The song Seven Times Seven Times Seventy-seven is based on The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18. The title of the song comes from Jesus response to a question from Peter.
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.
Matthew 18:21-22
WRITING SEVEN TIMES SEVEN TIMES SEVENTY-SEVEN
12/20/2018
The song Seven Times Seven Times Seventy-seven is based on The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18. The title of the song comes from Jesus response to a question from Peter.
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. – Matthew 18:21-22
I understand that it was either Jewish law or tradition to place limits on the number of times we should forgive people. Seven would be the traditional number of times to forgive someone. Jesus’ answer is that seventy-seven is an arbitrary high number. Relating to the original number only in that it is a multiple of the original, it is meant to be so high, that you would lose count before you got that high. forgiveness should be limitless. The passage says to forgive seventy-seven times but in most of the Bibles I have read, there is usually a footnote that says seventy times seven. For the title of the song I tried to combine elements of both numbers, sticking with the idea of a large number that would make keeping up with the number of times you forgave not worth it. 77 is large enough for this but 490 or 3773 make it a greater challenge.
This song challenges me like no other song I’ve written. When I feel like I’ve been wronged, I am reluctant to forgive. I want to hold the people that have hurt me accountable. This song and the scripture it’s based on tell me to forgive unconditionally, just like God forgives me.