Matthew 18:21 (ASV)

Passage

Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Matthew 18:21 Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times?

Matthew 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.

Matthew 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, who would make a reckoning with his servants.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "peter", "said", "lord", "shall", "brother", "against", and "forgive". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "peter", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "For where two or three are gathered..." into verse 22's "Jesus saith unto him I say not...", so "came" and "peter" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "came" and "peter" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.