots Faith with Tim Whitaker and Ben Cremer. I had an honest and raw conversation with my good friend Tim Whitaker over at The New Evangelicals podcast, where we discussed both the challenges of our respective jobs in our time and issues like immigration. I thought this conversation was timely for this week and thought I'd share it again here.

​-Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies by N.T. Wright & Michael F. Bird. This is both a timely and sharp book for our current moment, challenging followers of Jesus to confront the way of the empire in all its forms. It is both insightful and equipping.

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Forgiveness In A World Of Vengeance.

Matthew 18:21-35

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

Murky Waters

The topic of forgiveness can be a difficult one to navigate because of how it has been misused. Jesus’ words here to continually forgive have been wrongfully used to keep people in abusive relationships, especially women. Claiming that it is their responsibility to forgive their abuser and restore the relationship. These words have been used to convince the oppressed to continually forgive their oppressor, rather than doing anything about the oppression.

As I hope you will see by the end of this reflection that this is not just an individual responsibility but a communal one, and that Jesus’ own parable on forgiveness includes accountability rather than neglecting it.

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​Seventy Times Seven

One of the most commonly quoted parts of this passage is Jesus’ urging to forgive someone, not seven times seven, but seventy times seven (or as some passages say, seventy-seven times seven). I have always wondered why Jesus used this particular formula of numbers.

I have since found the suggestion from some biblical scholars that Jesus was using the narrative of Genesis 4:23–24, in where Lamech says, “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Lamech is recalling Cain’s concern that he might be killed by God for killing his brother Abel. So Lamech multiplies the seven fold vengeance against Cain for his actions to seventy-seven times that amount for his own.

The reason this application is so intriguing here is because Jesus is using the same grouping of numbers referring to the totality of vengeance in Genesis 4 to emphasize the need for total forgiveness instead. Jesus is advocating that forgiveness be the common motive that defines his followers, rather than vengeance, which always is an endless cycle. One that can only be broken by forgiveness.

The Parable

Jesus then illustrates this with a parable, often known as the “Unmerciful” or “Unforgiving” Servant. He tells of a king who wants to settle his accounts with all his servants. As he did, he came upon a servant who owed him 10,000 talents, which was an enormous debt. About 20 years worth of wages for that time. The king ordered that he, his wife, and children be sold (into debt bondage) in order to repay this debt. The inhumane practice of debt slavery was a common punishment for not repaying debt in Jesus’ day, which many people experienced and it was practiced in such a way that it was nearly impossible for someone to be free from once they were in it. Many died in debt bondage, leaving their debt to their children.

When the servant heard this fate for him and his family, he begged for mercy and promised to repay the impossible debt. Yet when the king heard this, he not only had mercy on him, but he canceled his enormous debt completely and let him go. Complete liberation from such heavy and impossible circumstances.

Yet this same servant turns right around and went out to find another servant who owed him a significantly smaller debt, only a 100 days worth of wages for that time, and demanded that he pay it back. He even grabbed him and choked him in the process. The servant hit his knees and begged for mercy. But he refused and instead had the man thrown in prison until he could repay the debt. Because as everyone knows, it’s famously so easy to pay of debts from a prison cell.

Many of the other servants who saw this were outraged and reported to the king what had happened. He became very upset about it as well. The king had the servant brought to him and said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

Jesus said that this is the way his heavenly father will treat each of his followers unless they forgive their brothers and sisters from their heart.

Forgive Us Our Debts

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The parable itself is meant to illustrate God (the king) settling the debt of sin with all of humanity. Yet God chooses mercy and forgiveness towards humanity, which is vividly shown through Jesus’ loving sacrifice, taking on the enormous debt of evil upon himself and canceling it. Thus, God asks that we also forgive others as we have been forgiven. Jesus even teaches his followers to pray in Matthew 6:12, “forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors.” Forgiveness and mercy, regarding sin and financially, is a strong component of Jesus’ gospel. We have been shown incredible mercy and forgiveness, so we must also do the same for others.

Here again though, we are at those difficult questions. As followers of Jesus, do we just endlessly forgive without asking for any accountability for those who bring harm?

