“Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all. Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.

But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’  So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him.

So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Matthew 18:21-35.

Perhaps Peter thought he was being especially generous by forgiving his brother seven times. But still, why would Peter even ask how many times he would have to forgive his brother? Because it can be hard to forgive! When someone sins against us, our pride suffers. Our feelings can be hurt. We may even be tempted to strike back. To get even.

Jesus told Peter he would be required to forgive his brother, not seven times, but seventy times seven. Obviously, Jesus’ answer was not to be taken literally. After all, if Peter truly forgave, he wouldn’t be keeping count of the times he forgave. Jesus taught that we are to forgive others as often as they repent.

Jesus then taught the parable of the unmerciful servant. In this parable concerning forgiveness, the king represents God and the servant represents us.

Forgiving becomes easier when we love others and are considerate of their situation. Matthew 18:27. The king had compassion on his servant and did far more than his servant requested. The servant asked for time to pay the debt. But the king was willing to do much more. He forgave the debt completely. When we love others as we ought we will be patient with them, I Corinthians 13:4. When we love as we ought, we will neither be easily provoked nor keep a count of the times we have been wronged. I Corinthians 13:5.

Second, forgiving becomes easier when we remember how much we have been forgiven. Matthew 18:28. The servant owed the king ten thousand talents. This was an enormous amount of money. Realistically, the servant had no hope of ever paying his debt. Yet he was unwilling to forgive his fellow servant of one hundred denarii, a very small amount. It seems that he had no real appreciation for the forgiveness he had just received.

Third, forgiving becomes easier when we remember what happens to us when we refuse to forgive. Matthew 18:28. The servant became angry. He approached his fellow servant and, putting his hands on his throat, said “Pay me what you owe.” He was mad. Very angry. I guess you could say he was irate.  When we fail to forgive, it can only make us angry and bitter. Long term, a failure to forgive can cause us to carry a grudge. We do far more harm to ourselves than we do to the one we refuse to forgive.

Fourth, forgiving becomes easier when we remember to follow Christ’s example. “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.” Colossians 3:12-13.

Lastly, forgiving becomes easier when we remember the necessity of forgiving. The next time someone sins against you, remember Jesus’ words from verse thirty-five, “And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Instead of looking for reasons why we’re not obligated to forgive, we need to be looking for ways to make forgiving easier.