In the above verses 3-4, Jesus is teaching his disciples and us about forgiveness. The other elements in his teaching are “trespassing” against someone and “repenting.” In each case in order for “forgiveness” to be obtained for a “trespass,” “repentance” was necessary. In order to more fully understand we need to know exactly what the elements of “forgiveness,” “trespass,” and “repentance” mean.
Trespass #264 – to miss the mark (and so not to share in the prize), to err, to sin, offend, trespass. Gen 32:36 in what is my trespass? What is my sin . . Repent #3340 – to think differently or afterwards reconsider, repent, feel compunction. Compunction – remorse, regret, uneasiness from a sense of guilt. Forgive # 863 – forsake, lay aside, leave, let go, put away, remit, yield up.
Now we know that to “trespass” means to “miss the mark” and so not to receive the prize, and it also means to sin. When someone has “sinned” against us it is easy for us to have bad feelings about that person. We feel angry and we want to “get even” with that person for what they have “done to us.” Of course all those “thoughts” have come from Satan, our real enemy. In the teaching of Jesus, the setting was concerning our “brother” trespassing against us. If we think of our physical flesh and blood brother, who has sinned or trespassed against us, would we want him to “miss the mark” and fail to “receive the prize” of eternal life? Of course not. No matter what he had done, we would not want to see our brother lost for eternity. Neither would we want to see our spiritual “brother” in the church lost for eternity, either. This is why Jesus teaches us that we are to “forgive” our brother for his “trespass” against us. We are to “let go” and “lay aside” the feelings of anger and getting even with the person for our own sake as well as for his. The person who has “trespassed” against us knows that because of Satan it is “natural” for a person to be angry with them. If instead of being angry, we show them that we have forgiven them and “let go” of those feelings, they may “repent” or reconsider and think differently after that. Then, God can save both the “forgiver” and the “forgiven.”
Jesus said that even if someone were to trespass against us seven times in a day, we are to forgive them. On the surface it appears that the same sin against us was committed seven times in the same day. This is possible but unlikely and most likely not what Jesus meant. The number “seven” symbolically represents “completeness” or “all.” By using the number seven, Jesus was showing us that we are to forgive all sin against us. Finally, Jesus was teaching us what God is like. He is willing to “forgive” all our sins or “trespasses” against Him. God is the ultimate “Forgiver” and we are the “forgiven.”