Interestingly, Jesus’ own parable answers this question for us. Even after Jesus says to Peter that he must forgive “seventy seven times seven,” what do we see the king do? The king in the parable forgives the servant of his massive debt, totally and completely, but he also holds him accountable for harming his fellow servant and not showing mercy to him. So we can surmise here that accountability isn’t separate from forgiveness, but central to it. Forgiveness and accountability go hand in hand. God holds people accountable to the call of being merciful and forgiving.

Jesus’ point here seems to be that his followers must pursue accountability through forgiveness and mercy, rather than through vengeance and revenge. Like the unforgiving servant, who demanded his debt to be repaid through vengeance, one actually incurs even more debt by harming others in the name of “settling debts." Forgiveness stops the endless cycle of vengeance and prevents further debts being incurred by anyone. We can forgive our brother’s and sister’s debt against us and it can radically change the relationship to something flourishing and beautiful. But as we know from experience, it can also result in them continuing to choose harm against others or ourself. Forgiveness and accountability doesn’t require someone to stay in relationships like that. In fact, a great act of mercy and forgiveness might even be withdrawing from the relationship altogether so that no further debt is built up.

Moreover, while we tend to read texts like this individualistically, this is the vision Jesus has for the entire body of believers. He desires that followers of Jesus would be marked by forgiveness and mercy in this world, rather than perpetual vengeance and revenge. Individual forgiveness is one thing. Corporate forgiveness is quite another.

As we know, history is marked time and time again by people groups and nations holding resentment towards one another, refusing to forgive them for a past injustices, which inevitably boils over into conflict, harming people who weren’t even around at the time the injustice took place.

In our time, we see the refusal to forgive and vengeance being chosen politically and religiously over and over again. Whether it is economic sanctions, immigration policy, or rolling back environmental protections, there is so much animosity towards other nations and political opponents over injustices, whether they are perceived or otherwise. All while innocent people are caught and suffer in the crossfire.

Can you imagine what the world would look like today if instead of responding to 9/11 with war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States responded with forgiveness and mercy? Sending food and resources to those nation’s poor and hungry instead of war? Can you imagine what our country would look like today if policy and legislation focused on what was best for people and our planet rather than conquering or “getting back at” political opponents?

I think it’s hard to imagine what a world shaped by forgiveness and mercy would look like because all we witness is a world shaped by vengeance every single day.

I think this is what makes Jesus’ teaching on forgiveness as difficult as it is radical. If implemented on a communal level, it really would change things for the better. So, he calls those who follow him to begin practicing it ourselves, even in a world of vengeance, as a testament to what is possible when we forgive one another.

Prayer

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​Jesus,

We are so thankful for your mercy and forgiveness.

You gave up everything, for everyone, out of love.

You showed compassion to those the world discards.

And you call us to do the same.

Honestly, we find that so difficult in our world today.

There is so much cruelty happening. So many suffering.

We often find ourselves imagining vengeance against our enemies.

How on earth are we supposed to forgive?

Would you teach us that forgiveness and accountability go hand in hand.

Would you help us see those whom we can offer forgiveness to that we are withholding.

Would you give us the strength to be subversive and counter cultural in choosing forgiveness rather than vengeance.

Would you begin to transform our world of revenge into a world of mercy.

And begin that transformation in us.

In your name we pray, amen.

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Now I'd like to hear from you! Did you find this helpful? What thoughts came to your mind as you read? Feel free to respond to this email and share your thoughts with me. I look forward to reading them. A 30 Day Day Devotional: I wrote a daily devotional in hopes to provide a companion for people seeking to follow Jesus through the season of we are currently navigating together. You can find out more below: $20.00 Following Jesus In A World Obsessed With Empires: 30 Days of reclaiming the hope, compassion, and justice of Jesus. Today, our world can often feel overwhelmed by darkness, division, and despair. I created this 30-day devotional to... Read more Get it now! ​ Ways to support: If you'd like to support this project, you can do so through one-time-gift of any amount you feel is right. You can also subscribe through a $5/mo, $15/mo, or $25/mo. Several others have also asked for a recurring gift option that is different from the ones offered here, like this one. If you'd like me to set up a different option for you, please just send me an email with the word "support" in the subject line. As always, I really want to thank all of you for reading and for all the ways you support me and this project every single week. I'm thankful for the ways we are building this together and hope it creates a lasting, positive change in our world along the way! I sincerely appreciate you all, Ben Remember, you can now view this and all previous newsletters as well as invite friends to join through this link: https://benjamin-cremer.ck.page/profile.

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