Seventy Times Seven: What Ye, Forgiveness, and an Old Question from the Disciples Teach Us Today
There is an old question that feels painfully modern right now.
Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, once asked a question that many of us quietly ask when someone keeps failing, offending, or hurting people over and over again:
“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
(Matthew 18:21–22)
Peter thought he was being generous. In that culture, forgiving someone three times was considered righteous. Peter doubled it and added one.
Jesus’ response shattered the math.
Don’t keep count.
Forgiveness is not arithmetic. It’s posture.
That ancient exchange is sitting quietly underneath a very loud, very modern story: Ye.
The Letter Few Expected
In January 2026, Ye (formerly Kanye West) published a full-page open letter in The Wall Street Journal titled “To Those I’ve Hurt.”
In it, he did something many thought he would never do: he apologized — directly, clearly, and publicly — to both the Jewish community and the Black community for the antisemitic statements, imagery, and behavior that shocked the world over the past several years.
He did not excuse himself. He explained his mental health struggles, including a long-undiagnosed brain injury and bipolar disorder, but he did not hide behind them. He said plainly:
“It does not excuse what I did though. I am not a Nazi or an antisemite. I love Jewish people.”
And then, something that struck a different chord:
“To the Black community… The Black community is unquestionably the foundation of who I am. I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us.”
For many, the reaction was immediate:
He’s apologized before.
This is too late.
This doesn’t fix what he did.
How many chances does one man get?
And that is exactly where Peter’s question echoes.
“How Many Times?”
Let’s be honest.
This is not Ye’s first apology. He apologized in 2023. He made statements in 2024 and 2025. Some of those apologies were followed by more controversy. More statements. More damage.
So the public mood is understandable:
“We’re tired.”
“We don’t believe him.”
“Enough is enough.”
That is the human response.
But Jesus’ answer was not human math. It was spiritual posture.
Seventy times seven is not a number to track. It’s a way of saying:
If you are counting, you have already missed the point.
Forgiveness Is Not Endorsement
This is where many people get uncomfortable.
Forgiveness does not mean:
You agree with what was done
You minimize the harm
You erase accountability
You pretend it never happened
Forgiveness means:
You refuse to permanently chain a person to the worst thing they’ve ever done.
And if that principle does not apply to famous people, artists, or controversial figures, then it doesn’t apply to us either.
Because every one of us wants to be forgiven for things we hope the world never sees.
The Black Community’s Unique Position
Ye’s apology to the Black community hit differently.
Because for decades, he was seen as a creative genius, a cultural force, a voice that spoke loudly about Black empowerment, ownership, and independence. Then the spiral came. And with it, embarrassment, frustration, and distance.
Many Black people felt not just offended — but disappointed.
And disappointment is harder to forgive than offense.
That’s why his words, “I am so sorry to have let you down. I love us,” matter. Not because they erase the past — but because they acknowledge the relationship.
He didn’t apologize to strangers.
He apologized to family.
The Parable That Follows
Right after Jesus says “seventy times seven,” he tells the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23–35).
A man is forgiven an enormous debt by a king. Then he immediately turns around and refuses to forgive a much smaller debt owed to him.
The lesson is sharp:
Those who have received mercy are expected to extend it.
And that is where this story gets uncomfortable for all of us.
Because most of us want mercy for ourselves… and judgment for others.
What Forgiveness Would Look Like Here
Forgiving Ye does not mean forgetting.
It means allowing the possibility that a man who clearly went through public mental collapse, public humiliation, and public reckoning might actually be trying to come back to himself.
It means saying:
“We see the apology. Now live it.”
It means leaving room for redemption.
Because if redemption is only theoretical — if it only works for people we like — then it isn’t redemption at all.
Why This Matters Beyond Ye
This moment is bigger than one artist, one apology, or one letter.
This is about whether we believe people can come back from the edge.
Whether we believe healing is real.
Whether we believe change is possible.
Whether we believe Jesus meant what He said.
Because “seventy times seven” is easy to quote in church.
It is much harder to practice in real life, with real people, who have really messed up.
The Real Question
The disciples asked, “How many times should we forgive?”
But the real question today is:
Do we actually believe in forgiveness when it’s inconvenient?
Ye asked for forgiveness.
The scripture already answered whether we should give it.