Matthew 18:22Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For who could possibly transgress so many times in a single day? To preclude Peter from countering the Lord’s instruction by suggesting that such a promise of forgiveness might lead to new sins, it is added that the day is fleeting, moving towards its conclusion; for the sun’s setting brings closure to the day, extinguishing all evidence. Thus, our unseen Light instructs us to forsake anger while the visible light persists, lest the twilight of the world serves as a testament against us, and the sun at life’s end rises in judgment. Since our intentions can be stirred by external influences and often lead us towards wrongdoing, producing consequences reflective of the seeds sown within us, the Apostle cautions: “Let not the sun go down on your anger; nor give place to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). This implies that we should not allow what the devil has planted in us to mature unchecked; instead, while the seeds are still tender, we ought to uproot and eliminate them before they yield fruit. For acts of murder do not occur abruptly; they are preceded by malice, as an adversary requires weapons to enact harm.

Forgive your brother if he wrongs you, and the Lord will extend forgiveness for your transgressions. When your brother has hurt you, let your repentance be sincere and heartfelt, as commanded by Him who instructed you to forgive your brother not merely “up to seven times, but seventy times seven times.” Receive your brother’s remorse as a divine message, so that by humbling the one sent to you, you may avoid inciting the Lord’s wrath against yourself. Pursue peace and holiness, enabling you to witness the presence of the Lord God. Do not take advantage of your brother during his time of struggle, nor should you add new burdens to his existing sorrows.

However, He also stated that if someone does not repent, they should be treated as an outsider after the third admonition, akin to a pagan or a tax collector, for how can we extend forgiveness to someone who does not seek it?

Response. Indeed, this insight is both fitting and advantageous for both the sinner and the forgiver. For the former, the act of asking suggests a desire for reform regarding the sins committed; for the latter, it acknowledges that he too bears guilt. There is no one who is without sin, save for the unique and incomparable Holy Trinity. As Scripture attests: ‘Who shall boast that he has a pure heart? Or who dares to regard himself as clean from sin?’ Before the Savior, the remarkable Job, a steadfast pillar, when confronted by the adversary and assailed by suffering, boldly states: ‘No one is clean from sin.’ Even if one spends just a single day on earth, life is not lived apart from human experience. Growth in the physical body and the maturation of the mind signifies the start of divine Providence.

Peter intended to grasp the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and the order of the Church. These keys symbolize the power to forgive sins. Our tongue acts as a key, capable of opening or shutting the heavens. We hold the authority to either open or close the gates of heaven with our words: the former through actions worthy of the divine, and the latter through unworthy deeds as dictated by God. Whoever desires the grace to forgive sins poses the question, ‘How many times, if my brother sins against me, shall I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Interestingly, he does not seek a round number, instead settling on ‘up to seven.’ This suggests he might have been inquiring about a mystery concerning a murderer—whether one who has sinned seven times could still attain forgiveness through baptism and repentance. Cain, the world’s first murderer, was condemned to great torments corresponding to his transgressions related to murder. He was the first to perpetrate evil, the first to take a life. He was the first to deceive God when questioned about his slain brother. He was the first to bring sorrow upon his parents through his fratricide, the first to sow seeds of hatred and jealousy. He wickedly introduced the concept of sacrifice. The initial act of killing plagued the earth with sin and brought upon it its curse. He committed murder seven times, and the divine proclamation brought upon him equal suffering: the earth's barrenness and its refusal to yield produce because of him, causing anguish and terror throughout his existence.

