FORGIVENESS DOESN'T COME EASILY
The 5th Petition
The Lord’s Prayer is composed of an address at the beginning, a doxology at the end, and seven petitions (or requests) in the middle. But there’s one phrase in this prayer that is not like the others. Can you catch it? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.” There is one phrase that does not call to the Father or praise the Father or ask of the Father. There is one phrase in this famous prayer taught to us by Jesus himself that actually speaks about what we do. And it’s contained at the end of the 5th Petition: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And so we are asking our Lord in the 5th petition of the Lord’s Prayer to forgive our sins against him just as we forgive other people who sin against us!
Now wait a minute. I’m not sure if I like that. I don’t mind asking the Lord for blessings and praising the Lord for his kingdom and his power and his glory, but I’m not sure if I like that little phrase at the end of the 5th petition that refers to what I’m apparently doing on a regular basis. I want my sins forgiven; there’s no doubt about that! But to ask the Lord to forgive my sins just like I forgive others? Can’t I just skip that last phrase? Can’t I just move onto “Lead us not into temptation” and ignore the part about the forgiveness I’m supposed to be freely giving out? Because now I feel guilty. Now I feel a little ashamed. Now I feel a little hypocritical if I’m asking for forgiveness from the Lord but have no intention of forgiving those who sin against me.
Grudges & Revenge
Because it’s not all that fun to forgive, is it? It’s much more sinfully gratifying to hold a grudge and wish revenge on that person. When someone is less-than-nice to you, when somebody doesn’t like you, when a person says something to hurt you, when a family member has done something that has really upset you, when you are stabbed in the back… you don’t want to forgive them, do you? You want to stay mad at them for a while! You want to them to have to pay for it! You want to hang it over their head for a few days or weeks or months because that’s what they deserve! They don’t deserve your kindness or your compassion right now and you certainly aren’t going to let them off the hook that easily!
And yet we come to the Lord in prayer - his Prayer - and we pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” as if we do that without fault. “So let me get this straight,” the Lord might say to us. “You want me to forgive you for every single one of the thousands of sins you commit against me every day, but you don’t want to forgive this one sin that someone else has committed against you. Is that what I’m hearing?” “Oh, but it was personal!” we cry. “And I don’t take it personally when one of my own children breaks my law?” the Lord responds. “But they hurt me!” we argue. “And I am not hurt when you ignore my words?” our God patiently explains. “But they aren’t even sorry for what they did to me!” we complain. And the Lord just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Most people aren’t. In fact, I remember a few times when you were not sorry for some of the sins you committed against me! And neither were the guys who nailed me to the cross or the Jewish leaders that mocked me or the soldiers that scourged me or the crowds that condemned me. But that didn’t stop me from Calvary.” “But Lord!” we whimper. “Forgiveness is so hard!” “Yes it is,” says the Lord. “Yes it is. And you don’t know the half of it. I’m the one who has the nail holes to prove how difficult forgiveness actually was.” Our God does have the nail holes; and we have his words that tell us the story:
Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easily
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” “Father, forgive them.” These were not just mere words. This was not something Jesus said but didn’t really mean it. Jesus was in the middle of earning it! Jesus was in the middle of bleeding to death for this forgiveness that he wanted so badly for those who were murdering him. And it wasn’t easy. Pain never is. Suffering for someone else never is. Dying never is. But Jesus was willing to go through with it all to gain forgiveness for the sins of every person in this world. Even for those who physically pounded the nails into his hands and feet. Even for those who saw his miracles and refused to believe. Even for those children of his who even now withhold forgiveness from others at times for completely selfish reasons. Jesus went through with that horrible torture and the punishment of hell itself because he doesn’t hold a grudge. And Jesus doesn’t wish revenge on those who harm him or ignore him or disobey him either. Jesus forgives. That’s just what he does. That’s what he did. And so now whenever we pray, “Forgive us our sins,” we know that he already has.
