"Then
Peter
came and
said to
Him,
‘Lord,
how
often
shall my
brother
sin
against
me and I
forgive
him? Up
to seven
times?’
Jesus
said to
him, ‘I
do not
say to
you up
to seven
times,
but up
to
seventy
times
seven."
Matthew
18:21-22
We
have all
suffered
the
bitter
pain of
betrayal.
So
often,
betrayal
comes at
the
hands of
those we
least
expect
and
those we
are
closest
to.
An enemy
cannot
betray
you
because
you
expect
him to
work
against
you. But
a
trusted
friend
who
betrays
your
trust is
a bitter
pill to
swallow
indeed.
As
bitter
disappointment
sets in
pain
begins
to give
way to
anger
and
hatred.
The
anger,
resentment
and
hatred
eases
the pain
like an
additive
drug and
is
difficult
to let
go of.
But let
go of we
must or
it will
destroy
us and
poison
those
around
us. We
must
forgive
those
who
betray
us.
In the
Lord’s
prayer
Jesus
instructed
us to
pray
this
way, -"Forgive
us our
transgressions
as we
forgive
those
who have
transgressed
against
us." Satan
will
always
stir up
people
against
us, but
we must
forgive
to be
forgiven.
In
reality,
all of
us have
committed
acts of
betrayal.
If we
demand
justice
against
those
who have
betrayed
us we
are only
bringing
the same
judgment
upon
ourselves.
Jesus
was
betrayed
by His
own
people
yet
while
suffering
on the
cross He
cried
out, -"Father,
forgive
them for
they
don’t
realize
what
they are
doing."
If
Jesus
was not
willing
to
forgive
those
who
called
for His
crucifixion,
neither
would He
be
willing
to
forgive
us, for
He died
for our
sins
too.
Every
sin we
commit
is an
act of
betrayal.
Jesus
gave a
parable
about
two
debtors,
The one
who had
squandered
billions
of his
master’s
money
begged
for
mercy
and
received
forgiveness
for the
entire
debt.
Instead
of
returning
this
favor by
extending
such
mercy to
a man
who owed
him a
small
debt, he
had him
and his
family
arrested
even
though
the man
was
begging
for a
little
more
time to
pay the
sum
owed.
When
the
first
man’s
master
heard
about
this he
was
furious
and
quickly
removed
the
pardon
he had
given
him and
had him
and his
family
imprisoned.
If we
will not
forgive
others
God will
not
forgive
us.
We will
always
be
tempted
to think
that our
situation
is
different,
and the
enemy
will
whisper
into our
minds
excuses. "You
don’t
know how
bad they
hurt
me.! I
trusted
them!
You just
don’t
understand
what
they’ve
done to
me!"
But
if you
will
listen
carefully
to the
still
voice of
the Holy
Spirit
you will
hear God
say -"You
don’t
know how
bad your
sins
hurt Me,
yet I
forgave
you.
Don’t
forget
why My
Son
suffered
and died
on the
cross."
Jesus
laid
down His
life for
His
friends
-friends
who had
betrayed
Him. If
we have
trouble
forgiving
others
it is
because
we have
taken
our eyes
off the
cost it
took to
forgive
us.
