How Many Times?

This Lent we are walking with Jesus and his disciples as they make their way to Jerusalem. Jesus is very honest about this journey, and what waits for them when he gets there. (The Cross). And so the things that Jesus talks about, and the questions that his disciples ask take on a different character from that of casual conversation. Much like finding out that a dear one in your life only has three months to live, every conversation you have from that point on takes on a special kind of clarity and urgency. So too with Jesus on this way to Jerusalem. 

In Matthew 18 Jesus is talking a lot about who matters in his kingdom, and how the disciples ought to treat one another. His way of life is very different. 

Jesus wants the strong to care for the weak. 
The great to try to be small. 
The ambitious to aspire to the most inconspicuous service. 
Jesus wants us to look after the little, and to try to be like them. 

Jesus takes sin and it’s damage to relationships in the community very seriously. And he wants us to do the same. 

And because sin does harm, we are not surprised that Peter asks a question - Lord, how many times? How many times should I forgive my brother or sister? 

What follows is one of the most difficult parables that Jesus tells in Matthew. About a servant with an unbelievable debt, and a petty heart. Both are a problem. Both require saving. And God is in the business of saving.