Forgiveness is one of the main emphases in Jesus’ teaching. It is no wonder, then, that forgiveness is part of the short prayer that Jesus taught his disciples.
Man’s obligation to be forgiving has perhaps never been more powerfully expressed than in Jesus’ parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18:23-35). Although the king’s servant had been forgiven an enormous debt by the king, he was unwilling to forgive a small debt that a fellow servant owed to him. Would the king show mercy to this unmerciful servant? He most certainly would not.
In the Sages
God will not forgive those who refuse to forgive (Matthew 6:14-15). This theme is found in the teachings of sages even before Jesus’ time. In approximately 170 B.C., Ben Sira placed forgiveness in the context of prayer:
Forgive your neighbor the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does a man harbor anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? (Ben Sira 28:2-4)
One must forgive one’s neighbor before requesting forgiveness from God.
A similar idea appears in the Mishnah:
The Day of Atonement atones for transgressions of a person against the Omnipresent, but it does not atone for transgressions of a person against his neighbor unless he first appeases his neighbor. (Yoma 8:9
| To view the remainder of this article, please log in at the top of this page. | OR | |
OR
If you are not yet a Premium Content subscriber, please consider this amazing tool for Bible study. Premium Content membership gives you access to hundreds of articles, written by many of the best New Testament scholars in Israel and abroad, which illuminated Jesus' sayings. (Read our free sample articles!)
New articles are continually being added to this database of knowledge. Articles are searchable by keyword, category or scripture reference.