It is pertinent to recognize that his punishment was proportionate to this transgression. ‘Cursed be the ground because of you’—this marked the first agony. ‘You shall toil the soil,’ constituted the second. He faced an incomprehensible necessity that compelled him to endure hardship on the earth, working laboriously while being denied the earth's bounty—the third agony—facing futility in his toil. ‘Moaning and trembling on the earth’—to this trio of torments, God's plan added two: relentless groaning and anguish that exhausted him, ensuring he could neither enjoy food nor drink, for the very hand that took the life of his brother now bore the burden of his own destruction. The sixth suffering was the loss of boldness before God; this agony was severe, forsaking him to face everything without divine favor. In that state of despair, he wished for death, to escape the misery, believing it preferable to live under God’s disfavor. He lamented: ‘If You will separate me from the earth,’ meaning not to command him to partake of its fruits, ‘for I shall be hidden from Your face,’ since he was deprived of earthly sustenance. ‘When You command me, I cannot present myself before You; let anyone who encounters me slay me. Better it is for me to die than to live tormented.’ The Lord responded: ‘Negative no. I have set a mark upon you so that no one who encounters you shall kill you.’ This signifies the seventh agony—not to be honored with death, which would absolve him of guilt and cover his shame, but to live perpetually in torment, stigmatized as the progenitor of wickedness among humankind. This is indeed the greatest suffering—the disgrace among rational beings. To the guilty, God's judgment imposes a sentence, stating, ‘These shall rise to everlasting life, and these to shame and eternal contempt.’ Since the murderer bore seven evils, so too was he met with seven corresponding punishments.

Peter understood that the seventh day was revered as the Lord’s day, for on this day the Lord ceased His labors. This observance of the Sabbath is rooted in the notion of rest from toil. The number seven is specifically venerated by the Jewish people, encapsulating all numerical commandments. Within this number lies the day of cleansing. Their seventh year is set aside for forgiveness. After tilling the soil for six years and harvesting the crops, they designate the seventh year for rest, to be untroubled and blessed with self-sown provisions. A slave, after serving seven years, attained freedom at the end of that period. During their captivity in Babylon, the Jews endured for seventy years. This significance of the seventh is also reflected in our holy and Christ-bearing Church. ‘Seven times a day I praise You,’ declared David, the divine minstrel, acknowledging the seven-day weekly cycle as a metaphor for true existence. Isaiah identifies seven spiritual gifts, and ‘the seven eyes of the Lord,' as echoed by Solomon, who proclaimed, ‘Wisdom built herself a house and hewn out of it seven pillars.’ This Wisdom represents Christ, as the divine Paul elucidates, while the house denotes heaven and the Church. The seven pillars symbolize the angelic orders. Among the Apostles, the seven Deacons alongside Stephen and Philip illustrate this truth. Furthermore, another saint pinpointed: ‘Seven times the righteous man shall fall and rise again,’ signifying the necessity of repentance. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, did not encounter death, affirming that his repose symbolizes our potential to transition from a transient existence into the everlasting life of the Church, safeguarded from the deluge of evil, much like the spiritually sound Noah, with Christ guiding the way.

Following Noah came Abraham, the seventh, who received circumcision, shedding the fleshly and indulgent life. Moses, the seventh after Abraham, serves as the holy lawgiver, inspiring a transformation of life, cleansing from immorality, and restoring the admirable Law. He established a profound command to honor the ‘Sabbath’ in the seventh year wherein the land would be left fallow, debts discharged, and captives liberated. Christ was born as the seventy-seventh descendant of Adam, as attested by the divine Luke in genealogies. Thus, the Holy Scriptures assign the number of forgiveness according to the law of sevens. The seventh serves as a completion in the Creator's plan. The Seven Weeks, recurring perpetually, facilitate the remission of sins through repentance—for those who are inclined toward correction and divine sobriety. Though we might falter, we shall soon turn away from pride, returning to good works. Let us cleanse our hearts and garments from impurities, striving to avoid suffocation beneath sins, and ascend towards the ancient, elevated life. We must listen attentively to God's will, cast aside earthly distractions, and earnestly seek the loftiest virtue born of love. On the tablets of our hearts, we shall engrave God's Law, positioning ourselves as instruments in His hands.

Furthermore, this practice stands as the greatest assurance for receiving forgiveness on the day of judgment, for if we release others from their debts, our heavenly Father will likewise release us (Matthew 6:14). Therefore, if you aspire to reach heaven, extend sincere forgiveness to everyone from the depths of your heart, ensuring that not even the slightest trace of resentment remains.

"In repentance for sins," notes the esteemed John of the Ladder, "driven to despair, let us not forget that the Lord instructed Peter to forgive a sinner seventy times seven, and He who issued such a command to another will surely extend even greater mercy Himself." - "I have been forgiven all, for I forgave everyone and received forgiveness from all," remarked a dying monk with serene composure, as the brethren were astonished by his tranquility, recognizing that he had lived without notable accomplishments. He never condemned anyone; rather, he forgave all and everything.