So often we think of the disciples as being superior to ourselves. After all, they were the ones that actually walked and talked with Jesus. We tend to put them on a pedestal and idealize them. The reality is Jesus’ disciples were just normal, regular people like you and me. They experienced pain and joy just like we ourselves do. More importantly, the disciples were not perfect; they had faults just like us.
Peter was a disciple who was very outgoing and strong in his faith. He was quick to act and quick to serve. He is the rock the church would be built upon. Peter was not without faults though. Sometimes being quick to act got him in trouble. Sometimes he heard the teachings of Jesus and did not understand how to put the teachings into practice in his life or at least found it difficult to put the teachings into practice. I am sure that is not an issue for any one of us today though.
Peter and Andrew were not only brothers, but also partners in the fishing business along with James and John, the sons of Zebedee.
Siblings tend to fight and argue at times, and I am sure Peter and Andrew were no different. Not only did they have the sibling rivalry to deal with, they had the working relationship to deal with.
Throw James and John in the mix and you have the making for some serious conflict.
After all, there was a reason James and John were called the sons of thunder. You know how this works, ideas are exchanged, words are said and before you know it, people are hurt. Sometimes, words that are spoken can not be taken back. I imagine there were instances when one of the men would want to repair the boat while another would want to buy a new boat.
There were other disputes among the disciples, such as who was the greatest in the kingdom and who would get to sit next to Jesus.
We do not know exactly what happened, but Peter apparently had a falling out with someone he was close to and Peter was on the hurt end of the deal. Peter had heard Jesus’ teachings on forgiveness and seen the example that Jesus gave through the way in which he lived his life.
He was still having trouble forgiving this person so he went to Jesus. We need to give Peter some credit here, he did realize that Jesus is the one to turn to for guidance.
We don’t know who it was, but Peter was having trouble with forgiving this person, so he asked: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matt. 18:21)
Forgiveness can be difficult especially after you have already forgiven once, twice, three times or even more. So often when we get hurt, our desire is to inflict pain right back on the person who hurt us or completely right this person off and have nothing to do with them.
Peter had tried to forgive, and wanted to know how much was enough. When could a person stop forgiving? When could he go back and hurt the person who had hurt him?
The response Jesus gave was probably not what Peter was expecting and not what he really wanted to here.
Jesus said: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matt. 18:22) That is a lot of forgiveness.
Basically Jesus is telling us we should never stop forgiving. Just as Peter probably did not want to hear this, we ourselves do not want to hear it. We must never stop forgiving, because God never stops forgiving us, even when we keep making the same mistakes over and over.
As humans and as Christians, we need to forgive those who hurt us. As painful as it may be, we must forgive.
As humans and Christians, we also need to be forgiven.
To receive forgiveness, we must offer forgiveness. Giving forgiveness is a wonderful thing, as the more we give, the more we can receive.
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Editor’s note: Brian Timmons is the pastor of Pea Ridge and Brightwater Methodist Churches. He can be contacted at 925-0167 or by e-mail at pastortimmons@ yahoo.com.
Church, Pages 2 on 10/27/2010