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My grandson asked, ‘Pawpaw, do you know what 8 times 8 is?’ I said, ‘Yes, it’s 64.’ He then asked, ‘How do you know that?’ I said, “Because I learned it.” He said, “That’s not how I do it.” He then used an entire sheet of paper to show me how he solved it. I’m thankful I was an old man when the new math era began. I’m not qualified to say whether memorization or common core is best. However, if you make a $5.43 purchase and hand me $10.00, I am qualified to say that I can give you correct change without calling a manager or a CPA.
As puzzled as my grandson was with my math and as I was with his math, Peter must have thought he had entered the Twilight Zone when Jesus explained His new math in solving the question, ‘If my brother sins against me, how many times shall I forgive him?’ The Lord’s answer was as puzzling then as it is 2000 years later. The Jews considered forgiving 3 times to be adequate, so Peter may have felt his answer ‘7 times?’ moved him to the head of the class; but there was a new teacher teaching new math, ‘No, not 7 times but 70 times 7 times.’
Jesus’ answer was not about keeping score, it was about healing, both spiritual and physical. People we can’t forgive hold control over us, dominating our thoughts and causing pain, shame, and stress. The process of forgiveness releases thoughts and feelings that can keep us tied to the past, and it frees us from regrets and resentments we might carry. We don’t need the other person’s participation to forgive – forgiving is for our benefit, not theirs.
Karl Menninger, famed psychiatrist, said that if he could convince patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75% of them could walk out the next day.
It can be hard to forgive, but it can be much harder on us if we don’t. Revenge and retaliation are part of our world’s makeup, but we are called to be different. Jesus said if we come to worship with unresolved issues with a brother, leave our offering, be reconciled, then return. Our getting along with each other is more crucial to God than we might think.
Perhaps this story can illustrate how difficult it can be to forgive, even for those close to us:
Two brothers went to a Rabbi to settle a longstanding feud. The Rabbi got them to reconcile their differences and shake hands. As they were leaving, he asked each one to make a wish for his brother in honor of the Jewish New Year. The 1st said, “I wish for you what you wish for me.” The 2nd threw up his hands and said, “See, Rabbi, he’s starting up again!”
To forgive is to fill our lungs with the cool, fresh air of life as God wishes for us. Breathe deeply, my friends, and remember, you are greatly loved!
–Jackie Chesnutt, Chaplain and Emotional Support Coach for Myers-Davis (6/1/2026)
