A poor accounting...

Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. I am a math person - used to teach it, still like to. I like to see things kept in balance, symmetrical. I had to memorize zip codes when I worked for UPS and often memorized lists of phone numbers. But what Jesus is telling Peter here is downright crazy - to keep a tally up to 490. I would never bother memorizing such a list, nor do I think I could. And it would be a bother to keep a tally sheet in my pocket or set up a database on a computer or phone. Yet that is what we often do with people: we make the list of wrongs they have done us which we refuse to forget and to forgive. This is not spiritual accounting; it is violating the spirit of the community of Christ. Peter thought he was being generous. The rabbis taught you had to forgive three times; he made it seven. That falls far short of the glory of God in our relationships.