Jump Start # 299

Luke 11:4 “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.”

  We continue our journey through the model prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught. The prayer began with praising God for who He is. He is hallowed. His name is hallowed. The prayer looked forward to the fulfilling of God’s promise of a kingdom. Then it moved to simple things like, asking God for daily bread.

  Now, the prayer quickly turns to the delicate, difficult and important spiritual concept—forgiveness of sins. As one asks God for the daily bread, he now asks God for forgiveness. To walk through this life with food in the body but with sins in the heart is a wretched way to journey. It is God who forgives.

  Jesus noted in this request that we are asking God to do what we have done—granted forgiveness. It is an interesting word that Luke uses, “everyone who is INDEBTED to us.” That has a financial sound to it. It is as if they owe us something—and they do. Jesus often defined sin like a debt (cf. Mt 18). When you sin, you owe. You owe much. Making things right comes to our mind. Owing an apology would help matters. The act of forgiveness is to “release” what is owed. The debt is forgiven. Nothing is owed. The balance has been paid by grace. Jesus expects us to forgive. How can we ask God to forgive when we haven’t forgiven?

  In Matthew’s account of this model prayer, we find Jesus adding some commentary to what He showed in the prayer. Of all the elements of the prayer, there is only one that He returns to and that is forgiveness. Matthew writes, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions” (Mt 6:14-15). Not only does Jesus expect us to forgive others, but our forgiveness from God is conditioned upon how we treat others. Our failure to forgive will result in God’s refusing to forgive. How can we expect God to forgive if we won’t?

  When the crippled man was lowered down through the roof before Jesus as He was teaching, the first thing the Lord said was, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” The friends brought the crippled man to Jesus to heal his legs. He left with more than that, a healed heart. Forgiveness is based upon grace. It is a second chance. It is generated by love and hope for the wrong person. God does not owe us forgiveness. He doesn’t have to forgive. This prayer reminds us that we are to “ask” for forgiveness.

  The result of forgiveness is a clean heart and a new start with God. It means God hasn’t turned His back and thrown in the towel on the guilty. When the prodigal headed home, His father saw him and raced toward him with love and acceptance. The Father had been looking. He’d longed for the day his son returned. He didn’t beat him, lecture him nor make him spend the night in the barn. He was forgiven. The son owed nothing.

  One thing about grace and forgiveness—they don’t make a lot of sense. We live by the motto of “if you do the crime, you do the time!” Or, we think, after you have paid everything back and made everything right, then I’ll forgive you. What is there to forgive after the debt has been paid back and made right? Is that how God treats us?

  Paul told the Ephesians to “forgive one another, just as God in Christ Jesus has also forgiven you” (Eph 4:32). We have been hurt by others and we have ourselves hurt other people. We need to forgive and we ourselves need to be forgiven. It seems that some forget that. They can be so critical and judgmental and harsh on those who have hurt them, but indifferent to their own sins.

  Can you forgive others? Can you let it go? Do you always have to remind them of what they did? Do you say things like, “I’ll never get over it,” or, “I’ll never forgive.” What then do you expect God to do to you? Are you so different?

  Forgiveness is something that we need to work on. The failure to forgive kills families, destroys churches and leaves our hearts bitter, sour and hateful. This is not the way God wants us to live.

  We need forgiveness and we need to forgive others. We are to ask God for our forgiveness and we are to extend forgiveness to those who owe us. This is God’s way. This is what God wants. Easy? Never. Possible? Always.

  Nothing is more Christ like than forgiveness. A person can be generous without being godly. A person can be kind to the hurting. But for the wounded to offer forgiveness, that’s a characteristic of God.

Roger