The Jewish Background to the Lord’s Prayer (Part VI)
06 Oct 2023
And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors (‘Um’chol lanu et chovotenu ka’asher machalnu gam nnachnu l’chayavenu’)
If I had to characterise Jesus’ teaching in a single thought, it might well be teaching man he has a moral obligation to forgive.
Forgiving others
The drive for forgiveness, between both man & man and man & God, is laid out unflinchingly in the parable of the unforgiving servant (Matt 18). Totally ignoring the magnitude of the grace he has received, the servant doubles down on a minor debt he is owed. Will the king remain forgiving? Can the king remain forgiving? The answer is a resounding NO!!
Forgiveness sits at the core of Jesus’ message, so it should not be a surprise to see it nestled in this core prayer. The message that God will not show mercy to those who do not themselves show mercy has the effect of underlining Jesus’ message on the need for forgiveness.
This is absolutely aligned with established Jewish thinking. Ben Sira (C170 BCE) taught like this: ‘Forgive your neighbour the wrong he has done and then your sins will be forgiven when you pray’. ‘Does a man harbour anger against another and then seek healing from The Lord?’ ‘Does he have no mercy to a man like himself, yet pray for his own sins?’ The message is clear, we need to seek forgiveness from, and offer forgiveness to, our neighbour before asking God for His forgiveness.
Forgive before seeking forgiveness.
There is a similar idea within Mishnah in respect of the Day of Atonement. This solemn observation atones for trespasses between man and the Omnipresent, not for sins between a man and his neighbour. This is the purpose of the days of awe (yamim nora’im), which allows a man to be reconciled with his brother before approaching God. Some practical suggestions are added, such as not trying to do this when still angry, which speaks of a true knowledge of man to me.
What these teachings tell me is that Jesus, and Judaism as a whole, were very aware that our relationships with our fellow man and woman impacted our relationship with God. Forgive before seeking forgiveness. As Rabbi Gamaliel Berabbi is recorded in the Talmud ‘Everyone who is merciful to others will receive mercy from heaven.’
God’s mercy
An ancient blessing that resides within contemporary Jewish prayer books is reminiscent of the words of Jesus. Recited after a dangerous journey or recovery from sickness, it says, ‘Blessed art thou O Lord our God, King of the universe who does good to debtors for He has done good to me’. In the Jerusalem Talmud this prayer is linked to thanksgiving for God’s provision of rain. The thought contained here is that everyone, regardless of their relationship with God, is blessed by rain and as such is undeserving. Yet God is merciful.
He fully understands the liberating power of forgiveness, the tremendous release that comes when we forgive even the most heinous actions
Interestingly the Hebrew word ‘chavayim’ is used to encompass one who is called to praise God, a debtor and a sinner. This breadth of meaning emphasises, at least to me, the relationship between sin and mercy. Questions are often raised around Luke’s use of 'sins' as opposed to Matthew’s 'debts'.
Chavayim provides an answer for this in that ‘chayav’ can be translated as guilt for which we are held accountable or as a debt to be paid, as well as having what you could almost call an obligation to praise God. It is a word that Hebrew appears to have co-opted from Aramaic, which in Hebrew has a breadth of meaning, whereas the Aramaic word is exclusively translated as 'sin', as it is in Mishnaic Hebrew and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Liberating power
Luke seems to use ‘sins’ to explain to his readers the idea of debt which is a more flexible and encompassing word. ‘Debt’ can cover a lot more than ‘sin’ – personal debts, moral obligations and sins are all encompassed in Matthew’s account. Another point of difference here is that Matthew applies the ‘aorist tense’ literally; ‘we have forgiven’ as opposed to Luke’s ‘we forgive’. Within a Hebrew context, Matthew’s past tense ‘we have forgiven’ retains the impact of Jesus’ words. It is a statement of fact rather than an unfulfilled intent. The forgiveness must be complete before approaching God.
Jesus has the grace to pray ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do’.
Jesus’ use of this motif demonstrates that He fully understands the liberating power of forgiveness, the tremendous release that comes when we forgive even the most heinous actions. Jesus exemplifies this forgiveness when He looks down on the Roman soldiers who are crucifying Him. Although unaware of their own offence, and unthinking in their brutality – after all, to them He is just another Jew – Jesus has the grace to pray ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do’.
Nick Thompson worked extensively in national newspaper marketing teams in the 80s and 90s. He currently lives in North Lincolnshire and works in software development and football. He is a Trustee of Prayer for Israel and a member of the Prophecy Today Editorial Board. The other parts of this series are available here.
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Nick Thompson