Peter probably thought he was being very generous. In the thinking of the time, forgiving someone repeatedly was already considered a great act of mercy. So Peter may have expected Jesus to say, "Yes, Peter, seven times is enough. After that, you have done your duty." But Jesus surprises him: "Not seven times, but seventy-seven times." In other words, Jesus is not asking us to keep a record of how many times we forgive. He is teaching us that forgiveness is not meant to have a limit.

At first, this Gospel may seem to be mainly about confronting someone who has done something wrong. But if we listen carefully, we discover that Jesus is teaching us something much deeper: how to love one another enough to seek reconciliation rather than division.