Forgive And Be Forgiven
Our Father gives us commands by which we must live. There are also laws or rules of this existence such that “you will reap what you sow” which we considered earlier, freely receive freely give, and forgive and be forgiven which we will consider here.
Let’s begin with the Our Father Prayer Mat 6:9-13
After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. (Mat 6:9-13)
When we pray this prayer to Our Father what are we saying about our request for forgiveness? We pray that Yahweh will forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. So what if there is someone you haven’t forgiven?
We Read in Mat 6:14-15 and Mark 11:25-26
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matthew 6:14-15)
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father Also which is in heaven may forgive you … But if ye do not forgive, neither will your. Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. (Mark 11:25-26)
Isn’t that plainly stated? Do you have any questions about what the Messiah is saying in Matt 6:14-15 and/or Mark 11:25-26? Let’s repeat it; Yahweh will forgive you the wrong thing you have done to him, just as you have forgiven others for the wrongs they have done to you.
When did I do anything to Yahweh (God)?
Here we have a question, and the answer is whatever you do to the least of the people around you, you are doing it to Yahweh the creator of us all. If you have eyes to see or ears to hear – then know there is no one we can mistreat, no one – no man, no woman, no child. Let’s see how the Messiah answers it in Matthew 25:34-40
Then shall he say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.
Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger, and took you in or naked, and clothed you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to you?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, In as much as you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me. (Read Matthew 25:34-40)
When people hurt you it’s misery. They make you cry out in your soul. Often you ask how long Yahweh, how long? How often shall we forgive those who cause us pain and grief? Let’s look at Luke 17:3-4 and Mathew 18:21-22
Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against you, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. And if he trespass against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to you, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. (Luke 17:3-4)
We see something important in Luke 17:3-4. A brother is considered close family, and they can hurt us and can hurt us often. Because the people who cause us the most pain are the people closest to us. However, sometimes our brother is a stranger, a brother in faith, or circumstances, who we do not know well. He can be someone we work with or someone who speaks for us (not always at our request) and these brothers can also hurt us.
In Luke 17:3-4 the brother repents of his sins and asks for forgiveness. That is also important. We all have to repent of our wrongdoing and ask Yahweh for forgiveness. Are those who do not repent forgiven? Yahweh is a merciful King, but those who don’t repent of their wrongdoing are bent on continuing to do wrong. They see nothing wrong in what they have done and are doing and may even feel they have the right to do it. They are not citizens of the kingdom of Yahweh. They belong to the reprobate Kingdom of the World, which is full of lies and tricks.
The Messiah Explains How Yahweh’s Forgiveness Works
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matthew 18:21-22)
After answering Peter’s question, the Messiah tells the story of a king who was taking account of his servants. And he found one that owed him ten thousand talents, and he had no means by which to pay. The king commanded that servant to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had to make the payment. And the servant fell at his feet, and pleaded with him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything I owe. And the King seeing him like that, knowing he had no means to pay his debt, had mercy on him and forgave him all ten thousand talents of debt.
And that very same servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred pence. And he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe.” And his fellow servant fell at his feet, and pleaded with him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything I owe. But he wouldn’t hear it: and he went ahead and cast his fellow servant into prison, till he would pay all the debt.
Other servants knew what was done and reported it to the King. The King upon hearing this report repented that he had forgiven his wicked servant. He called him, and said to him, “You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt, because you wanted me to. Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?”
And his King was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to his King. (read Matthew 18:23-34)
Did you notice that the servant begged the King to give him time and he would pay all and he was shown mercy and forgiven; and later when his fellow servant begs him for time to pay his debt, he shows him no mercy and throws him into prison? Again, we are not seeing people who are saying just forget what I owe but people who are confessing and owning the debt. They are admitting they owe, and it should be paid. We don’t see that much today. It’s much rarer than getting a thank you.
However, some people will try to show you that they repent of the things they did to you. And we aren’t always able to see that change or accept it. We get stuck and blinded by the pain they caused us. We can’t help our natural reactions, but we can put it all in prayer before the feet of our Father, Yahweh.
Forgive from Your Heart Everyone Their Debts So You Can Be Forgiven Yours
The servant’s King was angry with him for not forgiving his fellow servant and delivered him to the tormentors until he should pay all that was due. That’s a serious consequence. We all owe Yahweh far more than ten thousand talents. And yet the Messiah ends that story by saying, “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother their trespasses.” Matthew 18:35
We have all caused harm to others – all of us. We tend to forget the things we did but, Yahweh knows the whole truth of us. We can’t fake it with Yahweh so there is no need to try. We must admit we are struggling to forgive and to overcome the things that we did and the things that were done to us. And when we ask, Yahweh can mend our broken hearts and help us to forgive those who have caused us harm and ourselves for harming others.
May Yahweh bless and keep you, as you walk the path of truth and love.