Choking on Forgiveness

Is forgiving someone 77 times enough?

If you have ever been so hurt by someone that forgiving them seems impossible, the gospel reading for today may increase your discomfort.

It begins with an exchange where Peter asks Jesus whether seven is enough times to forgive someone who had sinned against him, and Jesus responds by saying Peter should forgive the person 77 times. We assume he meant “as many times as forgiveness is needed.” It makes clear that Jesus considered forgiving those who have hurt us an important part of Christian life.

Important, no doubt, but not doable for every person who seeks to follow Jesus. Consider the case of Serene Jones.

For all her working life, Serene has been involved with Christian theology. She is an ordained minister in two Protestant denominations. For 17 years, she was a professor of theology at Yale Divinity School, and in 2008, she was appointed president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, a position she held until her recent retirement.

With that kind of...