Instant & Permanent Forgiveness
Isn’t it nice that the Lord doesn’t hang your past mistakes over your head? Isn’t it refreshing to know that he doesn’t make you pay for them? Isn’t it incredible that he doesn’t stay mad at you until you make it up to him in some way? His forgiveness is instant! There is no waiting period. There is no background check. There is no fine print about conditions and restrictions that may apply. And Jesus’ forgiveness is permanent too! It doesn’t expire and he will never take it back. The sacrifice he made on that cross and the forgiveness that resulted from it is yours for as long as you live. Your sins are gone. Your punishment is over.
And if that is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus gives to you and if that is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus so graciously gives to me even though we don’t come close to deserving it, what kind of forgiveness do you think we should give to those who sin against us? A conditional forgiveness? A delayed forgiveness? A temporary forgiveness? Or an instant and permanent forgiveness with no strings attached? It’s not going to be easy, of course. Forgiving someone who has hurt you or who harms you or who even hates you with that kind of forgiveness isn’t going to be simple. But when we remember that it was Jesus’ blood that fell to the ground not only for us but for that person as well; and when we remember that it was Jesus’ death given up on the cross not only for us but for that person as well; and when we remember that it was Jesus’ love that moved him to offer himself as a sacrifice not only for us but for that person as well; the forgiveness that we are to give should flow a little more freely and gladly, shouldn’t it? Because Jesus did not hold forgiveness back from us. Jesus did not hold forgiveness back from anyone. How could we?
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” This is possibly the most comforting petition in the entire Lord’s Prayer, but also the most challenging. One that gives us the most joy, but also implies the most effort. Not that our efforts prompt Jesus to forgive us, but our efforts to forgive are motivated by the forgiveness our Lord has already given. And so we can continue to pray this 5th petition of the Lord’s Prayer with confidence. Because although we may be far from perfect in keeping the second part of this plea, that is exactly the reason why we pray the first. “Please forgive us our sins, Lord, as we try to forgive in the exact same way those who sin against us.”
Amen.
The 5th Petition
The Lord’s Prayer is composed of an address at the beginning, a doxology at the end, and seven petitions (or requests) in the middle. But there’s one phrase in this prayer that is not like the others. Can you catch it? “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.” There is one phrase that does not call to the Father or praise the Father or ask of the Father. There is one phrase in this famous prayer taught to us by Jesus himself that actually speaks about what we do. And it’s contained at the end of the 5th Petition: “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” And so we are asking our Lord in the 5th petition of the Lord’s Prayer to forgive our sins against him just as we forgive other people who sin against us!
Now wait a minute. I’m not sure if I like that. I don’t mind asking the Lord for blessings and praising the Lord for his kingdom and his power and his glory, but I’m not sure if I like that little phrase at the end of the 5th petition that refers to what I’m apparently doing on a regular basis. I want my sins forgiven; there’s no doubt about that! But to ask the Lord to forgive my sins just like I forgive others? Can’t I just skip that last phrase? Can’t I just move onto “Lead us not into temptation” and ignore the part about the forgiveness I’m supposed to be freely giving out? Because now I feel guilty. Now I feel a little ashamed. Now I feel a little hypocritical if I’m asking for forgiveness from the Lord but have no intention of forgiving those who sin against me.
Grudges & Revenge
Because it’s not all that fun to forgive, is it? It’s much more sinfully gratifying to hold a grudge and wish revenge on that person. When someone is less-than-nice to you, when somebody doesn’t like you, when a person says something to hurt you, when a family member has done something that has really upset you, when you are stabbed in the back… you don’t want to forgive them, do you? You want to stay mad at them for a while! You want to them to have to pay for it! You want to hang it over their head for a few days or weeks or months because that’s what they deserve! They don’t deserve your kindness or your compassion right now and you certainly aren’t going to let them off the hook that easily!
