Forgiving

“‘Our father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.’

−Matthew 6:9-13 (New American Standard Version)

Forgiveness may be the most important part of “The Lord’s Prayer.” It is the only part on which Jesus Christ comments immediately after teaching the prayer:

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

−Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)

This sounds conditional, like God is not going to forgive our sins unless we forgive others. That must be the way it is, since it is Jesus saying it, the one who came from God, the Word made flesh.

Jesus also teaches this conditional aspect of God’s forgiveness in the parable of the forgiven servant, recorded in Matthew 18:23-35. A servant owes the king10,000 talents, but the king cancels the debt. Then the newly debt-free servant finds a fellow servant who owes the first servant 100 denari. The first servant chokes the second servant and has him thrown into prison for nonpayment of debt. When the king hears about it, he reinstates the debt on the first servant and jails him. “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart,” Jesus explains.

The only part of Lord’s Prayer in which the praying person commits to do something is the section on forgiving others.

This tie-in of humans forgiving humans and God forgiving humans is also emphasized within the wording of the Lord’s Prayer as recorded in Luke 11:2-4:

Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.

So God wants us to forgive others if we want forgiveness from Him.

Last month I wrote about Christ’s linking worship of God to reconciliation among people.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”

− Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV)

Forgiveness eases the path to lasting reconciliation. It is easier to reconcile with others and remain reconciled if we forgive at the same time.

We need to forgive within individual congregations and the overall black church. Within the broader body of Christ we should forgive Evangelicals for their past support of the wars and warmongering of the Bush regime. Let us forgive our enemies, including the thug who attacked our family member. May the source light of Christian forgiving emanate to encourage forgiveness and peace within and among families, communities, tribes/nations, and throughout the African diaspora and the world at large.

This is not the way of the world. Yet, in a world of wars and rumors of wars, let us hold on to the Word, including the forgiveness part, until the end.