We are inclined to set limits on our moral obligations. We want to “draw a line somewhere.” We want to set some definite place beyond which our obligation ceases, and where the moral strain may be released. The Apostle Peter wanted his Master to draw such a line in the matter of forgiveness. “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Matthew 18: 21). He wanted a tiny moral rule that he could apply to his brother’s conduct.

Not so the Lord. Our Master tells his disciple that in those spiritual realms relations are not governed by arithmetic. We cannot, by counting, measure off our obligations. Our repeated acts of forgiveness never bring us nearer to the freedom of revenge. No amount of sweetness will ever permit us to be bitter. We cannot, by being good, obtain a license to be evil. Indeed, if our goodness is genuine, every act of good will more strongly dispose us to further goodness. It is the counterfeit element in our goodness that inclines us to the opposite camp. It is when our forgiveness is tainted that we anticipate the “sweetness” of revenge.

John Henry Jowett