Or, To Put It Another Way

Then Peter came to him and asked, "Sir, how often should I forgive a brother who sins against me? Seven times?"

"No!" Jesus replied, "seventy times seven!

The Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date. In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him $10,000,000! He couldn't pay, so the king ordered him sold for the debt, also his wife and children and everything he had.

But the man fell down before the king, his face in the dust, and said, 'Oh, sir, be patient with me and I will pay it all.'

Then the king was filled with pity for him and released him and forgave his debt. But when the man left the king, he went to a man who owed him $2,000 and grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. The man fell down before him and begged to give him a little time.

'Be patient and I will pay it, ' he pled.

But his creditor wouldn't wait. He had the man arrested and jailed until the debt would be paid in full. Then the man's friends went before the king and told him what had happened. And the king called before him the man he had forgiven and said,

'You evil-hearted wretch! Here I forgave you all that tremendous debt, just because you asked me to--should you have mercy on others, just as I had mercy on you?'

Then the angry king sent the man to the torture chamber until he had paid every last penny due. So shall my heavenly Father do to you if you refuse to truly forgive your brothers.