Articles
Jesus' Figures of Speech - 2
“What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” (Jn 16:25)
It is not an overstatement to say that Jesus often spoke in a non-literal way. Sometimes He exaggerated to make a point; sometimes He wanted to create a picturesque expression. Sometimes He used parables because of the dullness of his listeners’ hearts (Mt 13:10-15).
Jesus uses exaggeration, or hyperbole, in answering Peter about a quota on forgiveness: “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven’” (Mt 18:21-22). Was Jesus literal? Forgive 490 times, but the 491st is the last straw? No, He squares Peter’s seven and raises it to a multiple of ten indicating that the extension of forgiveness is not about arbitrary numbers but an attitude of heart.
God’s capacity to forgive is unlimited, and aren’t we all glad? But then He expects a similar heart in His people. We should be forgiving and compassionate, eager to restore those who fail and hurt us. Jesus conveys this by the device of exaggeration. To take His words literally is to misunderstand Him.
