…as we also have forgiven our debtors

Let’s pick up on our discussion from the last post. We were considering the parable of Jesus as it related to our conversation of the two debtors. Our prayer, and very real need is that God forgives us of our debt (again see previous post), but now what does that mean as the prayer continues, ‘AS WE ALSO HAVE forgiven our debtors’? There are two primary assumptions here: a) God has and will forgive us our debt – freely, b) we have already forgiven our debtors. There is an ‘in advance’ quantity here. The prayer is not ‘help us to forgive our debtors’, which is how I think most of us interpret the request. It is quite pointed in its intent - we will forgive our debtors.

Now depending on your experiences in life, this may not be an easy decision to come to. For myself, being a part of social services work for many years, pastoring, and simply just reading the news, I have seen the depth of trespassing that can be done from one human being to another and at times it has been unspeakable . As a result, we sometimes ask, “How can God ask or expect us to forgive our debtors – it is too much”. Please do not think that I am minimizing the pain or trauma you may have experienced in any way. But here is what has led me to the conclusion that God can ask and expect that to be our prayer. WHY? We are quickly approaching the Easter season. For years many of us have heard sermons on Christ’s death, resurrection and the days and hours leading up to the Cross. Whatever we might personally think of Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion, the horrific reality of the actual experience way surpasses what the movie depicts. However, the scene that remains most vividly in my mind is not so much the brutality leading up to the crucifiction, but at the tear that falls from heaven and hits the earth causing the earth to quake. It is a perspective from God not often considered. Humanity took God in the flesh, beat Him, humiliated Him, drove nails through His hands and feet – all the while mocking – and in Luke 23:34 we find these words “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.”

I’m thinking, how do they not know what they are doing? They just tortured and nailed Him to a cross. You don’t do that by accident like knocking over a glass of milk with your elbow. This was some intentional and well-planned stuff that happened here. They didn’t kill Him by mistake. And yet the words “Father forgive them for they know not what they do….” fall from those gasping, pain riddled lips. How can this be? How can this be forgiven? It does not deserve to be forgiven as it is the deepest of violations and rejections directed toward God Himself! Yet He forgives. It is what causes Paul to write in Roman’s “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. It would take the power of God to forgive this unimaginable debt. What could possibly be sufficient to pay for the cost of death of Christ? That debt could not be paid if all creation and the universe itself could be sold and the payment applied.

It is true, the debt that one human can incur on another can be great,and seemingly humanly unforgivable and without possible re-payment. But herein lies the conundrum, it has already been paid. Christ’s death was and is sufficient payment for all sin, for all time – no matter what it might be. There is no sin greater than Christ’s ability or willingness to forgive (except for one, blasphemy – which could be a whole other series of blogs). There is one simple key 1 John 1:9 “if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness”. Ha ha, you might declare, there’s the loop hole! The person that has sinned against me has not asked for forgiveness so I do not need to forgive that so and so for what they did.

However, that is not the prayer we find here. It says, “Forgive us of our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”. There is another element at work here - we are commanded to forgive. Our relationship with God is inhibited when there is unforgiveness toward someone. It is because of what the unforgiveness of debt does to the human spirit, mind and body. It is a major cause of depression (internalized anger) and anxiety. It not only affects us psychologically but physiologically. It controls, destroys and imprisons us - and God wants us free. This is a prayer of freedom. Freedom from all the handles the enemy wants to maintain in our lives in order to play us like a marionette puppet.

The deeper the injury, the more the need of finding that pathway to forgiveness. I read once that forgiveness is not letting someone off scott free and saying or believing that what was done to me is okay or doesn’t matter. What forgiveness does is takes the person off my hook and puts them on God’s. God knows what this means to you . He knows the depth of pain and anguish. He does not minimize the situation. His call is, ‘take on my yoke which is easy and light, and put your burdens and hurts on my shoulders – let me bear them’.
Anyway, I was just thinking.

Neil