Math in the Bible

Last week in my math class we had an assignment where we were asked to present an example of math in the Bible.  This was an interesting idea because I had never really considered how many mathematical ideas are presented in God’s Word.

The answer that I wrote is the account in Matthew 18.  Peter comes up to Jesus and asks, “How many times should I forgive my brother?  Up to seven?”  Jesus answered him with a mathematical equation; He says, “Not seven, but seventy times seven” (verse 22).  I once heard a preacher talking about this verse (unfortunately I can’t recall his name).  He said that 70 X 7 = 490, but this is not some magical number.  You don’t say to yourself, “OK, I’m going to keep forgiving this person, but once I get to 490 I’ll stop.” 

Someone hurts you, and you are tempted to hold a grudge, but instead you choose to forgive.  So you think, “OK, that’s one.”  It happens again (“OK, that’s two”)…“OK, that’s twenty…OK, that’s twenty-one.”  And so on.  This preacher concluded by saying that eventually you come to a point where you lose count.

In my own life, I have found that when someone hurts me and I choose to forgive them something wonderful happens: I am liberated and freed.  No longer do I have to be mentally chained to the offender hoping that some horrible calamity befalls them.  I think that’s Jesus’ point here.  He’s saying, “Don’t hold a grudge; keep forgiving even if someone hurts you over and over again.  You’ll see how wonderful forgiveness is.”  I can vouch for how wise God is to tell us to choose forgiveness rather than retaliation.

Kevin Bauer

(Luke 17:4)