And yet we come to the Lord in prayer - his Prayer - and we pray, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us” as if we do that without fault. “So let me get this straight,” the Lord might say to us. “You want me to forgive you for every single one of the thousands of sins you commit against me every day, but you don’t want to forgive this one sin that someone else has committed against you. Is that what I’m hearing?” “Oh, but it was personal!” we cry. “And I don’t take it personally when one of my own children breaks my law?” the Lord responds. “But they hurt me!” we argue. “And I am not hurt when you ignore my words?” our God patiently explains. “But they aren’t even sorry for what they did to me!” we complain. And the Lord just shrugs his shoulders and says, “Most people aren’t. In fact, I remember a few times when you were not sorry for some of the sins you committed against me! And neither were the guys who nailed me to the cross or the Jewish leaders that mocked me or the soldiers that scourged me or the crowds that condemned me. But that didn’t stop me from Calvary.” “But Lord!” we whimper. “Forgiveness is so hard!” “Yes it is,” says the Lord. “Yes it is. And you don’t know the half of it. I’m the one who has the nail holes to prove how difficult forgiveness actually was.” Our God does have the nail holes; and we have his words that tell us the story:
Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easily
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” “Father, forgive them.” These were not just mere words. This was not something Jesus said but didn’t really mean it. Jesus was in the middle of earning it! Jesus was in the middle of bleeding to death for this forgiveness that he wanted so badly for those who were murdering him. And it wasn’t easy. Pain never is. Suffering for someone else never is. Dying never is. But Jesus was willing to go through with it all to gain forgiveness for the sins of every person in this world. Even for those who physically pounded the nails into his hands and feet. Even for those who saw his miracles and refused to believe. Even for those children of his who even now withhold forgiveness from others at times for completely selfish reasons. Jesus went through with that horrible torture and the punishment of hell itself because he doesn’t hold a grudge. And Jesus doesn’t wish revenge on those who harm him or ignore him or disobey him either. Jesus forgives. That’s just what he does. That’s what he did. And so now whenever we pray, “Forgive us our sins,” we know that he already has.
Instant & Permanent Forgiveness
Isn’t it nice that the Lord doesn’t hang your past mistakes over your head? Isn’t it refreshing to know that he doesn’t make you pay for them? Isn’t it incredible that he doesn’t stay mad at you until you make it up to him in some way? His forgiveness is instant! There is no waiting period. There is no background check. There is no fine print about conditions and restrictions that may apply. And Jesus’ forgiveness is permanent too! It doesn’t expire and he will never take it back. The sacrifice he made on that cross and the forgiveness that resulted from it is yours for as long as you live. Your sins are gone. Your punishment is over.
And if that is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus gives to you and if that is the kind of forgiveness that Jesus so graciously gives to me even though we don’t come close to deserving it, what kind of forgiveness do you think we should give to those who sin against us? A conditional forgiveness? A delayed forgiveness? A temporary forgiveness? Or an instant and permanent forgiveness with no strings attached? It’s not going to be easy, of course. Forgiving someone who has hurt you or who harms you or who even hates you with that kind of forgiveness isn’t going to be simple. But when we remember that it was Jesus’ blood that fell to the ground not only for us but for that person as well; and when we remember that it was Jesus’ death given up on the cross not only for us but for that person as well; and when we remember that it was Jesus’ love that moved him to offer himself as a sacrifice not only for us but for that person as well; the forgiveness that we are to give should flow a little more freely and gladly, shouldn’t it? Because Jesus did not hold forgiveness back from us. Jesus did not hold forgiveness back from anyone. How could we?
“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.” This is possibly the most comforting petition in the entire Lord’s Prayer, but also the most challenging. One that gives us the most joy, but also implies the most effort. Not that our efforts prompt Jesus to forgive us, but our efforts to forgive are motivated by the forgiveness our Lord has already given. And so we can continue to pray this 5th petition of the Lord’s Prayer with confidence. Because although we may be far from perfect in keeping the second part of this plea, that is exactly the reason why we pray the first. “Please forgive us our sins, Lord, as we try to forgive in the exact same way those who sin against us.”
Amen.
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