JESUS said to His disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him." And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to [this] mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you."
The WORD
The number seven has deep theological significance that dates back to the Priestly sources of Genesis 1. There, the account on the creation of the cosmos is narrated within seven days which is the framework of the week that closes with the Sabbath day of rest. Genesis illustrates that the whole universe was made "very good" and complete within seven days. Seven is a number symbolic of totality.
In contrast, Gn 4:23-24, which records a ferocious song in honor of Lamech, descendant of Cain, uses the expression "sevenfold" to describe the vengeance for Cain. "Seventy-sevenfold" is used to refer to the vengeance for Lamech. Seven in this case becomes the measure of increasing and absolute or total cruelty.
In using the number seven to refer to the times when a brother must forgive another, Jesus alludes to a reversal of the human principle espoused by Lamech and Cain. Jesus also, in a way, refers us back to the story of creation, where "seven" meant complete good.
SOURCE:
"365 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph. 
